Sopemea conducts an icing test on the brake of an airplane
An icing test
at Sopemea
Sopemea carries out many types of tests, including icing tests. An icing test consists of creating a film of ice on the equipment and then melting it, several times in a row. Once all the cycles have been completed, the technician simulates different types of braking to check that the brake still works. Then the technician dismantles the equipment and checks whether or not water has infiltrated. In the case of our icing test for Safran Landing Systems, the equipment was a carbon brake developed for a long-haul commercial aircraft. Our technician therefore had to simulate the climatic conditions experienced by an aircraft brake throughout a flight. The aim of this test was to check the ability of the material to maintain its functionality despite the potential presence of water in it, following the various films of ice applied.
A test in
realistic conditions
To simulate the climatic conditions of an aeroplane flight as realistically as possible, Sopemea carried out a test with several parameters. Here, the test combines very low atmospheric pressure, humidity and low temperature: so many simultaneous parameters that our technician had to combine a lot of expertise. Indeed, the test required the assembly of a specific test bench with several control consoles, and knowledge of fluid mechanics and climatic testing.
The bench is made up of control consoles, a servo valve for pulsed pressures, and various measurement sensors such as hygrometers, thermocouples, pressure sensors, etc.
This bench was designed and assembled in-house, especially for this test. Such an assembly requires 3 to 4 days of work by an experienced technician. The consoles allow pressure, temperature and humidity to be controlled simultaneously. The biggest challenge of the test, however, is to size each element perfectly for optimal operation.
Sopemea's test technicians have real expertise: they are a valuable asset for your test campaigns because they bring you their experience and specific skills in extremely specialised fields. They prove it every day with innovative and unique test benches! Find here all the types of tests performed in our laboratories.
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