Testing tomorrow's aircraft generators and starters Along the road from conceptual design of aircraft components to fully integrated flight testing is the exploitation of dedicated test rigs for individual components. An EU initiative built a new one to test aircraft starters and generators in support of future all-electric aircraft. Transport and Mobility Industrial Technologies © satit_srihin, Thinkstock The public-private partnership Clean Sky is the EU's most ambitious aeronautical research programme ever. Among its many accomplishments is a modular test rig for the development and testing of electrical networks and integrated propulsion systems (engine and nacelle) with an eye toward more-electric aircraft. The EU-funded STARTGENSYS (Adaptation kit design & manufacturing: APU driving system) project set out to validate a test bench for aircraft starters and generators to complement Clean Sky's modular test rig. Work began with the mechanical, electrical, control and data acquisition design of four complete and identical driving systems for the ground test bench. Project partners then manufactured, commissioned and validated the four systems, mainly comprised of a control cabinet and power electronics cabinets. The systems are capable of continuously operating autonomously or together in conditions that are similar to those aboard a plane. Each system drives one single generator or starter/generator, and is able to simulate the start of an electrical aircraft engine. Any two of the four drive systems can be synchronised with respect to speed and position. All four will be locally or remotely controlled and integrated with ancillaries and a central control system available at the place of use. The high-speed transmission or speed multiplier minimises noise, vibrations, energy consumption and maintenance costs. It also uses less oil. Lastly, the STARTGENSYS team successfully integrated the driving system and the developed control and power cabinet components into the test bench. The STARTGENSYS starter/generator test bench supports the work of Clean Sky, finding use in the testing of a variety of electrical systems and equipment and evaluation of power production. More specifically, the project supports the development of mechanical high-speed transmissions for aircraft. Both will contribute to the increased competitiveness and sustainability of the EU's aerospace industry. Keywords Driving system, aircraft generators, aircraft starters, STARTGENSYS, test bench
