TRaC awarded specialist test services contract by Rolls-Royce

TRaC has supported Rolls-Royce on testing programmes for a variety of aero-engines destined to power the Airbus 380, Boeing’s Dreamliner and several military aircraft types. TRaC has supplied on-call engineers for on-site test work at Rolls-Royce’s Derby facility, and has created bespoke testing capabilities at its own Warwick site, since 2004. Under a flexible agreement, TRaC provides Rolls-Royce with a full time ‘On Call’ engineer at its facility in Derby, with the option to utilise additional trained engineers at short notice.



Environmental and Analysis Managing Director at TRaC, Stuart Brown, stated, “TRaC has worked very closely with Rolls-Royce, and has invested significant sums over several years to support Rolls-Royce’s engine build programmes. TRaC has supported Experimental Vibration Testing both on-site at Derby and at TRaC’s Warwick facility, covering High Cycle Fatigue, Strain Gauge Calibration and, in recent months, Impact Impedance Testing. TRaC offers high calibre engineers with the skill sets and flexibility that meet Rolls-Royce’s exacting requirements and this agreement cements further the strong relationship between the two companies.”



TRaC is the only UKAS [1] accredited High Cycle Fatigue (HCF) facility in the UK and can offer both electromagnetic or airjet excitation techniques. High Cycle Fatigue testing subjects components – including, under TRaC’s contract with Rolls-Royce, aero-engine turbine blades – to accelerated life testing by applying mechanical stress across a wide range of frequencies. As well as directly testing components and demonstrating satisfactory fatigue life, the data gathered by High Cycle Fatigue testing is used to validate mathematical models for computer analysis. The company also has a full range of related skills in frequency checking of components in both of the modes known as “Free-Free” and “Fixed-Free”. This technique, which can be used on batch samples, can be used to compare samples and to reveal mode (resonant) frequencies prior to full HCF testing. TRaC has the expertise to apply state-of-the-art frequency analysis tools to this process to ensure the highest possible degree of accuracy and consistency in the results.