North American facility to focus on Aerospace sub-system testing

“As aircraft become more complex, so does the testing required to validate it, as a result we have seen an increase in demand for specialist testing expertise,” said Jon Brentnall, President DSD.

“Our parent company has developed what we believe is Europe’s most advanced, commercially-available development centre for gearbox efficiency, with many test systems designed in-house to ensure that areas that have not previously received sufficient attention can now be investigated. It is our intention to build similar test capability tailored to the North American market.”

The facility will initially house a loaded gearbox efficiency test rig and will be developed throughout the year to finally include three pieces of gearbox test equipment. The current rig, which is fully operational, is suitable for various applications, such as layshaft and planetary gearboxes for APU’s and landing gear applications.

Further expansion throughout the year will include a hydraulic test stand for hydraulic valve body development and a dynamic tilt rig, which provides enhanced lubrication flow analysis capability.

“This will require a larger facility in the area, which we are already investigating,” said Brentnall. “We are delighted to be offering this opportunity for the automotive industry in North America, but also for aspiring engineers looking for their next challenge - the initial expansion has already generated nine engineering vacancies.”

The new facility will also include extensive customer accessibility, allowing DSD’s engineers to work closely with its customers throughout design, development and validation programmes.

“Our consultant engineers in Europe found that they were able to produce designs that theoretically provided significant improvements but that the test facilities were not available to focus development attention in the appropriate areas,” Brentnall explained. “The answer was to work with the customer to develop our own test systems, designed specifically for the application.”

DSD will be attending the 34th Space Symposium in Colorado, 16th-19th April to promote its design and development capabilities, including the new efficiency test rig.