27.10.2011

TsAGI receives a wing and central fuselage of Il-76-MD-90A military transport plane

In early October the middle part of the fuselage and a wing of the first serial model of the updated Il-76 was delivered from Ulyanovsk to the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute named after prof. N.E. Zhukovsky for strength tests. The research work is being carried out at the request of JSC UAC — Transport Aircraft.

The fuselage and wing panels are currently being placed in the laboratory and installed in a holding frame. Integration work is underway and will be completed within two months, after which the object will be transferred for comprehensive laboratory resource-static tests. An extremely complicated bench is being specially created for these tests, which will make it possible to simultaneously test the fuselage with excessive pressure, the landing gear, wing, and engine harness — all the vital parts of the aircraft.

At the first stage the static strength of the structure will be confirmed, which will make it possible to carry out flight tests of the prototype aircraft in the next year without additional operating restrictions. Then endurance tests will begin, including fatigue tests and a survivability test. During the survivability test the object will be subjected to the maximum possible damage in potentially dangerous places and bearing an operational load. This will confirm the safety of prolonged operation of the aircraft.

“A feature of these tests is that on one object we have to solve two problems at once: static strength and fatigue life. During the static test the object is subjected to the maximum possible loads, well above the pressures to which the aircraft is subjected during regular operation. Carrying out fatigue testing after conducting static tests is inadmissible, as a rule. However, scientists and specialists at TsAGI, JSC IL and JSC UAC-TA have found innovative solutions to combine both static and fatigue testing on the same airframe,” Dr. Konstantin Scherban, Deputy Director of the Aircraft Construction Fatigue Department, said.