F135 testing resumes at Arnold

[spazsinbad]

F135 testing resumes at Arnold
16 Nov 2020 Jill Pickett, AEDC/PA

"ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. -- Testing of the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine has resumed in the Arnold Engineering Development Complex J2 Engine Test Cell at Arnold Air Force Base. The test team is seeking to validate the structural integrity and aerodynamic characteristics of a new fan rotor design for the F135, the powerhouse of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Lightning II.

In J2, altitudes up to 75,000 feet can be simulated, along with temperatures from -60 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Flight speeds of up to Mach 2.6 can also be simulated. Testing of the engine began in J2 in 2019, but was stopped because of a planned outage to accommodate maintenance. Once that outage concluded, testing resumed with an expectation to continue into early 2021.

“Test results to date have been positive and encouraging, and early results allowed us to complete an AMT (Accelerated Mission Test) with the same newly-designed rotor,” said 2nd Lt. Gregory Landrum, AEDC Jet Engine Test project manager.

“The test team that has been conducting this test has been highly involved and has worked closely with personnel from Pratt & Whitney and the JSF Joint Program Office to frame the desired objectives and collect data toward those objectives.”

The F135 program has conducted more than 5,500 hours of testing in test cells across AEDC."

Photo: "Testing of an F135 engine with a new rotor design is continuing in the J2 test cell of the Engine Test Facility at Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn. The engine is shown in the test cell in this image taken Sept. 2, 2020. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jill Pickett)" https://media.defense.gov/2020/Nov/16/2 ... 1-1021.JPG (11Mb)

Source: https://www.robins.af.mil/News/Article- ... at-arnold/

[mor10]

Any information available about why there is a need for a new rotor?

[spazsinbad]

It seems to extend engine life according to this 24 Jan 2020: F-35 engine back on test with new fan rotor

"...Testing of the F135, which is sponsored by the F-35 Joint Program Office, is set to continue into 2020. “We are going to be testing it a little bit beyond its normal service life to collect data to support the decision makers with regard to extending the service life of the engine out in the field,” Corona added." https://www.aerospacetestinginternation ... rotor.html

Has the engine fire on take off at Eglin AFB relevance?:

05 Jun 2015 "A fractured engine rotor caused an F-35 to catch fire during takeoff for a training mission last summer, according to an Air Force investigation released Friday...." https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your ... f-35-fire/

[aussiebloke]

Has the engine fire on take off at Eglin AFB relevance?:

05 Jun 2015 "A fractured engine rotor caused an F-35 to catch fire during takeoff for a training mission last summer, according to an Air Force investigation released Friday...." https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your ... f-35-fire/

The underlying problem that caused the summer 2014 fire was reported as being fixed by Pratt & Whitney in 2015:
https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news ... hter-fleet

[quicksilver]

That photo appears to be a -600 STOVL engine; it features both an offtake of LP bypass air for the roll post, as well as the rotational feature of the 3BSD.

[Corsair1963]

Sure this doesn't relate to future upgrades planned for the F135???

[XanderCrews]

That photo appears to be a -600 STOVL engine; it features both an offtake of LP bypass air for the roll post, as well as the rotational feature of the 3BSD.

Yep. concur. proper Sawed off exhaust petals as well

[doge]

Other articles about newly-designed fan rotors.
https://www.arnold.af.mil/News/Article- ... -facility/

F135 returns to Arnold for testing in Sea Level facility
By Bradley Hicks, AEDC/PA / Published January 21, 2020
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --
The Pratt & Whitney F135 engine has returned to Arnold Engineering Development Complex for another round of testing, with a fresh engine component the focus of the latest efforts.
The F135, which powers the F-35 Lightning II aircraft, is currently undergoing testing in one of the Sea Level Test Cells at Arnold. Since late June, a newly-designed fan rotor installed in the engine has been subjected to endurance and Accelerated Mission Testing.
Accelerated Mission Testing, or AMT, is a testing method used to rapidly age an engine, allowing for the identification and correction of issues before they would occur in normal use. Through AMT, a tested engine will accumulate several years of normal life in a short amount of time.
“The whole purpose of an AMT is to basically put some wear and tear on the engine, if you will, some life, that simulates what it would have out in the field,” said Test Manager Don Corona, now retired. “But instead of waiting several years to get that, we accomplish that in several months.”
Not only does the AMT consist of testing at ambient air conditions, but it also includes RAM. The term “RAM” refers to the use of test facility compressors to increase the engine inlet pressure and temperature to more closely simulate actual flight conditions.
Corona said RAM simulates high speed travel at a low altitude, allowing engineers to assess how these conditions impact the engine and its components.
“The Sea Level AMT does put wear and tear on the engine that you would see in operation. However, the RAM conditions ensure that we also have data that is representative of flying at high speed at low altitude conditions, which is actually a harsher environment for the engine,” Corona said.
Corona said the test is all about making sure the new fan rotor design checks out before it finds its way into the engine of an F-35.
“This testing will then allow that new design to be disseminated to the fleet,” he said. “We can’t just take a new design and put it out there on the engines, so this is going to be part of the testing to get it qualified to be put on an engine out in the fleet.”

After testing has concluded, the engine will be disassembled and examined.
“When the engine is done testing, they will tear the engine down and they will examine all the components in what is called an ACI – an Analytical Condition Inspection,” Corona said. “They will look at all the engine components at that time, and they’ll see if the wear on all the engine parts is consistent with what they would expect.”
The F135 also underwent testing last year to cover pre-AMT objectives. That testing concluded in late 2018, around six months before the AMT involving the newly-designed fan rotor began.
Testing of the F135, which is sponsored by the F-35 Joint Program Office, is set to continue into 2020.
“We are going to be testing it a little bit beyond its normal service life to collect data to support the decision makers with regard to extending the service life of the engine out in the field,” Corona said.
Corona commended the efforts of those who have worked on the recent F135 testing.
“The crews that have been running this test have been working very hard and very efficiently, and they have been doing such a good job that we are actually running ahead of schedule and under budget,” he said. “I think the crews really need to be commended for that, everybody associated with this project.
“They have also been very alert and notified the proper authorities when something needed attention so that it was remedied in a timely fashion. Overall, it has been an outstanding job by everybody on this project.”
Prior to the testing that began last year, the F135 program had tested well over 5,500 hours in various test cells across AEDC.