Burst Testing Services for Rotating Components
Burst testing determines the actual speed at which a rotating component fails, and it does so by taking the part all the way to destruction. Test Devices by SCHENCK performs destructive burst testing and rotor burst testing at our AS9100D certified facility in Hudson, Massachusetts, spinning turbine discs, rotors, impellers, and flywheels until they come apart inside heavily reinforced containment cells. Unlike a proof test, there is no target speed to reach and hold. The objective is failure itself, along with the data that failure produces.
What Burst Testing Reveals About a Rotating Part
Analytical models predict where a rotating part should fail and at what speed. A burst test tells you whether the model was right. When a disc or rotor bursts, the way it disintegrates carries information that no non-destructive method can supply. Initiation site of the rupture, the trajectory of the crack propagation, fragment sizes and trajectory, and how much margin actually existed above the design limit all become measurable quantities rather than predictions.
As for any destructive testing, it is a one-time event that involves careful planning and preparation. The key value of burst tests comes from capturing the data at the instance of rotor failure – which takes place in less than a blink of an eye. At Test Devices, we offer a range of in-test data measurement options to observe and capture the pertinent detail of the event.
The data from burst tests help engineers to refine the analytical models and the rotor design for a improved performances. The test result would also serve as an evidence to support the designed rotor structural integrity, finite element model correlation, material qualification, and containment system design. For programs governed by aerospace certification requirements, burst margin often has to be demonstrated not just calculated, and a burst test is the most comprehensive way to demonstrate it.
Test temperature affects the material behavior and in some cases the failure mechanisms. We can design and perform some of the most advanced elevated temperature testing in the industry – adding more realism to the test by simulating the thermal conditions representative of engine operation. Each burst test produces a defined set of engineering outputs.
- Burst speed and shaft vibration trend.
- Failure mode characterization, including a rupture initiation site and crack propagation path (with the use of high speed video imager).
- Failure investigation – Post-burst analysis of the burst fragments – including the locations of the impact areas within the containment cell and examination of the fracture surfaces on the burst fragments.
- Full data acquisition records showing the trends towards the moment of failure (ex. Vibrations, growth, at-speed rotor profile shapes, strain).
Ask an Expert
Our test engineers can help you scope a burst program before you commit to one.
Safety - Destructive Burst Testing Inside Reinforced Containment & Test Cell
A burst event releases the entire rotational kinetic energy stored in the rotor in a fraction of a second – The event is akin to an explosion, handling that safely is the reason burst testing is a specialized service rather than something most manufacturers attempt in house. Our spin testing facilities are built with utmost concern for the safety.
Our spin test facility is equipped with thick high-strength steel containment liners capable of absorbing the projectiles and violent events from bursting some of the highest energy level rotors. All our spin test facilities are installed in fortified double reinforced, impact resistant concrete bunkers. Spin pits are securely anchored with purpose designed high strength anchors. Testing operations can be performed and observed safely from the control rooms outside of the test cells. All our test facilities are equipped with state-of-the art data acquisition systems.
Testing runs across a range of pit sizes, so small high-speed rotors, large turbine discs to energy storage flywheels.
Rotor Burst Testing Across Aerospace and Industrial Programs
Commercial and military jet engine work remains the primary application for turbine disc burst testing, but the same capability serves any program where a rotating part stores enough energy to become dangerous when it lets go.
- Turbine discs, blisks, and rotor stages for commercial and military jet engines
- High-performance electric motor rotors for Evs and eVTOLS
- Flywheel energy storage devices used in grid regulation and data center backup power
- Turbocharger wheels, pump impellers, and compressor rotors
- Industrial grinding wheels, tested on dedicated grinding wheel test machines
- Naval propulsion, spacecraft auxiliary power, and wide range of rotating components for defense uses under ITAR controlled programs
Instrumentation and Failure Mode Testing Data
A burst test is worth only as much as the data captured in the instant it happens. High-speed video is central to failure mode testing, and our camera systems resolve the failure sequence into individual frames so engineers can trace the crack from initiation through separation. Our test facilities are equipped with muti-channel data acquisition systems capable of high sample rates and resolutions – providing the recorded and live test data.
In addition to the earlier mentioned measurement options, we offer three tier of in-test rotor deformation shape observations: Growth Measurement System (GMS), Rotor Profile Measurement System (RPMS) and Rotor Optical Strain-Measurement System (ROSS) – can all be layered onto a burst program when the objective includes detailed and intimate understanding of how the part behaved just before and at the failure.
Turbine Disc Burst Testing Supported by In-House Engineering
Most burst test programs need a spin tooling that does not exist yet. The tooling has to hold the part in a manner that support the representative behavior of the test rotor in its operating conditions. The tooling also must sustain rotor dynamic stability throughout the test and must be designed to out survive the test rotor at speed (and in thermal environment for a heated test). Our engineering team has expertise and deep experience in designing and manufacturing the hardware and performing comprehensive engineering analyses, which provides convenience and keeps schedule and accountability in one place rather than spread across vendors.
Test Devices operates under AS9100 and ISO 9001 certification, with ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ITAR registration, and Joint Certification Program approval, and the quality system carries FAA Designated Quality Representatives on staff. Engineering analysis and balance consultation are available as part of a burst program or as standalone work when a customer has test data that needs a second set of eyes. Our full test equipment lineup is available for review as well.
Burst testing is rarely a routine order, and the details of tooling, instrumentation, and acceptance criteria usually need careful detailing and expert advice . Ask an Expert to talk through your part, your speed range, and what you need for the data and for the test to prove, or submit a Request for Quote once the scope is defined and you are ready for pricing and lead time.
