A350 landing gear gets bespoke hydraulic test rigs 04 March 2011

Messier-Dowty has installed two new hydraulic fill and level acceptance testing rigs, designed and developed by Branch Hydraulic Systems, for the Airbus A350 main landing gear assembly project.

One of the installations is the mineral oil test rig (to MIL-PRF-87257) for filling the landing gear, with a separate unit for mineral oil storage. The second supports testing of the hydraulic pipe system, handling up to 5,000psi, using a Skydrol unit for flushing and pressure testing.

Alex Tatlow, Branch technical director, explains that his company also handled specification of the MP Filtri ICMs (in-line contamination monitors), for particle-checking, to ensure that only clean oil or fluid enters the landing gear.

And he says that Branch also provided working instructions, user guides and a long-term maintenance plan for the equipment – which is now part of production acceptance testing for the landing gear and hydraulic pipes,

The MP Filtri ICM units have been mounted directly onto the testing systems, and automatically measure and display particulate contamination, moisture and temperature levels in various hydraulic fluids, including Skydro [fire resistant aviation hydraulic fluid].

"When we knew that the testing programme required a monitoring system that would not only detect solid contamination but also highlight the presence of moisture … we quickly identified that it required MP Filtri technology," comments Tatlow.

"Skydrol has poor lubrication qualities and is incompatible with a large number of seals and metals, leading to leaks. So being able to identify the cleanliness of this fluid is very important, especially as failure on a rig is extremely costly," he explains.

"With the additional development of a Skydrol ICM unit we were able to meet all of the requirements specified by the Messier-Dowty engineering team," he says.

"Branch has not only delivered an effective and highly accurate solution, but Alex and his team have also provided very comprehensive operating and maintenance instructions," comments Messier-Dowty team leader Brian Roberts.

Brian Tinham

Related Companies
Branch Hydraulic Systems Ltd

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