QinetiQ's Environmental Hangar is the largest specialist building of its kind in Europe, designed specifically to handle large combat aircraft and test them for the most extreme climatic conditions. When Adtranz asked us to test a London Underground tube train here, we accepted the challenge.
Within a week, our technical staff had track laid and the carriage instrumented and tested. They placed thermocouples in the seating positions at feet, hip and shoulder level, around areas where people would be standing, and in the cab where the driver would be. The trains were then heated to see how quickly they would heat up, for example throughout the course of the day from early morning when the driver first climbed in. Once complete, the opposite was required. The trains were cooled to see how quickly they would cool down.
Traditionally used for aircraft, the tunnel adjusts from plus 70 to minus 50 degrees centigrade. Scenarios are made as realistic as possible and include the running of engines, auxiliary power units and all main mechanical and electrical systems. The hangar notably has 'Solar-Array' equipment, which simulates the effects of direct sunlight over the upper surfaces of the equipment.
Icing trials are carried out using the Blower Tunnel facility to expose the equipment to realistic icing conditions in safety on the ground before it faces real-life tests. The tunnel is capable of providing simulated air speeds of around 200 knots while introducing water and liquid nitrogen into the airstream to produce realistic icing conditions. |
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