Senior Design Project

H1 Fluid Test Stand

While at UNC Charlotte my senior project was to work with a team to design and build a fluid test stand that would simulate the oil flow of an H1 Huey helicopter. The goal of the project was to test the effectiveness of a magnetic accumulator that was provided by NAVAIR. The magnetic accumulator was designed to remove any magnetic particles that were flowing through the oil.

Mechanical Design

I was the leader for the mechanical design portion of the test stand. We were responsible for designing the stand to house the fluid and electrical subsystems while remaining compact and having easy access to all controls. Using Solidworks we designed the stand to be made out of primary 3/8" bar steel with the work surfaces made from MDF. Mathematical calculations were performed using MathCAD to ensure that the stand could withstand the loads that would be applied to it. A two reservoir approach was used so that the difference in the amount of metallic contaminants could be measured before and after the accumulator.

Fluid Design

The fluid subsystem was designed around the flow requirements of the magnetic accumulator and the pump that was provided for the project. Engineering Equation Solver (EES) was used for the fluid calculations. The flow through the magnetic accumulator had to be at a pressure of 0.5-2 PSI with a flow rate of 0.1-3 GPM to satisfy the performance specifications. The fluid that best represented the oil found in the H1 Huey was 15w-40 motor oil, which was heated to 200 degrees Fahrenheit for testing.

Electrical Design

The test stand required one 240 volt outlet and one 120 volt outlet to function. A variable frequency drive was used to control the flow rate of the pump by varying the amount of voltage supplied. To control the temperature of the oil a thermocouple was connected to a temperature controller that would shut off the heating element when the oil was at the correct temperature.

Project Posters

NAV_H1_Expo_Poster.pptx (1).pdf

Performance Specifications

PS1: The fluid test stand will be easily moveable on a smooth, flat surface by one or two people without the aid of heavy machinery.

PS2: The fluid test stand will be resistant to the corrosive properties of and motor oil. Spills that are cleaned up immediately will not produce visible or structural damage to the test stand.

PS3: No size restrictions have been placed on the test stand. NAVAIR stated the stand is expected to roughly take up a space of 36 inches in height, 72 inches in width, and 34 inches in depth. If the test stand needs to be larger, it may be. The test stand will be designed as small as reasonably possible, size and tolerance will be communicated with NAVAIR through design reviews.

PS4: As fluid flows into the magnetic accumulator, the fluid must be able to achieve the desired temperature range of 200°F to 230°F with a tolerance of plus or minus 5°F. As it flows into the magnetic accumulator, the fluid pressure must fall within the range of 0.5-2 PSI. The flow rate through the accumulator must be 0.1-3GPM.

PS5: The Fluid Dynamic Subsystem must introduce known amounts of metallic contaminants into the fluid flow before it is directed to the magnetic accumulator. NAVAIR stated a concentrator has already been designed and built by The Naval Research Laboratory. NAVAIR ,unfortunately, cannot deliver the concentrator to the team, so the team is responsible for designing another method of introducing metallic

contaminants.

PS6: The metallic contaminants introduced to the fluid must be less than 500 μm in diameter, with 40 μm in diameter as the goal.2

PS7: The 240V power source must be converted from single-phase to three-phase using a unit that will simultaneously control the speed of the fluid pump.

PS8: The wiring of components on the system should be done in a clean and organized manner in order to be presentable and clear of adjacent equipment. Wires should be wrapped in a heat shield if near any part of the system which may become hotter than the wire insulation is rated for.

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