LuFo VII-1 - TriebKraftKompAS

The TriebKraftkompAS collaborative project is a research project conducted as part of the federal government’s LuFo VII-1 aviation research program. The project will run for three years, from June 2026 to May 2029, and is being carried out jointly by the University of Kassel and the Technical University of Berlin, with the participation of renowned associated partners from the aviation industry. The project aims to build and initially operate an engine dynamics test stand. Compared to an actual engine, the test stand will be on a laboratory scale but will exhibit very similar dynamic properties in terms of whole engine mechanics (WEM). The test bed will enable preliminary investigations into engine dynamics, particularly regarding the influence of intermediate shaft bearings, which will simultaneously validate numerical WEM simulations. Design and evaluation tools for the rotor-bearing system—including those for optimized gap control in more compact core engines or for novel coupled systems and components with high power density—can thus be significantly improved.

Alternative propulsion system architectures with intermediate shaft bearings offer considerable potential for aircraft engines. Weight savings can significantly reduce fuel consumption and, consequently, emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gases. However, this potential has remained largely untapped to date, as the effects of such system architectures—particularly the influence of intermediate shaft bearings—on the overall dynamic behavior of the engine have been virtually unexplored. As part of this project, an engine dynamics test bed will be developed and commissioned to serve as the experimental basis for numerical design and evaluation tools. This is intended to make a decisive contribution to strengthening Germany’s position as an industrial hub with regard to total system capability in engine development.

The objectives of this collaborative project are to expand and deepen fundamental experimental and numerical capabilities in the field of overall engine mechanics—particularly with regard to intermediate shaft bearings—and to make these capabilities available to the engine industry on a sustainable basis:

• Development and construction of an engine dynamics test bench as an experimental basis for validating numerical simulation models

• Operation of the test stand under various configurations, including with an intermediate shaft bearing and a reduced squeeze-damping gap

• Generation and analysis of engine-specific vibration data

• Engine-based validation of nonlinear models in the rotor-bearing system

• Provision of validated models and a proven test bench for evaluation and design tools, as well as for follow-up projects

The test stand is configured with two shafts and five bearing locations. Bearing location #4 can be designed either as an intermediate shaft bearing or as a conventional bearing. Various configurations are being investigated, including variants with a reduced squeeze-damping gap. The vibration data collected during these tests are compared with the results of numerical simulations.

Key Areas of Focus

• Development of a test bench concept
• Development of a replacement rotor using the “Differential Evolution” optimization method (image above)
• Experimental investigations of various bearing and damper configurations
• Demonstration of scalability and comparability to the actual engine
• Further development of design and evaluation tools for compact engine architectures

Associate partners are:

• MTU Aero Engines AG
• Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG 
• Schaeffler Aerospace Germany GmbH & Co. KG 

They provide support, in particular, with defining requirements and evaluating project results.

Funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy pursuant to a resolution of the German Bundestag.