DEVELOPMENT OF IMPROVED DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM FOR A TURBOPROP ENGINE TEST BENCH

Abstract

Turboprop engines are commonly used in medium-sized short-haul airliners, where they have a significant fuel efficiency benefit over conventional turbofan engines. These units have therefore a constant interest in aviation development. The goal of the presented paper is to describe the development of an enhanced data acquisition system that has replaced an old one, which had significantly restricted capabilities. The newly designed system is intended to be used in both education and research; consequently it must present several state-of-the-art features. Therefore the system has been based on a National Instruments USB multifunctional data acquisition device, which does not simply allow the measurement of the parameters but provides the interface for controlling the engine as well. In order to improve visual interpretation of the measured signals, the software has been elaborated in NI LabVIEW environment. For enhanced interaction of the user, the old up-down control of the throttle lever has been extended with a proportional control as well. The authors have conducted sample measurements using the new system to verify correct operation.