Retrofit upgrade replaces actuators after 60 years unbroken aerospace industry service

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Dating from 1953, the Rotork Model 100A actuators were part of a contract to operate the valves on one of the world’s first large scale supersonic wind tunnels. Designed and built by the then newly formed Aircraft Research Association at Bedford, the Transonic Wind Tunnel was an ambitious project created to keep the British aviation industry at the cutting edge of technology by testing the effects of supersonic speeds on new aircraft designs. The facility is operated by a 25,000hp AC motor and a 13,000hp DC motor. In addition a 10,000hp compressor is used to provide extra power to enable testing at high transonic and supersonic speeds up to mach 1.4 (1065mph approx).

在1950年代初期，Rotork仍处于起步阶段，这项重要而享有盛誉的合同授予了建立现在世界领先的阀门执行器和流量控制产品的途径的里程碑。自1956年首次委托风洞以来，它实际上是在日常运营中进行的，对世界各地的军用和民用飞机进行了测试。它在包括TSR2，Harrier Jump-Jet和Concorde在内的传奇项目的发展中发挥了至关重要的作用。如今，这项工作继续进行，包括空中客车公司，欧洲战斗机台风和洛克希德·马丁F-35 JSF。

值得注意的是，尽管专为隔离阀而设计，但Rotork 100A执行器在整个60年的服务中一直在执行调节职责，不断地将大闸阀的位置更改为小度，以控制风速的水平，并提供所需的数据测试结果的高度准确测量。这是该过程的自动化，该过程结合了Modbus控制网络的定制控制系统，该系统需要将这些单元替换为专门设计用于调节职责的新型IQ3M执行器。

由于一直使用风洞的需求不断，因此已经进行了仔细而详细的计划，以确保在测试程序之间可用的短时间内可以成功完成改造操作。阀周围的限制访问也需要特别注意。删除前两个执行器并在两天内安装和委托的替换IQ3M执行器时，详细的计划获得了回报，这是一半的分配时间在风隧道重新启动之前允许的时间。

飞机研究协会的高级流程工程师理查德·哈维（Richard Harvey）对rotork对项目成功的贡献感到满意。他解释说：

“我们目前正在为控制跨性别风洞的设备进行150万英镑的升级计划。正在进行的工作之一是替换我们的辅助压缩机阀驱动器。之所以选择这些，是因为它们是现场最古老的设备之一，并且每天都在使用它们。考虑到它们在额定规范之外的范围之外使用，现有的旋转式100A执行器的运行良好，但是在60岁时，他们应退休。

“The replacement valve drives needed to be very reliable and have an accurate positional indication as they are vital for the operation of the tunnel and the data we collect. We approached Rotork with our specification who pointed us in the direction of the new IQ3M35 actuator. I was delighted with the vast amount of information and precise control that I could achieve using the Modbus interface card. The installation was a success and the tunnel drivers have reported that the new actuators provide them with much better control. We are now looking towards our next maintenance period where the remaining actuators are due to be replaced.”