Pressure belt

Endevco and Boeing's Commercial Airplane Group have signed a deal which means that all aerospace companies can now benefit from a measurement system they jointly developed to accurately measure the pressure along aircraft wings.

The so-called pressure belt also computes the coefficient of pressure to determine the aircraft’s structural loads during various flight conditions.

Each belt assembly comprises up to three temperature-compensated pressure sensor modules networked together and mounted on a flexible strip. The low profile of the belt minimises its aerodynamic impact.

Endevco has produced more than 600 of the belts for use on Boeing 747, 767, 777 and 787 aircraft, and following the signing of the license agreement between the two companies, the technology is now being offered to other aviation and aerospace companies.

Measurements obtained by the pressure belt provide critical data used in calculating payload capabilities, engine efficiency, fuel economy and other operational parameters.

The belt is claimed to be the only non-invasive method of obtaining such data. Previous methods required drilling holes on the wing, extensive cabling, signal conditioning and data acquisition products to achieve the same goal.

The product allows Boeing, and now all Endevco customers, to make accurate pressure measurements without the need for wing modifications, even on new composite wings.

'We have been working with multiple customers in the aircraft industry who clearly understand the benefits and accuracy of this system, given the success of the product in the test programmes at Boeing,' said Bruce Putman, director of programmes at Endevco.