Why chicken used in jet engines: Have you ever thought how safe airplane engines are? Especially in the event of colliding with birds? This may seem strange to hear, but an extremely unique and shocking method is adopted to test the safety of the airplane’s turbine engine: Chicken Gun Test! Yes, chicken is truly used in it. Let’s know what is this test and why it is so important.
Why Bird Strike Test is important(Why is Bird Strike Test Important?)
Birds colliding during flight (called bird strike) are a serious threat to the aviation industry. Birds, especially in large flocks, can cause heavy damage by hitting the engine, wings or cockpit, which can deteriorate the balance of the aircraft and can cause emergency landing. To prevent these accidents and ensure the safety of passengers, aircraft manufacturers have to ensure that their engines can withstand such collisions. This is where the role of bird strike test comes.
What is chicken gun test(What is chicken gun test?)
Chicken gun test, also known as poultry canon, is a special type of bird strike test. In this, the chicken is fired at a high speed towards the blade of a turbine engine using a specially designed cannon (gun). This test simulates the condition when a bird collides with the engine during the flight.
Why is the test with real chicken(Why test with real chicken?)
The question must have come to your mind that why the use of real chicken only? Why is artificial birds not used? The simple reason for this is that the density of real chicken, structure and behavior are closest to a living bird.
, Density and Structure: A real chicken contains bones, muscles and water, which is similar to the real physical characteristics of a flying bird.
, Reliability: Aircraft manufacturers require the most accurate and reliable data to ensure that their products are able to withstand all possible hazards during flight. The results from fake birds will not be as reliable.
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What happens in bird strike test(What Happens in Bird Strike Test?)
The chicken gun is a part of the test bird strike test. During this test:
1. Preparation of chicken: Living chickens are used for testing. These are cooled before the test to ensure that they maintain their structure.
2. Loading in gun: The chicken is specially loaded into the pneumatic cannon designed.
3. Firing: The cannon is fired from the cannon at a high speed, which is equal to the actual flight speed.
4. Data Collection: During this period, the impact on the engine, damage to the engine blades, and any change in the performance of the engine is closely observed and data collection. The activity of every second is recorded using high-speed cameras and sensors.
5. Analysis: The data collected is analyzed to determine how well the engine faced the collision. If the engine is damaged, engineers have to find ways to make it stronger.
This test helps to ensure that when a bird collides with the engine during the actual flight, the performance of the engine is not significantly affected and the aircraft can safely continue its flight or make emergency landing.
