Comparison of predicted and measured temperatures of UH-60A helicopter transmission

The 2109-kW (2828-hp) UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter transmission was one of the transmissions used to obtain an experimental data base. Component improvements or new transmission concepts can thus be evaluated by comparison with the established data. Results of efficiency and vibration tests of the UH-60A have been reported previously. In this investigation the transmission was instrumented internally and tested over a range of operating conditions. The speed was varied from 50 to 100 percent of the full rated value, and the torque was varied from 10 to 100 percent of the full rated value. Temperatures of internal bearings and gears were measured. The computer program Planetsys was used to simulate the thermal performance of this transmission. The calculated temperatures were then compared with the corresponding measured values. The highest measured temperature was 405 K (270 F) on the outer race of the high-speed input shaft roller bearing, at the 100-percent power condition. In general, the predicted temperatures compared very well with the measured values, most of them being within 5 kelvin (9 F). Specifically, the temperatures predicted for the single-row spherical roller planetary bearing averaged only about 4 kelvin (8 F) lower than the highest measured value.