Hewland Engineering unveils UK tilt-rig transmission test capability

Hewland Engineering has commissioned a bespoke transmission tilt test rig at its Technical Centre in Southam, Warwickshire, providing a new capability for testing gearbox and drivetrain systems under controlled load across a range of operating attitudes.

Designed and specified by Hewland's in-house engineering team, the facility was originally developed to support an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft programme and is now available to customers across the aerospace, defence and off-highway sectors.

The AS9100-accredited facility enables engineers to evaluate transmission performance before installation in a complete vehicle or aircraft, helping to identify and address potential issues earlier in the development process.

By reproducing different pitch, roll and operating conditions, the rig allows detailed assessment of transmission behaviour in environments where lubrication performance and oil distribution can be affected by changes in orientation. Applications include the evaluation of bearing durability, lubrication system performance, gear behaviour, and noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) characteristics.

The tilt rig enables fully loaded transmission testing at attitudes from 0° to 90°, alongside spin testing of up to 34kW. It adds to a wider suite of testing and validation capabilities at Hewland's Technical Centre, including:

– 3E test rig: Input speeds up to 11,000rpm, maximum input power of 750kW and torque capacity of 1,200Nm. In tilt configuration, the system is limited to 500kW.

– Tilt rig: Loaded transmission testing through attitudes from 0° to 90° and spin testing up to 34kW.

– Gear Shift Quality Assessment (GSQA): Measurement of shift effort, tactile feedback and gate definition.

– Battery emulation: Controlled testing of electrified drivetrains and transmission systems without requiring a complete vehicle powertrain.

Mark Ingram, technical director at Hewland Engineering, said: "With the backing of our parent company Hero Motors, we are able to make significant investments in test capabilities that expand the support we provide customers throughout the development and validation process. These facilities help customers sign off designs more quickly and at an earlier stage of development.

"The tilt rig allows us to investigate dynamic transmission behaviours much earlier in a programme, providing engineers with controlled and repeatable test data before a system reaches vehicle or aircraft-level testing. This can help identify design issues earlier and reduce the time and cost associated with redevelopment.

"While the capability was initially developed to satisfy the requirements of a specific eVTOL project, we have since identified wider demand across aerospace, defence and off-highway sectors, where transmission systems must operate reliably across a broad range of attitudes and load conditions."

Located in Southam near Rugby, Hewland's Technical Centre complements the company's established design and manufacturing operation in Maidenhead and is staffed by specialist test and development engineers.

The latest investment forms part of Hewland's ongoing expansion of its transmission design, manufacturing and validation capabilities, supporting the development of high-performance mechanical and electrified drivetrains for motorsport, automotive, aerospace, defence and off-highway applications.