Safran economy seat evolution underscores passenger desire for sleep
Safran economy seat evolution underscores passenger desire for sleep
https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2020/01/14/safran-economy-seat-evolution-underscores-passenger-desire-for-sleep/
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https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2020/01/14/safran-economy-seat-evolution-underscores-passenger-desire-for-sleep/
Certification process for 777X is another hurdle for Boeing
Certification process for 777X is another hurdle for Boeing
https://leehamnews.com/2020/01/16/certification-process-for-777x-is-another-hurdle-for-boeing/
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https://leehamnews.com/2020/01/16/certification-process-for-777x-is-another-hurdle-for-boeing/
Bjorn’s Corner: Why e in ePlane shall stand for environment, Part 5.
Bjorn's Corner: Why e in ePlane shall stand for environment, Part 5.
https://leehamnews.com/2020/01/17/bjorns-corner-why-e-in-eplane-shall-stand-for-environment-part-5/
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https://leehamnews.com/2020/01/17/bjorns-corner-why-e-in-eplane-shall-stand-for-environment-part-5/
Rolls-Royce takes majority holding in power storage specialist Qinous
press release
Rolls-Royce will hold a 73.1% majority stake in Berlin-based electricity storage specialist Qinous GmbH from 15 January 2020. The Group is acquiring the shareholdings of all other current financial investors, including that of investment holdings company IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH (Berlin). The founding shareholders will continue to hold shares in the company and will retain their current roles in the business. It has been agreed not to disclose details of the purchase price or the other departing shareholders.
Rolls-Royce had already acquired a 19.9% stake in the former start-up back in October 2018. The company is involved in battery storage systems and associated control systems, and has already implemented storage solutions around the world.
"Our new subsidiary is to play a pivotal role going forward," said Andreas Schell, CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems Division. "This is where we are going to pool all the division's microgrid activities – from simple storage solutions to complete, complex microgrid solutions of various sizes and configurations. As a young, start-up-style company, Qinous brings expertise that is an ideal complement to Rolls-Royce's industrial credentials. Together we will be able to respond quickly and with great professionalism to the demands of the market," he continued.
The joint development work on a range of storage solutions in recent months has shown that the two companies are an excellent fit and, as Schell explained, "that we can achieve new market potential by integrating more closely. We see great market potential for sustainable power supplies, especially for distributed, environmentally-friendly MTU microgrid solutions."
"Taking a majority holding in Qinous is a major step forward as we transform into a provider of integrated solutions for our customers. In future, we will be able to offer not just the technical solution and associated service offerings, but the finance too," said Schell. Qinous has made a name for itself with modular, scalable, prefabricated plug-and-play battery products that combine renewable energy sources, power generators and battery storage technology. Rolls-Royce is a specialist in customized energy solutions with the worldwide sales and service network of its product and solution brand MTU.
"This even closer partnership between Rolls-Royce and Qinous is a logical and consistent step towards opening up the rapidly growing microgrid market. The functionality and reliability of the solutions have been proven in a large number of projects. Now, with MTU's experience and global presence, we can meet demand more quickly and more comprehensively," said Steffen Heinrich, co-founder and co-managing director of Qinous. "Also on behalf of co-managing director Reinhard Edelmann and co-founder Busso von Bismarck, I want to thank the seedcorn investors who made it possible to set Qinous up as a company, and who have supported us actively right through to the present day."
Sabine Wolff, Investment Manager at IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft commented: "We are delighted to have found an internationally renowned partner for Qinous in the form of Rolls-Royce. The combination of renewable energies and storage solutions, which are already being used successfully in on-grid and off-grid applications and to safeguard grid stability, will also find further areas of application in tomorrow's microgrid markets. The partnership between Rolls-Royce and Qinous has become a success story for the Berlin operation, and presents us with an attractive exit opportunity."
The modular component system of the coordinated Qinous/MTU product range will in future allow the configuration of solutions from 30 kW/30kWh to several megawatts. "The range of services and deliverables covers the needs of commercial enterprises, municipal utilities, energy suppliers, and even sizeable industrial plants. Together with Qinous, we can offer customers a wide range of microgrid solutions consisting of different combinations of power generation and storage systems. In this way we will ensure sustainable, cost-optimized and – above all – climate-friendly power supplies, whether connected to the public grid or independent of it," said Cordelia Thielitz, Vice President of Rolls-Royce's Microgrid Solutions business. "The key to this is the comprehensive expertise in storage technology, the efficient integration of microgrid components and the development of intelligent control systems," she emphasized.
Qinous employs around 40 people in Berlin. Rolls-Royce is engaged in research and development of microgrids and power generators at four locations: Friedrichshafen, Ruhstorf, Augsburg and Mankato (US).
Read more...
Rolls-Royce will hold a 73.1% majority stake in Berlin-based electricity storage specialist Qinous GmbH from 15 January 2020. The Group is acquiring the shareholdings of all other current financial investors, including that of investment holdings company IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH (Berlin). The founding shareholders will continue to hold shares in the company and will retain their current roles in the business. It has been agreed not to disclose details of the purchase price or the other departing shareholders.
Rolls-Royce had already acquired a 19.9% stake in the former start-up back in October 2018. The company is involved in battery storage systems and associated control systems, and has already implemented storage solutions around the world.
"Our new subsidiary is to play a pivotal role going forward," said Andreas Schell, CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems Division. "This is where we are going to pool all the division's microgrid activities – from simple storage solutions to complete, complex microgrid solutions of various sizes and configurations. As a young, start-up-style company, Qinous brings expertise that is an ideal complement to Rolls-Royce's industrial credentials. Together we will be able to respond quickly and with great professionalism to the demands of the market," he continued.
The joint development work on a range of storage solutions in recent months has shown that the two companies are an excellent fit and, as Schell explained, "that we can achieve new market potential by integrating more closely. We see great market potential for sustainable power supplies, especially for distributed, environmentally-friendly MTU microgrid solutions."
"Taking a majority holding in Qinous is a major step forward as we transform into a provider of integrated solutions for our customers. In future, we will be able to offer not just the technical solution and associated service offerings, but the finance too," said Schell. Qinous has made a name for itself with modular, scalable, prefabricated plug-and-play battery products that combine renewable energy sources, power generators and battery storage technology. Rolls-Royce is a specialist in customized energy solutions with the worldwide sales and service network of its product and solution brand MTU.
"This even closer partnership between Rolls-Royce and Qinous is a logical and consistent step towards opening up the rapidly growing microgrid market. The functionality and reliability of the solutions have been proven in a large number of projects. Now, with MTU's experience and global presence, we can meet demand more quickly and more comprehensively," said Steffen Heinrich, co-founder and co-managing director of Qinous. "Also on behalf of co-managing director Reinhard Edelmann and co-founder Busso von Bismarck, I want to thank the seedcorn investors who made it possible to set Qinous up as a company, and who have supported us actively right through to the present day."
Sabine Wolff, Investment Manager at IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft commented: "We are delighted to have found an internationally renowned partner for Qinous in the form of Rolls-Royce. The combination of renewable energies and storage solutions, which are already being used successfully in on-grid and off-grid applications and to safeguard grid stability, will also find further areas of application in tomorrow's microgrid markets. The partnership between Rolls-Royce and Qinous has become a success story for the Berlin operation, and presents us with an attractive exit opportunity."
The modular component system of the coordinated Qinous/MTU product range will in future allow the configuration of solutions from 30 kW/30kWh to several megawatts. "The range of services and deliverables covers the needs of commercial enterprises, municipal utilities, energy suppliers, and even sizeable industrial plants. Together with Qinous, we can offer customers a wide range of microgrid solutions consisting of different combinations of power generation and storage systems. In this way we will ensure sustainable, cost-optimized and – above all – climate-friendly power supplies, whether connected to the public grid or independent of it," said Cordelia Thielitz, Vice President of Rolls-Royce's Microgrid Solutions business. "The key to this is the comprehensive expertise in storage technology, the efficient integration of microgrid components and the development of intelligent control systems," she emphasized.
Qinous employs around 40 people in Berlin. Rolls-Royce is engaged in research and development of microgrids and power generators at four locations: Friedrichshafen, Ruhstorf, Augsburg and Mankato (US).
Boeing CEO Statement on US-China Trade Deal
press release
oeing (NYSE: BA) President and CEO Dave Calhoun issued the following statement regarding the announcement today of a US-China trade deal:
Boeing has a long-standing partnership with China that spans nearly 50 years. We're proud that Boeing airplanes will continue to be a part of this valued relationship, one that has fueled aerospace innovation and sustained manufacturing jobs.
Boeing applauds Presidents Trump and Xi as well as Vice Premier Liu, Secretary Mnuchin and Ambassador Lighthizer for their leadership in building a fair and mutually-beneficial trading relationship between the United States and China.
Read more...
oeing (NYSE: BA) President and CEO Dave Calhoun issued the following statement regarding the announcement today of a US-China trade deal:
Boeing has a long-standing partnership with China that spans nearly 50 years. We're proud that Boeing airplanes will continue to be a part of this valued relationship, one that has fueled aerospace innovation and sustained manufacturing jobs.
Boeing applauds Presidents Trump and Xi as well as Vice Premier Liu, Secretary Mnuchin and Ambassador Lighthizer for their leadership in building a fair and mutually-beneficial trading relationship between the United States and China.
CALC signs purchase agreement for 40 additional A321neo aircraft
press release
CALC (China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings Limited), a full value-chain aircraft solutions provider for global airlines, has reached an agreement with Airbus on its remaining backlog, and includes an additional order for 40 A321neo aircraft. It also includes a conversion of 15 of its existing A320neo backlog into A321neos. Together with a previous order for 11 A321neos, CALC's total order for the type rises to 66.
CALC's order is an endorsement for the A321neo and reaffirms the market demand for the aircraft. With unbeatable fuel efficiency and lowest operating costs, it is the best match for CALC's customers. To date, from CALC's total order for 252 A320 Family aircraft, 87 have been delivered, of which one is an A321neo.
The A321neo is the largest member of the A320 Family, seating up to 240 passengers, depending on cabin configuration. Incorporating the latest engines, aerodynamic advances, and cabin innovations, the A321neo offers a reduction in fuel consumption of 20% as well as a 50% noise reduction. To date, the A320 Family has won more than 15,300 orders and more than 9,000 aircraft have been delivered worldwide.
Read more...
CALC (China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings Limited), a full value-chain aircraft solutions provider for global airlines, has reached an agreement with Airbus on its remaining backlog, and includes an additional order for 40 A321neo aircraft. It also includes a conversion of 15 of its existing A320neo backlog into A321neos. Together with a previous order for 11 A321neos, CALC's total order for the type rises to 66.
CALC's order is an endorsement for the A321neo and reaffirms the market demand for the aircraft. With unbeatable fuel efficiency and lowest operating costs, it is the best match for CALC's customers. To date, from CALC's total order for 252 A320 Family aircraft, 87 have been delivered, of which one is an A321neo.
The A321neo is the largest member of the A320 Family, seating up to 240 passengers, depending on cabin configuration. Incorporating the latest engines, aerodynamic advances, and cabin innovations, the A321neo offers a reduction in fuel consumption of 20% as well as a 50% noise reduction. To date, the A320 Family has won more than 15,300 orders and more than 9,000 aircraft have been delivered worldwide.
Dynetics’ X-61A Gremlins airborne launchable air vehicle performs its maiden flight
The test took place at Dugway Proving Ground near Salt Lake City, Utah. Testing operations involved one captive-carry mission aboard a TBM, Inc. C-130A and an airborne launch and free flight of the X-61A that lasted one hour and 41 minutes. The test objectives included:
· Demonstrating a successful launch of the GAV from the C-130
· Demonstrating a rate capture, wing deployment, cold engine start, and transition to stable, powered flight
· Collecting data on GAV subsystem operation and performance
· Verifying air and ground-based command and control systems, including data link performance and handovers between air and ground control
· Deploying the GAV docking arm
· Demonstrating the flight termination and ground (parachute) recovery of the GAV (demonstration system only - not part of the operational system)
The X-61A flew as predicted with no anomalies, achieving all test objectives that relate to the operational system. At the end of the mission, the engine was shut down and a drogue chute successfully deployed to terminate flight. Unfortunately, the vehicle was lost during the ground recovery sequence due to a failure to extract the main chute.
Managed out of DARPA's Tactical Technology Office (TTO), the overarching goal of Gremlins is to accelerate the ability to perform aerial launch and recovery of volley quantities of low-cost, reusable unmanned aerial systems (UASs). This test is the next step toward the completion of the program's Phase 3 demonstration objectives, which include a final flight test to demonstrate the ability to recover four GAVs in under 30 minutes.
"This flight marks a historic milestone for Dynetics and the Gremlins program," said Tim Keeter, Dynetics Gremlins program manager. "The GAV flew beautifully and our command and control system kept us in total control of the GAV for the entire flight. The loss of our vehicle validates our decision to build five GAVs for Phase 3; we still have four remaining. Overall, I am proud to see all the hard work pay off and we are excited to continue this momentum towards the first airborne recovery in early 2020."
The Gremlins team celebrated a number of milestones in 2019 including a successful flight test of the docking system in February. In March, they executed the first flight of the GAV avionics system, installed onboard the Calspan Variable Stability System (VSS) Lear Jet as a dress rehearsal for this November 2019 test. Dynetics also hosted a stakeholder's day highlighting a live engine test in July and received a U.S. Air Force-assigned X-61A designation in August.
The Dynetics team was one of four companies awarded Phase 1 in 2016. Phase 2 was awarded in March 2017 to two of those four performers, and Phase 3 followed in April 2018, naming Dynetics the top performer.
"This flight test validates all the engineering design work, analysis, and ground testing we have performed in the past two and a half years," Brandon Hiller, chief engineer for the X-61A said. "We have a lot of confidence in the vehicle's performance and overall design going forward, and the telemetry data from the flight compares exceptionally well to our modeling predictions. Our team has done a superb job to achieve first flight of this unique aircraft in such a short amount of time, and we are eager to get this new capability into the hands of the DoD."
The Dynetics Gremlins team consists of companies that represent best-in-class capabilities for their roles on the program - Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems, Williams International, Applied Systems Engineering, Inc., Kutta Technologies, Inc., Moog Inc., Sierra Nevada Corporation, Systima Technologies, Inc., and Airborne Systems.
https://youtu.be/P3DncMeGqTg
Boeing discovers new software problem on the 737 MAX
Boeing discovers new software problem on the 737 MAX
https://www.aviation24.be/manufacturers/boeing/737/max/boeing-discovers-new-software-problem-on-the-737-max/
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https://www.aviation24.be/manufacturers/boeing/737/max/boeing-discovers-new-software-problem-on-the-737-max/
Bombardier Mulls Exit from A220 Program
Bombardier Mulls Exit from A220 Program
https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2020-01-16/bombardier-mulls-exit-a220-program
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https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2020-01-16/bombardier-mulls-exit-a220-program
NBAA Updates Resource Available For Single Pilot Operations Of VLJ And TAA
NBAA Updates Resource Available For Single Pilot Operations Of VLJ And TAA
http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=782b0fcd-5db1-41c9-8865-cf4f8f51ffdb
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http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=782b0fcd-5db1-41c9-8865-cf4f8f51ffdb
Airbus demonstrates first fully automatic artificial-vision-based take-off - Innovation
jueves, 16 de enero de 2020
https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2020/01/airbus-demonstrates-first-fully-automatic-visionbased-takeoff.html
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– Airbus has successfully performed the first fully automatic vision-based take-off using an Airbus Family test aircraft at Toulouse-Blagnac airport. The test crew comprising of two pilots, two flight test engineers and a test flight engineer took off initially at around 10h15 on 18 December and conducted a total of 8 take-offs over a period of four and a half hours.
"The aircraft performed as expected during these milestone tests. While completing alignment on the runway, waiting for clearance from air traffic control, we engaged the auto-pilot," said Airbus Test Pilot Captain Yann Beaufils. "We moved the throttle levers to the take-off setting and we monitored the aircraft. It started to move and accelerate automatically maintaining the runway centre line, at the exact rotation speed as entered in the system. The nose of the aircraft began to lift up automatically to take the expected take-off pitch value and a few seconds later we were airborne."
Rather than relying on an Instrument Landing System (ILS), the existing ground equipment technology currently used by in-service passenger aircraft in airports around the world where the technology is present, this automatic take-off was enabled by image recognition technology installed directly on the aircraft.
Automatic take-off is an important milestone in Airbus' Autonomous Taxi, Take-Off & Landing (ATTOL) project. Launched in June 2018, ATTOL is one of the technological flight demonstrators being tested by Airbus in order to understand the impact of autonomy on aircraft. The next steps in the project will see automatic vision-based taxi and landing sequences taking place by mid-2020.
Airbus' mission is not to move ahead with autonomy as a target in itself, but instead to explore autonomous technologies alongside other innovations in areas such as materials, electrification and connectivity. By doing so, Airbus is able to analyse the potential of these technologies in addressing the key industrial challenges of tomorrow, including improving air traffic management, addressing pilot shortages and enhancing future operations. At the same time Airbus is leveraging these opportunities to further improve aircraft safety while ensuring today's unprecedented levels are maintained.
For autonomous technologies to improve flight operations and overall aircraft performance, pilots will remain at the heart of operations. Autonomous technologies are paramount to supporting pilots, enabling them to focus less on aircraft operation and more on strategic decision-making and mission management.
First Ilyushin IL-96-400M Takes Shape
First Ilyushin IL-96-400M Takes Shape
https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2020-01-13/first-ilyushin-il-96-400m-takes-shape
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https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2020-01-13/first-ilyushin-il-96-400m-takes-shape
Leonardo awarded contract for 32 TH-73A helicopters by U.S. Department of Defense
- Contract valued at USD 176,472,608 for aircraft, spares, initial support and training; work to be completed in October 2021
- This contract, as Fiscal Year 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds, was competitively procured via a request for proposal of various offers
- Profumo: "On the cusp of celebrating nearly 40 years of operating in Philadelphia, Leonardo is thrilled the U.S. Navy has selected us as a local and long term partner. We are proud to be a core contributor to the future of U.S. defense."
Leonardo, through AgustaWestland Philadelphia Corp., has been awarded a firm-fixed-price contract valued at USD 176,472,608 for the production and delivery of 32 TH-73A helicopters, initial spares, support and dedicated equipment, and specific pilot and maintenance training services. This contract, as Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds, was competitively procured via a request for proposal of various offers. Work will be mainly performed at Leonardo's Philadelphia facility and is expected to be completed in October 2021.
Alessandro Profumo, Chief Executive Officer Leonardo said, "On the cusp of celebrating nearly 40 years of operating in Philadelphia, Leonardo is thrilled the U.S. Navy has selected our TH-119-based offer and us as a local and long term partner. We are proud to be a core contributor to the future of U.S. defense."
Gian Piero Cutillo, Managing Director of Leonardo Helicopters added, "Today's brilliant news is a ringing endorsement for our solutions setting new industry standards for training. We are committed to working with the U.S. Navy to ensure future pilots meet all evolving service requirements."
William Hunt, Managing Director of Leonardo Helicopters Philadelphia said, "Our plan since day one has been to offer the U.S. Navy the training capabilities they asked for, without compromise. We are honored to deliver on that promise, build the new fleet in Philadelphia and maintain it from Milton, Florida."
Carbon nanotube film produces aerospace-grade composites with no need for huge ovens or autoclaves.
A new approach to making airplane parts, minus the massive infrastructure
press release
http://news.mit.edu/2020/carbon-nanotubes-making-airplane-aerospace-parts-1013
A modern airplane's fuselage is made from multiple sheets of different composite materials, like so many layers in a phyllo-dough pastry. Once these layers are stacked and molded into the shape of a fuselage, the structures are wheeled into warehouse-sized ovens and autoclaves, where the layers fuse together to form a resilient, aerodynamic shell.
Now MIT engineers have developed a method to produce aerospace-grade composites without the enormous ovens and pressure vessels. The technique may help to speed up the manufacturing of airplanes and other large, high-performance composite structures, such as blades for wind turbines.
The researchers detail their new method in a paper published today in the journal Advanced Materials Interfaces.
"If you're making a primary structure like a fuselage or wing, you need to build a pressure vessel, or autoclave, the size of a two- or three-story building, which itself requires time and money to pressurize," says Brian Wardle, professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT. "These things are massive pieces of infrastructure. Now we can make primary structure materials without autoclave pressure, so we can get rid of all that infrastructure."
Wardle's co-authors on the paper are lead author and MIT postdoc Jeonyoon Lee, and Seth Kessler of Metis Design Corporation, an aerospace structural health monitoring company based in Boston.
Out of the oven, into a blanket
In 2015, Lee led the team, along with another member of Wardle's lab, in creating a method to make aerospace-grade composites without requiring an oven to fuse the materials together. Instead of placing layers of material inside an oven to cure, the researchers essentially wrapped them in an ultrathin film of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). When they applied an electric current to the film, the CNTs, like a nanoscale electric blanket, quickly generated heat, causing the materials within to cure and fuse together.
With this out-of-oven, or OoO, technique, the team was able to produce composites as strong as the materials made in conventional airplane manufacturing ovens, using only 1 percent of the energy.
The researchers next looked for ways to make high-performance composites without the use of large, high-pressure autoclaves — building-sized vessels that generate high enough pressures to press materials together, squeezing out any voids, or air pockets, at their interface.
"There's microscopic surface roughness on each ply of a material, and when you put two plys together, air gets trapped between the rough areas, which is the primary source of voids and weakness in a composite," Wardle says. "An autoclave can push those voids to the edges and get rid of them."
Researchers including Wardle's group have explored "out-of-autoclave," or OoA, techniques to manufacture composites without using the huge machines. But most of these techniques have produced composites where nearly 1 percent of the material contains voids, which can compromise a material's strength and lifetime. In comparison, aerospace-grade composites made in autoclaves are of such high quality that any voids they contain are neglible and not easily measured.
"The problem with these OoA approaches is also that the materials have been specially formulated, and none are qualified for primary structures such as wings and fuselages," Wardle says. "They're making some inroads in secondary structures, such as flaps and doors, but they still get voids."
Straw pressure
Part of Wardle's work focuses on developing nanoporous networks — ultrathin films made from aligned, microscopic material such as carbon nanotubes, that can be engineered with exceptional properties, including color, strength, and electrical capacity. The researchers wondered whether these nanoporous films could be used in place of giant autoclaves to squeeze out voids between two material layers, as unlikely as that may seem.
A thin film of carbon nanotubes is somewhat like a dense forest of trees, and the spaces between the trees can function like thin nanoscale tubes, or capillaries. A capillary such as a straw can generate pressure based on its geometry and its surface energy, or the material's ability to attract liquids or other materials.
The researchers proposed that if a thin film of carbon nanotubes were sandwiched between two materials, then, as the materials were heated and softened, the capillaries between the carbon nanotubes should have a surface energy and geometry such that they would draw the materials in toward each other, rather than leaving a void between them. Lee calculated that the capillary pressure should be larger than the pressure applied by the autoclaves.
The researchers tested their idea in the lab by growing films of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes using a technique they previously developed, then laying the films between layers of materials that are typically used in the autoclave-based manufacturing of primary aircraft structures. They wrapped the layers in a second film of carbon nanotubes, which they applied an electric current to to heat it up. They observed that as the materials heated and softened in response, they were pulled into the capillaries of the intermediate CNT film.
The resulting composite lacked voids, similar to aerospace-grade composites that are produced in an autoclave. The researchers subjected the composites to strength tests, attempting to push the layers apart, the idea being that voids, if present, would allow the layers to separate more easily.
"In these tests, we found that our out-of-autoclave composite was just as strong as the gold-standard autoclave process composite used for primary aerospace structures," Wardle says.
The team will next look for ways to scale up the pressure-generating CNT film. In their experiments, they worked with samples measuring several centimeters wide — large enough to demonstrate that nanoporous networks can pressurize materials and prevent voids from forming. To make this process viable for manufacturing entire wings and fuselages, researchers will have to find ways to manufacture CNT and other nanoporous films at a much larger scale.
"There are ways to make really large blankets of this stuff, and there's continuous production of sheets, yarns, and rolls of material that can be incorporated in the process," Wardle says.
He plans also to explore different formulations of nanoporous films, engineering capillaries of varying surface energies and geometries, to be able to pressurize and bond other high-performance materials.
"Now we have this new material solution that can provide on-demand pressure where you need it," Wardle says. "Beyond airplanes, most of the composite production in the world is composite pipes, for water, gas, oil, all the things that go in and out of our lives. This could make making all those things, without the oven and autoclave infrastructure."
This research was supported, in part, by Airbus, ANSYS, Embraer, Lockheed Martin, Saab AB, Saertex, and Teijin Carbon America through MIT's Nano-Engineered Composite aerospace Structures (NECST) Consortium.
Paper:
Void‐Free Layered Polymeric Architectures via Capillary‐Action of Nanoporous Films
press release
http://news.mit.edu/2020/carbon-nanotubes-making-airplane-aerospace-parts-1013
A modern airplane's fuselage is made from multiple sheets of different composite materials, like so many layers in a phyllo-dough pastry. Once these layers are stacked and molded into the shape of a fuselage, the structures are wheeled into warehouse-sized ovens and autoclaves, where the layers fuse together to form a resilient, aerodynamic shell.
Now MIT engineers have developed a method to produce aerospace-grade composites without the enormous ovens and pressure vessels. The technique may help to speed up the manufacturing of airplanes and other large, high-performance composite structures, such as blades for wind turbines.
The researchers detail their new method in a paper published today in the journal Advanced Materials Interfaces.
"If you're making a primary structure like a fuselage or wing, you need to build a pressure vessel, or autoclave, the size of a two- or three-story building, which itself requires time and money to pressurize," says Brian Wardle, professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT. "These things are massive pieces of infrastructure. Now we can make primary structure materials without autoclave pressure, so we can get rid of all that infrastructure."
Wardle's co-authors on the paper are lead author and MIT postdoc Jeonyoon Lee, and Seth Kessler of Metis Design Corporation, an aerospace structural health monitoring company based in Boston.
Out of the oven, into a blanket
In 2015, Lee led the team, along with another member of Wardle's lab, in creating a method to make aerospace-grade composites without requiring an oven to fuse the materials together. Instead of placing layers of material inside an oven to cure, the researchers essentially wrapped them in an ultrathin film of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). When they applied an electric current to the film, the CNTs, like a nanoscale electric blanket, quickly generated heat, causing the materials within to cure and fuse together.
With this out-of-oven, or OoO, technique, the team was able to produce composites as strong as the materials made in conventional airplane manufacturing ovens, using only 1 percent of the energy.
The researchers next looked for ways to make high-performance composites without the use of large, high-pressure autoclaves — building-sized vessels that generate high enough pressures to press materials together, squeezing out any voids, or air pockets, at their interface.
"There's microscopic surface roughness on each ply of a material, and when you put two plys together, air gets trapped between the rough areas, which is the primary source of voids and weakness in a composite," Wardle says. "An autoclave can push those voids to the edges and get rid of them."
Researchers including Wardle's group have explored "out-of-autoclave," or OoA, techniques to manufacture composites without using the huge machines. But most of these techniques have produced composites where nearly 1 percent of the material contains voids, which can compromise a material's strength and lifetime. In comparison, aerospace-grade composites made in autoclaves are of such high quality that any voids they contain are neglible and not easily measured.
"The problem with these OoA approaches is also that the materials have been specially formulated, and none are qualified for primary structures such as wings and fuselages," Wardle says. "They're making some inroads in secondary structures, such as flaps and doors, but they still get voids."
Straw pressure
Part of Wardle's work focuses on developing nanoporous networks — ultrathin films made from aligned, microscopic material such as carbon nanotubes, that can be engineered with exceptional properties, including color, strength, and electrical capacity. The researchers wondered whether these nanoporous films could be used in place of giant autoclaves to squeeze out voids between two material layers, as unlikely as that may seem.
A thin film of carbon nanotubes is somewhat like a dense forest of trees, and the spaces between the trees can function like thin nanoscale tubes, or capillaries. A capillary such as a straw can generate pressure based on its geometry and its surface energy, or the material's ability to attract liquids or other materials.
The researchers proposed that if a thin film of carbon nanotubes were sandwiched between two materials, then, as the materials were heated and softened, the capillaries between the carbon nanotubes should have a surface energy and geometry such that they would draw the materials in toward each other, rather than leaving a void between them. Lee calculated that the capillary pressure should be larger than the pressure applied by the autoclaves.
The researchers tested their idea in the lab by growing films of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes using a technique they previously developed, then laying the films between layers of materials that are typically used in the autoclave-based manufacturing of primary aircraft structures. They wrapped the layers in a second film of carbon nanotubes, which they applied an electric current to to heat it up. They observed that as the materials heated and softened in response, they were pulled into the capillaries of the intermediate CNT film.
The resulting composite lacked voids, similar to aerospace-grade composites that are produced in an autoclave. The researchers subjected the composites to strength tests, attempting to push the layers apart, the idea being that voids, if present, would allow the layers to separate more easily.
"In these tests, we found that our out-of-autoclave composite was just as strong as the gold-standard autoclave process composite used for primary aerospace structures," Wardle says.
The team will next look for ways to scale up the pressure-generating CNT film. In their experiments, they worked with samples measuring several centimeters wide — large enough to demonstrate that nanoporous networks can pressurize materials and prevent voids from forming. To make this process viable for manufacturing entire wings and fuselages, researchers will have to find ways to manufacture CNT and other nanoporous films at a much larger scale.
"There are ways to make really large blankets of this stuff, and there's continuous production of sheets, yarns, and rolls of material that can be incorporated in the process," Wardle says.
He plans also to explore different formulations of nanoporous films, engineering capillaries of varying surface energies and geometries, to be able to pressurize and bond other high-performance materials.
"Now we have this new material solution that can provide on-demand pressure where you need it," Wardle says. "Beyond airplanes, most of the composite production in the world is composite pipes, for water, gas, oil, all the things that go in and out of our lives. This could make making all those things, without the oven and autoclave infrastructure."
This research was supported, in part, by Airbus, ANSYS, Embraer, Lockheed Martin, Saab AB, Saertex, and Teijin Carbon America through MIT's Nano-Engineered Composite aerospace Structures (NECST) Consortium.
Void‐Free Layered Polymeric Architectures via Capillary‐Action of Nanoporous Films
Abstract
Here, a nanomaterial with morphology‐controlled nanoscale capillaries is utilized to overcome manufacturing challenges in layered polymeric architectures. It is demonstrated that the capillary pressure from a nanoporous film replaces the need for applied pressure to manufacture void‐free layered polymeric architectures. Manufacturing of aerospace‐grade advanced carbon fiber composites is performed for the first time without utilizing pressure from an autoclave. Combined with a conductive curing approach, this work allows advanced composites to be manufactured without costly oven or pressure vessel infrastructure. The nanomaterial‐enabled capillary pressure is quantified as 50% greater than typical pressures used in such processing, and is anticipated to overcome the limitations imposed by the requirement of high applied pressure in many other applications such as adhesive joining of various bulk materials including metals, press forming, and closed‐mold infusion processing of layered composites and polymers.
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