Press release [ PDF 0.15 MB ]

F R A U N H O F E R -I N S T I T U T F ÜR F E R T I G U N G S T E C H N I K U ND A N G E W A N D T E M A T E R I AL F O R S C H U N G I F A M
PRESS RELEASE
PRESSEINFORMATION
16.05.2014 || Seite 1 | 3
Aircraft wings that change their shape in flight can help
to protect the environment
A top priority for any airline is to conserve as much fuel as possible – and this
helps to protect the environment. The EU project SARISTU aims to reduce
kerosene consumption by six percent, and integrating flexible landing devices
into aircraft wings is one step towards that target. Researchers will be
showcasing this concept alongside other prototypes at the ILA Berlin Air Show
from May 20-25 (Hall 6, Booth 6212).
Airport congestion has reached staggering levels as some 2.2 billion people a year take
to the skies for business or pleasure. As their numbers grow and more jets add to
pollution in the atmosphere, the drawbacks to the popularity of flying become obvious.
This has encouraged airlines, aircraft manufacturers and researchers to pull together to
reduce airliners’ kerosene consumption and contribute to protecting the environment.
One effort in this direction is the EU’s SARISTU project, short for Smart Intelligent
Aircraft Structures.
Landing flaps that change their shape
While birds are able to position their feathers to suit the airflow, aircraft wing
components have so far only been rigid. As the name suggests, landing flaps at the
trailing edge of the wing are extended for landing. This flap, too, is rigid, its movement
being limited to rotation around an axis. This is set to change in the SARISTU project.
“Landing flaps should one day be able to adjust to the air flow and so enhance the
aerodynamics of the aircraft,” explains Martin Schüller, researcher at the Fraunhofer
Institute for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS in Chemnitz. A mechanism that alters the
landing flap’s shape to dynamically accommodate the airflow has already been
developed by the consortium partners. Algorithms to control the required shape
modifications in flight were programmed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic
Nano Systems ENAS in Chemnitz, in collaboration with colleagues from the Italian
Aerospace Research Center (CIRA) and the University of Naples.
The mechanism that allows the landing flap to change shape can only function if the
skin of the landing flap can be stretched as it moves, a problem tackled by researchers
from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials
IFAM in Bremen. “We’ve come up with a silicon skin with alternate rigid and soft
zones,” reveals Andreas Lühring from Fraunhofer IFAM. “There are five hard and three
soft zones, enclosed within a silicon skin cover extending over the top.”
Press
Martina Ohle | Fraunhofer-Institut für Fertigungstechnik und Angewandte Materialforschung IFAM | Telefon +49 421 2246-256
Wiener Straße 12 | 28359 Bremen | www.ifam.fraunhofer.de | [email protected]
F R A U N H O F E R -I N S T I T U T F ÜR F E R T I G U N G S T E C H N I K U ND A N G E W A N D T E M A T E R I AL F O R S C H U N G I F A M
The mechanism sits underneath the soft zones, the areas that are most distended.
While the novel design is noteworthy, it is the material itself that stands out, since the
flexible parts are made of elastomeric foam that retain their elasticity even at
temperatures ranging from minus 55 to 80 degrees Celsius.
PRESSEINFORMATION
16.05.2014 || Seite 2 | 3
Four 90-centimeter-long prototypes – two of which feature skin segments – are already
undergoing testing. Does the mechanism work? Are the forces being transferred
correctly? These are questions for upcoming tests in the wind tunnel. Scientists will be
showcasing the prototype at the ILA Berlin Air Show from May 20 – 25 (Hall 6, Booth
6212). Work is currently underway on a 2.3-meter-long prototype.
Maneuverable wingtips
A single improvement won’t be enough to cut kerosene consumption by six percent.
Since a variety of measures are needed, scientists from Fraunhofer IFAM are
participating in a second subproject focusing on the wingtip. Here the SARISTU
consortium has developed a tab that forms part of the wing tip and changes shape
during flight to keep air resistance as low as possible. Any gap between the flap and
the fixed aircraft wing would cancel out any positive effect. “This led us to develop an
elastic connecting element, and this work already covers everything from the chemical
makeup to the process technology and manufacture of the component,” says Lühring.
Like the landing tab, this component retains its elasticity at temperatures ranging from
minus 55 to 80 degrees Celsius, and it easily copes with the high wind speeds involved.
Researchers will be showcasing the prototype at the ILA Berlin Air Show (Hall 6, Booth
6212).
Funding
This project has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework
Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant
agreement no 284562.
Contact
Andreas Lühring | Telefon +49 421 2246-494 | [email protected] | Fraunhofer-Institut für Fertigungstechnik und
Angewandte Materialforschung IFAM | Wiener Straße 12 | 28359 Bremen | www.ifam.fraunhofer.de
F R A U N H O F E R -I N S T I T U T F ÜR F E R T I G U N G S T E C H N I K U ND A N G E W A N D T E M A T E R I AL F O R S C H U N G I F A M
Further information
www.saristu.eu
PRESSEINFORMATION
16.05.2014 || Seite 3 | 3
Photo
© Fraunhofer IFAM, but can be published in reports about this press release.
Download via:
http://www.ifam.fraunhofer.de/en/Press_Releases/Downloads.html
Simulation of a flex module. © Fraunhofer IFAM
Die Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft ist die führende Organisation für angewandte Forschung in Europa. Unter ihrem Dach arbeiten 67 Institute an
Contact
Andreas Lühring
Standorten
in ganz| Deutschland.
Telefon +49 421
Mehr
2246-494
als 23 000
| [email protected]
Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter bearbeiten
| Fraunhofer-Institut
das jährliche Forschungsvolumen
für Fertigungstechnik
vonund
2,0 Milliarden
Angewandte
Materialforschung
| Wiener
Straße 12 | 28359
Bremen | www.ifam.fraunhofer.de
Euro.
Davon fallen
1,7 MilliardenIFAM
Euro auf
den Leistungsbereich
Vertragsforschung.
Über 70 Prozent dieses Leistungsbereichs erwirtschaftet die
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft aus Aufträgen der Industrie und öffentlich finanzierten Forschungsprojekten. Internationale Niederlassungen sorgen für
Kontakt zu den wichtigsten gegenwärtigen und zukünftigen Wissenschafts- und Wirtschaftsräumen.
Dieses Feld, sowie die Tabelle auf der letzten Seite nicht löschen!