Periodic Reporting for period 3 - MORPHO (Embedded Life-Cycle Management for Smart Multimaterials Structures: Application to Engine Components)
Reporting period: 2024-04-01 to 2025-01-31
The supply chain for European aircraft aims to achieve competitive and sustainable products with high quality standards. Aircraft and engine manufacturers demand a radical change in the efficiency, profitability, and flexibility of industrial processes to adapt to high production rates and increasing product complexity and variability. In the transition to industry 4.0 the deployment of connected objects is transforming manufacturing and maintenance processes, enabling tighter integration of the value chain. Adding native connectivity to various parts of an aircraft will be key to speeding up this transformation. This involves embedding sensor technology into airframes, providing them with cognitive capabilities to improve manufacturing processes and operational availability without compromising safety. MORPHO is the joint effort of European experts in smart manufacturing, sensor integration, structural health monitoring, and recycling of aerospace structural parts and SAFRAN, a major OEM, to face this challenge.
Modern and future fan blades are designed and manufactured using a hybrid metal and advanced composite configuration. For the LEAP engine, the core body of the fan blades is built up of 3D-woven composite manufactured using RTM (Resin Transfer Molding) process, while the leading edge is made of titanium. This new design allows for a mass gain and exhibits high strength and fracture toughness, yet remains vulnerable to foreign object impact and delamination damages.
MORPHO’s goal is to promote the industrial deployment of smart engine fan blades by adopting a cognitive paradigm for their manufacturing, health monitoring during service-life, and recycling. MORPHO’s key objective is to advance the design, production, and field operation of multifunctional fan blades, with an emphasis on efficient, profitable, and environmentally-friendly manufacturing, maintenance, and recycling. During the life cycle of equipment (LCM), particular importance is given to: (i) the control of its manufacturing process, (ii) its operational availability, (iii) its maintenance, and (iv) the recycling of the components that constitute it.
To master the LCM of the fan module, which is the primary interface of the engine and the environment, we propose to embed sensors (printed piezoelectric and temperature and fiber optic) inside/on each blade and develop dedicated digital/hybrid twins to provide aircraft engines blades with cognitive capabilities. These will allow managing and assessing their entire life cycle. MORPHO’s ambition is to set the cornerstones of future standards for reliable, sustainable, agile, and cost-effective industrialization of this new generation of intelligent and multifunctional parts and their associated manufacturing processes.
Modern and future fan blades are designed and manufactured using a hybrid metal and advanced composite configuration. For the LEAP engine, the core body of the fan blades is built up of 3D-woven composite manufactured using RTM (Resin Transfer Molding) process, while the leading edge is made of titanium. This new design allows for a mass gain and exhibits high strength and fracture toughness, yet remains vulnerable to foreign object impact and delamination damages.
MORPHO’s goal is to promote the industrial deployment of smart engine fan blades by adopting a cognitive paradigm for their manufacturing, health monitoring during service-life, and recycling. MORPHO’s key objective is to advance the design, production, and field operation of multifunctional fan blades, with an emphasis on efficient, profitable, and environmentally-friendly manufacturing, maintenance, and recycling. During the life cycle of equipment (LCM), particular importance is given to: (i) the control of its manufacturing process, (ii) its operational availability, (iii) its maintenance, and (iv) the recycling of the components that constitute it.
To master the LCM of the fan module, which is the primary interface of the engine and the environment, we propose to embed sensors (printed piezoelectric and temperature and fiber optic) inside/on each blade and develop dedicated digital/hybrid twins to provide aircraft engines blades with cognitive capabilities. These will allow managing and assessing their entire life cycle. MORPHO’s ambition is to set the cornerstones of future standards for reliable, sustainable, agile, and cost-effective industrialization of this new generation of intelligent and multifunctional parts and their associated manufacturing processes.
- Providing the first specifications and requirements related to the life cycle monitoring and assessment of 3-D woven composite/titanium demonstrator named FOD (Foreign Object Damage) panel.
- The optical fibers (OF-FBG) sensor integration concept has been developed with focus on the number and distances between sensors, and also the connecting process of integrated sensor arrays to the measurement unit.
- Developing an ultra-fast resin arrival sensing system (the Cure Simulator) alone with sensors plugs installations and check at the FOD mould.
- Development of the "Simuline" sensor, that combines the advantages of the in-mould and the Cure Simulator
- Elaborating a hybrid twin merging physics-based and data-driven models for the RTM manufacturing process of the smart structure.
- A specific data acquisition interface has been developed in MATLAB® to gather data from all sensors. This interface, also connected to the hybrid twin, can predict, in real time, flow front position and local material properties.
- Developing a detailed Finite Element (FE) model allowing simulating the mechanical response of the realistic geometry of the FOD panel.
- Integrating printed sensors (PZT and temperature) on several panels have been achieved and their reliability is currently being tested.
- An experimental campaign has been launched on the low-cycle fatigue tests of the sensorised structures, that has been used to feed novel data-driven prognostics methodologies to predict their Remaining Useful Life.
- A novel Machine Learning pipeline has been developed, that gets as input sensor data (strains, guided waves, acoustic emission) and predicts the Remaining Useful Life until a pre-defined stiffness reduction level or the residual stiffness in real-time as new data points become available.
- Conducting FE simulations and experiments of the shock laser-based disassembly process. The symmetric laser shock configuration created the required stress field in the bondline and resulted in debonding at the interface of the Ti and the adhesive (adhesive failure). Additionally, numerical models were improved to match the conducted experiments.
- After first tests on Lab-scale samples, semi-industrial pyrolysis and post-pyrolysis (oxidation) trials on rCF have then been performed through several campaigns (iterative process). It has allowed determining optimal process conditions. To facilitate and speed the test campaigns, part of the trials has been performed in an oven with controlled atmosphere (N2) and air inlet enabling to perform pyrolysis and oxidation in the same furnace. The optimized thermal treatment shows that recycled carbon fibers rCF can be obtained with acceptable properties close to virgin carbon fibers, with a 13% reduction of Tensile/Young Modulus. The results obtained are very promising.
- Three successful communication campaigns.
- Identifying the appropriate health and safety procedures conforming to the relevant local, national, and European legislation followed in the framework of the Morpho project.
- The optical fibers (OF-FBG) sensor integration concept has been developed with focus on the number and distances between sensors, and also the connecting process of integrated sensor arrays to the measurement unit.
- Developing an ultra-fast resin arrival sensing system (the Cure Simulator) alone with sensors plugs installations and check at the FOD mould.
- Development of the "Simuline" sensor, that combines the advantages of the in-mould and the Cure Simulator
- Elaborating a hybrid twin merging physics-based and data-driven models for the RTM manufacturing process of the smart structure.
- A specific data acquisition interface has been developed in MATLAB® to gather data from all sensors. This interface, also connected to the hybrid twin, can predict, in real time, flow front position and local material properties.
- Developing a detailed Finite Element (FE) model allowing simulating the mechanical response of the realistic geometry of the FOD panel.
- Integrating printed sensors (PZT and temperature) on several panels have been achieved and their reliability is currently being tested.
- An experimental campaign has been launched on the low-cycle fatigue tests of the sensorised structures, that has been used to feed novel data-driven prognostics methodologies to predict their Remaining Useful Life.
- A novel Machine Learning pipeline has been developed, that gets as input sensor data (strains, guided waves, acoustic emission) and predicts the Remaining Useful Life until a pre-defined stiffness reduction level or the residual stiffness in real-time as new data points become available.
- Conducting FE simulations and experiments of the shock laser-based disassembly process. The symmetric laser shock configuration created the required stress field in the bondline and resulted in debonding at the interface of the Ti and the adhesive (adhesive failure). Additionally, numerical models were improved to match the conducted experiments.
- After first tests on Lab-scale samples, semi-industrial pyrolysis and post-pyrolysis (oxidation) trials on rCF have then been performed through several campaigns (iterative process). It has allowed determining optimal process conditions. To facilitate and speed the test campaigns, part of the trials has been performed in an oven with controlled atmosphere (N2) and air inlet enabling to perform pyrolysis and oxidation in the same furnace. The optimized thermal treatment shows that recycled carbon fibers rCF can be obtained with acceptable properties close to virgin carbon fibers, with a 13% reduction of Tensile/Young Modulus. The results obtained are very promising.
- Three successful communication campaigns.
- Identifying the appropriate health and safety procedures conforming to the relevant local, national, and European legislation followed in the framework of the Morpho project.
The proof of concept addressed in MORPHO is related to an aeronautical engine fan blade composed of hybrid material with an emphasis on smart manufacturing and health assessment. The project is mainly positioned on the aeronautical market and, by extension, the space, automotive, and naval sectors may also be targeted. Moreover, connection to the wind power industry is straightforward. Its expected impacts as well as the actual project contributions are the following:
- Manufacturing next-generation multifunctional and intelligent airframe and engine parts: RTM process of the fan blades is about to be monitored and a hybrid twin of this process has been developed. In that sense, MORPHO is on the way to reach this impact.
- New manufacturing paradigm shift with enhanced ecological maintenance and recycling characteristics. Dismantling tests using LASER shock and pyrolysis tests on SAFRAN materials have been successfully carried out. In that sense, MORPHO is on the way to reach this impact.
- New/updated technologies that will offer a competitive advantage to European MROs.
- Maintaining and extending European industrial leadership.
- Manufacturing next-generation multifunctional and intelligent airframe and engine parts: RTM process of the fan blades is about to be monitored and a hybrid twin of this process has been developed. In that sense, MORPHO is on the way to reach this impact.
- New manufacturing paradigm shift with enhanced ecological maintenance and recycling characteristics. Dismantling tests using LASER shock and pyrolysis tests on SAFRAN materials have been successfully carried out. In that sense, MORPHO is on the way to reach this impact.
- New/updated technologies that will offer a competitive advantage to European MROs.
- Maintaining and extending European industrial leadership.