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Content archived on 2024-06-16

Smart maintenance of Aviation Hydraulic Fluid using an onboard monitoring and reconditioning System

Objective

Aviation hydraulic fluids are hygroscopic and, as a result, their lifetime is highly unpredictable. The performance of the entire aircraft hydraulic system is affected by the condition of the hydraulic fluid and if degradation goes undetected, it may cause damages with serious consequences. These may be economic at best or catastrophic at worst. At present, assessing the condition of the hydraulic fluid in an aircraft is laborious, time-consuming and expensive. Therefore the fluid is typically tested less than once a year, with the risk of unscheduled maintenance if the fluid has exceeded its limits of usage. Consequential interruption of the airline service bears a huge economic cost.

This project proposes the development of an optimised maintenance concept based on an autonomous onboard system capable of monitoring the fluid condition and restoring it when required. This will increase the lifetime of the fluid yet prevent damage caused by degraded fluid. If external reconditioning or change of the fluid should prove to be unavoidable, this could be scheduled to coincide with regular service and maintenance operations, thanks to the predictive capability of the monitoring system. Fibre-optic sensors using luminescent indicators as well as alternative optical and electrochemical sensors will be developed for fluid monitoring. Similarly, different water separation and elimination techniques will be investigated and selected.

The chosen approach yields a balanced-risk strategy in which established techniques are combined with cutting-edge research, the outcome of which results in concurrent individual deliverables of high intrinsic value, thereby enhancing the combined benefits expected from the project. The impact of this system would extend far beyond the consortium partners: the cost savings to airlines due to the optimised maintenance strategy will give European constructors such a competitive advantage that the entire industry will be strengthened.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

FP6-2005-AERO-1
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

STREP - Specific Targeted Research Project

Coordinator

INTERLAB INGENIERIA ELECTRONICA Y DE CONTROL S.A.U
EU contribution
No data
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

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Participants (12)

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