Project description
Smart manufacturing of wing elements based on connected tooling
Controlling the flow of air around an aircraft by making it laminar can significantly improve its aerodynamic efficiency. Many demonstrators have successfully tested active and passive solutions. To achieve the required tolerance and geometric accuracy, the assembly process of laminar flow control systems to the wing requires complex tools. Sensorisation of tooling allows more efficient monitoring of key parameters of the assembly process such as position, accumulated stresses and deformation. The EU-funded HLFC 4.0 project will combine additive manufacturing and sensorisation technologies in the design of an active and a passive hybrid laminar flow control system. Project consortium consists of two companies with broad experience in aeronautic design and manufacturing (ADATICA) and in tool design and manufacturing (ACTEMIUM).
Objective
The use of HLFC (Hybrid Laminar Flow Control) systems is a important advantage that will improve the aerodynamic efficiency of flights significantly. Either using passive or active solutions many challenges have been tackled and demonstrators have been developed in the past.
To be able to assembly the HLFC systems to the leading edge of the wing complex tools should be developed in order to obtain aeronautic standards in terms of tolerances and geometry accuracy. Sensorization of complex tooling is a technique that allows to monitor the complete process of assembly ensuring that the process is being done in the proper way or, if not, understanding what is happening and enabling corrective actions. Build-up stress and deformations measurements, automatic best-fit positioning, sensors recording key parameters to feedback engineering assumptions and calculations, are some examples.
As part as Industry 4.0 the sensorization of tools and the use of new technologies such as additive manufacturing will be implemented in the development of this project called HLFC 4.0.
The consortium of HLFC 4.0 is formed by two leading companies with broadly experience in the fields of aeronautic design and manufacturing of systems and structures (ADATICA) and in the design and manufacturing of tools including sensorization for industry 4.0 (ACTEMIUM).
Putting everything together, this project will drive to the manufacturing of two HLFC systems, passive and active, and a sensorized tool to assemble these systems to the leading edge. Also as part of the project HLFC 4.0 and due to ADATICA expertise in DfAM (Design for Additive Manufacturing) drilling templates will be designed and manufactured using additive methods.
Fields of science
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesclassical mechanicsfluid mechanicsfluid dynamics
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensors
- natural sciencesmathematicspure mathematicsgeometry
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringmanufacturing engineeringadditive manufacturing
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
IA - Innovation actionCoordinator
28027 Madrid
Spain
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.