Objective Objectives and content An important challenge is being set by world-wide competition in the development of new low cost and mass airframes. In order to maintain the European share of this market, and in consequence preserve the jobs throughout the industry and supply infrastructure, European industrials must retain their capacity for innovation through the development of new low cost composite technology. The primary objective of the APRICOS programme has therefore been defined as the demonstration of a 30% life cycle cost saving over conventional metal aircraft. This target contains elements of initial purchase cost, mass saving, maintenance and operational costs. The objective will therefore be achieved by a collaborative exercise to define a certification philosophy, design criteria and cost effective manufacturing technology for a representative element of fuselage structure. The APRICOS project will be based on a generic composite fuselage. Using new concepts and technologies, pre-development work is proposed: a fuselage panel will be produced after evaluation of materials and technologies. The major steps of the programme are the following: - Identification of the certification requirements which have to be fulfilled by a composite fuselage and definition of guidelines for the design principles. - Definition of innovative design principles for a fuselage. - Selection of materials and technologies for the different subcomponents. - Testing of materials and determination of design values. - Development and validation of structural concepts by designing manufacturing and testing subcomponents. - Definition and production of a demonstrator representative of manufacturing difficulties encountered in a fuselage. - Evaluation of possible gains by comparative analysis in order to monitor the cost aspects during the development activities. The APRICOS programme represents a first step along the R & D path required to achieve products in service. By providing initial confidence for the concept of a large composite fuselage it will contribute significantly to the longer term industrial targets. Fields of science engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcompositesengineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringaerospace engineeringaircrafthumanitiesphilosophy, ethics and religionphilosophy Programme(s) FP4-BRITE/EURAM 3 - Specific research and technological development programme in the field of industrial and materials technologies, 1994-1998 Topic(s) 0301 - Aeronautics Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator AEROSPATIALE MATRA S.A. Address 316,route de bayonne 316 3106 Toulouse France See on map EU contribution No data Participants (10) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all Alenia Aerospazio - Un' Azienda Finmeccanica SpA Italy EU contribution € 0,00 Address Zona asi incoronata 71100 Foggia See on map Other funding No data BAE SYSTEMS (OPERATIONS) LTD United Kingdom EU contribution € 0,00 Address Warwick house, farnborough aerospace centre GU14 6YU Farnborough See on map Other funding No data Construcciones Aeronauticas SA Spain EU contribution € 0,00 Address S/n,avda. john lennon 28906 Getafe - madrid See on map Other funding No data Dassault Aviation SA France EU contribution € 0,00 Address 78,quai marcel-dassault 92214 Saint-cloud See on map Other funding No data Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH Germany EU contribution € 0,00 Address 81663 München See on map Other funding No data INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE TECNICA AEROESPACIAL ESTEBAN TERRADAS Spain EU contribution € 0,00 Address Km 4,carretera de ajalvir km 4 28850 Torrejon de ardoz See on map Other funding No data Nationaal Lucht- en Ruimtevaart Laboratorium Netherlands EU contribution € 0,00 Address 8300 AD Emmeloord See on map Other funding No data SA Belge de Constructions Aéronautiques Belgium EU contribution € 0,00 Address 1470,chaussée haecht 1130 Bruxelles See on map Other funding No data Saab AB Sweden EU contribution € 0,00 Address 581 88 Linköping See on map Other funding No data Università degli Studi di Reggio Calabria Italy EU contribution € 0,00 Address Arcavacata di rende 87036 Cosenza See on map Other funding No data