Aerospace & Space Materials Technology Testhouse

Objective

Principal characteristics of the facility and of the support offered to users:
The proposed Aerospace & Space Materials Technology Testhouse comprises methods, expertise, analytical and processing facilities for R&D projects in the field of (aero)space materials and technology projects. It is a group of complementary facilities for the development, characterisation and qualification of (aero)space materials and technologies located at the Research Centre Seibersdorf. These facilities, partly highly specialised, developed and designed by Seibersdorf, are used for in house R&D programs, mainly conducted for customers like ESA, as well as national and international (aero)space industries. Therefore the Seibersdorf staff is well familiar with the characteristics of (aero)space relevant materials and technologies regarding expertise, methodology, ensuring an efficient support to research teams and individual researchers using the AMTT. The expertise available on methodology and materials science is reflected by a number of already established competence centres of the facility, like the centre of competence for micro- characterisation for Austrian lndustries, the centre of competence on light weight materials and, most important, the ESA materials testhouse. Especially the latter facility demonstrates the high standard of methodology and the essential function of an independent testhouse performing unbiased characterisation and qualification programs.
The AMTT facility will comprise the following complementary test facilities: Space specific properties (thermal cycling, sublimation and redeposition, outgassing of materials under space environment, cold welding and friction under space environment) Microstructure (optical microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, glow discharge optical spectroscopy, electron & ion microprobes. ultrasonic NDT analysis) ; Thermophysical properties (14000C- 20000C) (therma conductivity, thermal diffusivity, specific heat, thermal expansion, emissivity) Mechanical properties (tensile, compression and bending tests up to 11000C, creep, fatigue) Corrosion behaviour (stress corrosion test, salt spray test, climatic test) Chemical composition (emission spectrography, atomic absorption spectroscopy, gaschromatography). L It should be noted that materials technology developments cannot be made at a single large scale facility but need a pool of high level complementary facilities. The same is true for aerospace technology development and testing of integrated instruments and devices. The availability of a multidisciplinary testing and qualification facility should help to promote innovation in aerospace industry.
The proposed AMTT comprises test facilities of high standard, some of them regarded as rare and in specific aspects | unique (outgassing and sublimation, tribology and cold welding, complete HT- thermophysics). Their concentration, | combination and application to space technology however is regarded as definitely unique in Europe.
Quantity of access being offered and number of users who may benefit: Quantity of access: 25 researchers for 1 - 2 months / year, which corresponds to <10% of the whole activities. Number of users: 75 for full period
The users will be representative for European industries and institutes working on the field of Aeronautics. Special emphasis shall be given to initiate cooperations between institutes and industries and to increase competitiveness of Aerospace Industry. So the implementation and common use of the proposed large scale facility is completely in line with the goals of the Aeronautics Task Force of the Commission of the European Communities started on 1 March 1995 (reference SEC(96) 458 and SEC(95) 1824) for the strengthening the European Aeronautics by a number of actions, - e.g. investment at an European scale not feasible for any single firm or Member state, - a continued supply of qualified and trained young people, - processes for collaboration between firms or a communications infrastructure and services. The task force encourages common projects in order to increase the efficiency of RDT efforts being beneficial for many industrial partners, suppliers, producers and end-users.

Fields of science

Programme(s)

FP4-TMR - Specific research and technological development programme in the field of the training and mobility of researchers, 1994-1998

Topic(s)

0201 - Access for researchers

Call for proposal

Data not available

Funding Scheme

LFC - Access to Research Infrastructures

Coordinator

AUSTRIAN RESEARCH CENTERS SIEBERDORF

EU contribution

No data

Address

2444 SEIBERSDORF
Austria

Total cost