Project information
Identification: TE02000032 Advanced Aerostructures Research Centre
Funding provider: Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA ČR), programme Competence Centres (2012 – 2019)
Coordinator: Vysoké učení technické v Brně / Fakulta strojního inženýrství / Letecký ústav
Project manager: doc. Ing. Jaroslav Juračka, Ph.D.
Other participants: 5M s.r.o., Aero Vodochody Aerospace a.s., Aircraft Industries, a.s., České vysoké učení technické v Praze, Honeywell International s.r.o., Výzkumný a zkušební letecký ústav, a.s.
The Advanced Aerostructures Research Centre is a consortium of aircraft manufacturers with research entities. The Centre will develop a new generation of aircraft structures demonstrated on a composite structure and integral wing of a commuter aircraft. In composite structure a design will have Smart structure characteristics with an embedded Structural Health Monitoring System and damage Tolerance philosophy.
Project introduction
The project presupposed follows up to the actual cooperation implemented in the years 2000-2011, which was created among the VUT in Brno, Czech Technical University in Prague and VZLÚ under a Centre of Aerospace Research.
The originality of the Centre and its goal is to create Smart structures. This technology will improve structures, where both manufacturers dominate. These structures will be equipped with Structural Health Monitoring systems developed by Honeywell. It gives the new structures, together with the excellent conceptual characteristic, the most complex ability of operational efficiency and safety.
There is a natural horizontal mobility and consistency among consortium members. Narrowing the Centre aims only to aerospace structures gives a chance to deep concentration of participants in several related fields. AERO focuses on composite structures, which are becoming the norm in design of new large transport aircraft, while Aircraft Industries focus is on advanced metallic structures, which remain the main material for smaller general aviation, commuter aircraft. Thus the centre covers whole spectrum of aerospace manufacturing technologies and provides the associated research and test institutions to advance their know how in both areas.
Project objectives
The main contribution of the Centre is to establish a sustainable development base for own production of aircraft structures.
The strategic objectives are:
- Develop the environment for mutual education of aviation experts, young researchers and students on the basis of mutual and friendly cooperation, for their mobility and transfer of know-how.
- Create new products, from the concept to the functional samples.
- Create analytical tools that systematically summarize the achieved level of knowledge and are usable beyond the Centre activity.
- Ensure a high level of implementation using development of products in accordance with market research and business strategies of the companies.
The partial objectives are:
- Develop composite structure as a demonstrator of the primary part of airframe structure. The design will have characteristics of Lightweight bird-strike-resistant and a Smart structure. In the sixth year of the project the product will be brought into a stage of functional sample and implemented into related products, developed by the company.
- Develop advanced aircraft wing of Commuter aircraft. The wing will have features of Smart structure. Great attention will be paid to the new effective production with respect to price.
- Develop Structural Health Monitoring System for composite structures. Resolve integration of sensors into the composite and verify algorithms for operational monitoring of structures. The system will be also suitable for non-aviation applications.
