Smart Intelligent Aircraft Structures

SARISTU

CALL IDENTIFIER: FP7-AAT-2011-RTD-1
DURATION: 2011-2015
NUMBER OF PARTNERS: 65
OVERALL BUDGET: 51,1 mEUR

PROJECT PAGE – CORDIS

ABSTRACT

The project concerned the challenges posed by the physical integration of smart intelligent structural concepts. It addressed aircraft weight and operational cost reductions as well as an improvement in the flight profile specific aerodynamic performance. This concerned material concepts enabling a conformal, controlled distortion of aerodynamically important surfaces, material concepts enabling an active or passive status assessment of specific airframe areas with respect to shape and potential damages and material concepts enabling further functionalities which to date have been unrealizable. It was the aim of this project to demonstrate the structural achievability of individual morphing concepts concerning the leading edge, the trailing edge and the winglet on a full-size external wing by aerodynamic and structural testing.

TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS’ ROLE IN THE PROJECT

Development of CNT-doped thermoplastic veils  for the enhancement of primary structure robustness by improved damage tolerance and for the improvement of the electrical isotropy of composite structures. The work conducted demonstrated the use of veils improved composites’ resistance to inter-layer shear, while doping the veils with CNTs improved electrical conductivity of the composite by 350%. The work resulted in one patent and several publications.