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This SAE EDGE™ Research Report builds a comprehensive picture of the current state-of-the-art of human-robot applications, identifying key issues to unlock the technology’s potential. It brings together views of recognized thought leaders to understand and deconstruct the myths and realities of human- robot collaboration, and how it could eventually have the impact envisaged by many. Current thinking suggests that the emerging technology of human-robot collaboration provides an ideal solution, combining the flexibility and skill of human operators with the precision, repeatability, and reliability of robots. Yet, the topic tends to generate intense reactions ranging from a “brave new future” for aircraft manufacturing and assembly, to workers living in fear of a robot invasion and lost jobs. It is widely acknowledged that the application of robotics and automation in aerospace manufacturing is significantly lower than might be expected.

With the rapid growth in passenger transportation through aviation projected to continue into the future, it is incumbent on aerospace engineers to seek ways to reduce the negative impact of airliner operation on the environment. Key metrics to address include noise, fuel consumption, Carbon Dioxide and Nitrous Oxide emissions, and contrail formation. The research presented in this paper generates new aircraft trajectories to reduce these metrics, and compares them with typical scheduled airline operated flights. Results and analysis of test cases on trajectory optimization are presented using an in-house aircraft trajectory optimization framework created under the European Clean Sky Joint Technology Initiative, Systems for Green Operation Integrated Technology Demonstrator. The software tool comprises an optimizer core and relatively high fidelity models of the aircraft's flight path performance, air traffic control constraints, propulsion and other systems.

Advanced modeling and simulation techniques are becoming more important in today's industrial design processes and for aircraft energy systems in specific. They enable early and integrated design as well as validation of finalized system and component designs. This paper describes the main methods and tools that can be applied for different phases of the energy design process. For demonstration, the object-oriented modeling language Modelica was chosen, since it enables convenient modeling of multi-physical systems. Based on this standard, common modeling guidelines, a modeling library template, and common interfaces have been provided. A common modeling infrastructure is proposed with considerations on additional libraries needed for local tasks in the energy design process. The developed methods and tools have been tested by means of some predefined use cases, which are performed in cooperation with diverse aircraft industrial partners.

Drag reduction technologies in aircraft design are the key enabler for reducing emissions and for sustainable growth of commercial aviation. Laminar wing technologies promise a significant benefit by drag reduction and are therefore under investigation in various European projects. However, of the established moveable concepts and high-lift systems, thus far most do not cope with the requirements for natural laminar flow wings. To this aim new leading edge high-lift systems have been the focus of research activities in the last five years. Such leading edge devices investigated in projects include a laminar flow-compatible Kruger flap [1] and the Droop Nose concept [2, 3] and these can be considered as alternatives to the conventional slat. Hybrid laminar flow concepts are also under investigation at several research institutes in Europe [4].

Testing real-time vehicular systems challenges the tester to design test cases for concurrent and sequential input events, emulating unexpected user and usage profiles. The vehicle response should be robust to unexpected user actions. Sequence Covering Arrays (SCA) offer an approach which can emulate such unexpected user actions by generating an optimized set of test vectors which cover all possible t-way sequences of events. The objective of this research was to find an efficient nonfunctional sequence testing (NFST) strategy for testing the robustness of real-time automotive embedded systems measured by their ability to recover (prove-out test) after applying sequences of user and usage patterns generated by combinatorial test algorithms, considered as “noisy” inputs. The method was validated with a case study of an automotive embedded system tested at Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) level. The random sequences were able to alter the system functionality observed at the prove-out test.

Demonstrators and research projects about electric aircraft taxi systems testify the current interest in low- or zero-emission ground propulsion technologies to lower the overall fuel consumption and emissions of commercial flights. Electric motors fitted in the main landing gears are one of the most promising layouts for these systems especially for narrow-body commercial aircraft. From a control theory point of view, the aircraft on ground becomes an over-actuated plant through adoption of this technology, i.e. a commanded ground trajectory can be reached through different combinations of actuator efforts. A strategy is required to choose the most suitable of these combinations in order to reach the best efficiency. This work aims to investigate a strategy for an optimal control allocation during path-following of prescribed ground trajectories.

The aim of this paper is to develop a new concept of unconventional airship based on morphing a lenticular shape while preserving the volumetric dimension. Lenticular shape is known to have relatively poor aerodynamic characteristics. It is also well known to have poor static and dynamic stability after the certain critical speed. The new shape presented in this paper is obtained by extending one and reducing the other direction of the original lenticular shape. The volume is kept constant through the morphing process. To improve the airship performance, four steps of morphing, starting from the lenticular shape, were obtained and compared in terms of aerodynamic characteristics, including drag, lift and pitching moment, and stability characteristics for two different operational scenarios. The comparison of the stability was carried out based on necessary deflection angle of the part of tail surface.

The first cross-industry guidelines for the implementation of structural health monitoring for aerospace applications have been created as a SAE International Aerospace Recommended Practices document: SAE ARP 6461 ‘Guidelines for Implementation of Structural Health Monitoring on Fixed Wing Aircraft’ [1]. These guidelines have brought together manufacturers, operators / users, systems integrators, regulators, technology providers and researchers to produce information on the integration of SHM into aircraft maintenance procedures, generic requirements and advice on validation, verification and airworthiness. The take-up of SHM in the aerospace industry has been slow, in part due to the lack of accepted industry practices surrounding not just the technology itself (sensors and sensor systems) but also the associated issues arising from the introduction of new methods into aircraft maintenance.

This paper describes a novel Thermal Management Function (TMF) and its design process developed in the framework of the Clean Sky project. This TMF is capable of calculating optimized control signals in real-time for thermal management systems by using model-based system knowledge. This can be either a physical model of the system or a data record generated from this model. The TMF provides control signals to the air and vapor cycle which are possible sources of cooling power, as well as load reduction or shedding signals. To determine an optimal cooling split between air cycle, vapor cycle, and its associated ram air channels, trade factors are being used to make electrical power offtake and ram air usage (i.e. drag) comparable, since both have influence on fuel consumption. An associated development process is being elaborated that enables a fast adaptation of the TMF to new architectures and systems. This will be illustrated by means of a bleedless thermal management architecture.

Intelligent software functions for energy management form a crucial element for aircraft electrical and thermal systems. In the electrical system, these are currently electrical load or power management functions that can cut and reconnect loads based on fixed priorities. The main aim of these functions is to prevent overload in failure mode of electrical generators, for example if one generator fails and another one has to take over its loads. For more-electric or all-electric aircraft, these functions should also cut loads during normal operation, since the electrical systems will not be sized to simultaneously provide maximum power to all loads. Additionally, energy management functions shall deal with multiple, parallel sources and should split power off-take in a way to reach maximum system efficiency. This paper provides an object-oriented tool and a method that enable a more intuitive development of an energy management function using economic models.

Aiming at the global energy optimization of aircraft, the More Electric Aircraft (MEA) concept becomes more interesting for the aeronautical industry. The MEA concept is based on utilizing electric power to drive aircraft subsystems that historically have been driven by a combination of hydraulic, electric, pneumatic and mechanical power transfer systems. The development of the future MEA systems is a challenging task: the system integration is becoming a central topic. In all phases of the system development process, the respective subsystems within the MEA will be treated in a highly integrated manner to achieve optimum efficiency and performance at aircraft and systems level. Concerning the electric network in the future MEA, advanced design and analysis methods based on mathematical models are required to face the potential issues accompanying the MEA. For this purpose, the use of advanced modelling and simulation technologies is a key success factor.

In today's aircraft the diagnostic and prognostic systems play a crucial part in aircraft safety while reducing the operating and maintenance costs. Aircraft are very complex in their design and require consistent monitoring of systems to establish the overall vehicle health status. Most diagnostic systems utilize advanced algorithms (e.g. Bayesian belief networks or neural networks) which usually operate at system or sub-system level. The sub-system reasoners collect the input from components and sensors to process the data and provide the diagnostic/detection results to the flight advisory unit. Several sources of information must be taken into account when assessing the vehicle health, to accurately identify the health state in real time. These sources of information are independent system-level diagnostics that do not exchange any information/data with the surrounding systems.

Co-production of aircraft is resulting in demands for higher standards of manufacturing quality to ensure that parts and sub-assemblies from different companies and countries are compatible and interchangeable. As a result the existing method of building aerostructure using large numbers of dedicated manufacturing jigs and assembly tools, is now seen as being commercially undesirable, and technologically flawed. This paper considers an alternative, potentially more cost-effective, approach that embraces digital design, manufacturing, and inspection techniques, and in which reference and tooling features are incorporated into the geometry of the component parts. Within the aerospace industry this technology is known as ‘Flyaway Tooling’.

The thermal inertia of aircraft cabins and galleys is significant for commercial aircraft. The aircraft cabin is controlled by the Environment Control System (ECS) to reach, among other targets, a prescribed temperature. By allowing a temperature band of ± 2 K instead of a fixed temperature, it is possible to use this thermal dynamic of the cabin as energy storage. This storage can then be used to reduce electrical peak power, increase efficiency of the ECS, reduce thermal cooling peak power, or reduce engine offtake if it is costly or not sufficiently available. In the same way, also the aircraft galleys can be exploited. Since ECS and galleys are among the largest consumers of electrical power or bleed air, there is a large potential on improving energy efficiency or reducing system mass to reduce fuel consumption of aircraft. This paper investigates different exploitation strategies of cabin and galley dynamics using modelling and simulation.

The simulation of natural-like snow conditions in a controlled environment such as an Icing Wind Tunnel (IWT) is a key component for safe, efficient and cost-effective design and certification of future aircraft and rotorcraft. Current capabilities do not sufficiently match the properties of natural snow, especially in terms of size and morphology. Within the Horizon 2020 project ICE GENESIS, a new technology has been developed aiming to better recreate natural snowflakes. The focus of the newly developed system was the generation of falling snow in a temperature range of +1°C to -4°C. Ground measurements and flight test campaigns have been performed to better characterize these conditions and provide requirements for wind tunnel facilities. The calibration results of the new snow generation system as well as snow accretion data on a NACA0012 test article with a chord length of 0.377 m are presented.

Global aviation is growing exponentially and there is a great emphasis on trajectory optimization to reduce the overall environmental impact caused by aircraft. Many optimization techniques exist and are being studied for this purpose. The CLEAN SKY Joint Technology Initiative for aeronautics and Air transport, a European research activity run under the Seventh Framework program, is a collaborative initiative involving industry, research organizations and academia to introduce novel technologies to improve the environmental impact of aviation. As part of the overall research activities, “green” aircraft trajectories are addressed in the Systems for Green Operations (SGO) Integrated Technology Demonstrator. This paper studies the impact of large commercial aircraft trajectories optimized for different objectives applied to the on board systems.

Current modelling capability for engine icing accretion prediction is still limited for App. C. To further validate icing codes in complex engine geometries, it is necessary to perform additional experimental work in relevant geometrical and environmental conditions. Within the frame of ICE GENESIS [1], an experiment has been setup to replicate the condition at the inlet of an engine first stage compressor. This paper describes the choices for the design of the engine compressor model, the setup within the icing wind tunnel and the methodology employed to obtain the results. Additionally, more effort has been focused on obtaining accurate ice shapes using a 3D scanning system. Results of 3D scans are given.

This paper focuses on the investigation of the nature, process and effects of ice accretion on different feed pump strainers upstream of the aircraft feeding system. A suitable test rig was designed to circulate Jet A-1 containing water/ice contaminants at cold temperatures through the strainers. Following an extensive literature review, a number of screening tests were performed. These provided a strong base for an exhaustive study of fuel icing in the dynamic environment offered by the test rig. The effects of the rate of fuel cooling on the nature of ice were examined. As expected, it was observed that the yield of ice generated on the mesh screen increased with the water concentration in the fuel. It was also revealed that at higher cooling rates, a crust of snow formed on top of softer ice on the mesh screen.

UAS (Unmanned aircraft system), widely known to the general public as drones, are comprised of two major system elements: an Unmanned Aircraft (UA) and a Ground Control Station (GCS). UAS have a high mishap rate when compared to manned aircraft. This high mishap rate is one of several barriers to the acceptance of UAS for more widespread usage. Better awareness of the UA real time as well as long term health situation may allow timely condition based maintenance. Vehicle health and usage are two parts of the same solution to improve vehicle safety and lifecycle costs. These can be worked on through the use of two related aircraft management methods, these are: IVHM (Integrated Vehicle Health Management) which combines diagnosis and prognosis methods to help manage aircraft health and maintenance, and FOQA (Flight Operations Quality Assurance) systems which are mainly used to assist in pilot skill quality assurance.

Water is always present in jet fuel, usually in a mixture of forms. At very low temperatures this phenomenon can lead to the formation of ice crystals within the aircraft fuel system, which can then stay in suspension within the entire volume of fuel. Pumps within the fuel system transfer fuel around the system. Pumps such as boost pumps that are typically used in fuel systems are protected by a weave type filter mesh at the inlet. Ice accretion on the surface of this mesh has operational implications as it can cause non optimal fuel flow. In this investigation, two fundamental tools are being used: 1) a high fidelity MATLAB model of a mesh strainer, pick-up line and pump, and 2) a test rig of the modelled system. The model is being used to investigate fuel system performance when exposed to fuel containing water/ice contaminants at cold temperatures.