Aeronautical technologies: Safer and more eco-conscious flights

For years now, the aeronautical industry has been demonstrating above-average growth. In 2007, turnover topped the 20 billion euro mark. Even if the current economic conditions worldwide are having a negative impact on air transport efficiency, EUROCONTROL forecasts the long-term doubling of flight movements in Germany by 2025 compared with 2003.

This growth will generate new jobs at airports, at aircraft manufacturers and their suppliers. All in all, about one billion jobs depend directly or indirectly on the aeronautical industry.

Increasing air traffic has an impact on the environment and air safety. The European research agenda "ACARE-Vision 2020" focuses on these challenges. The current Aeronautical Research Programme IV (LuFo IV) supports the efforts of the German aeronautical industry in cooperating with research to establish the right technological conditions and to strengthen the competitiveness of the German aeronautical industry. Research activities focus on the following topics:

  • Increasing transport performance: Infrastructure and air traffic processes must be coordinated so that the expected increase in transport can be achieved safely, reliably and flexibly. At the same time, the rate of air accidents is to be reduced by 80 percent.
  • Environmentally friendly air traffic: Noise and fuel consumption - and thus CO2 emissions - are to be reduced by about 50 percent by means of improvements in the field of engine technology and flight physics. The focus here is on the most modern lightweight structures and engine and board systems. In the long term, there are plans to test entirely new types of aircraft concepts.
  • Security and passenger friendliness: Cabin comfort will be improved for air passengers. Punctual take-off and landing will be ensured, as will a maximum of security - despite an increasing volume of air traffic.

The Aeronautical Research Programme will be closely coordinated with European activities. The main task of the European Research Framework Programme is to consider individual national technology developments within the overall system of the European aeronautical industry.

Project example 1

The next generation of commercial aircraft aims at environmentally friendlier traffic through fuel savings and reductions in emissions and noise. Operating costs will be reduced by means of improved reliability, availability and reduced maintenance requirements. The EFFESYS collaborative project for eco-efficient aircraft systems is pursuing these aims by developing innovative, complex electrical system architectures under the leadership of Airbus Germany.

The energy on board current commercial aircraft is provided by the aircraft's engine. The trend is towards the better use of electrical energy using fuel cells. Unlike in other industries, further use will be made of the resulting products such as steam, heat or air depleted of oxygen in order to increase overall efficiency. The potential eradication of the engine bleed air system enables a more flexible and efficient electrical network architecture.

Conventional systems are being developed further by integrating electrical components, for example the greater integration of power electronics.

 

Project example 2

The rotor control of today's helicopters is working at full capacity with the tasks of trimming and control. Today's state of the art technology cannot perform additional tasks. This situation is to be changed by means of an active blade flap control within the VAR collaborative project under the leadership of Eurocopter Germany.

The aim of the project is to develop a system which reduces noise, increases performance and efficiency as a means of transport, simplifies control, increases safety and improves travel comfort - all at the same time. These aims are to be achieved by exploiting the high flight physics potential of flap or individual rotor blade control.

Active rotor control via flaps is currently being developed at Eurocopter, supported by a model flap rotor which has been developed and tested by the DLR in cooperation with the French aerospace agency ONERA.