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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EFFICOMP (Efficient Composite parts manufacturing)

Teaser

Summary

Today the citizen mobility inside each continent and between the major continents (America-Europe-Asia) is a basic necessity to develop commercial, cooperative and cultural exchanges. The consequence of this growing demand in the world is a large increase of the number of new aircraft to enter in service in the coming years.
Since more than 10 years, the net new order aircraft per year is significantly higher than the aircraft delivered per year. This is due to the limiting capacity in production of new aircraft per year. The scheduled ramp up in aircraft production in the coming years will impose to have new efficient parts production and especially for composite parts that have today a long process time due mainly to the intensive utilization of autoclave process to manufacture composite parts.
The main objective of EFFICOMP is to develop efficient processes for the fast-track cost-effective composite aircraft of the future. For new single aisle aircraft with a cadence objective of about 60 aircrafts per month, we will have to propose new efficient processes capable of high rate production at low cost to avoid huge investment in many autoclaves.

Work performed

The following technical activities were successfully achieved: The achievement of the technologies developed during the first period, the validation of these technologies by manufacture of relevant demonstrators and quality expertise, costs analysis for each technology.

Resistive heating process development was achieved with demonstration of its High Potential for Composite Curing Times and Energy consumption reduction. Using a Water Tempering Device or Autoclave, does not have any negative effect on CFRC laminates quality.
CFRP materials are the most suitables ones for tooling applications. A Reusable heating membrane was developped for OOA cure cycles optimization and an optimum release solution was found.

Semi-cured Beams have been pressformed and post cured succesfully in oven.
Improvement of the Automated Ply Placement (APP) Process have been achieved with shear tests, for M&P behaviours laws modelling. Algorithms have been developed for kinematic draping simulation and for calculation of the APP robot trajectories.
the ultrasonic welding process parameters have been optimized.

Thick semicured beams were postcured , into oven or(and) with the resistive heating technique for process validation and technologies comparison.
A natural laminar flow (NLF) wing leading edge (LE) section was manufactured with an Hybrid WaterTempering technology.
The developed APP simulation software, has been implemented into the automated tape placement process chain.
An hybrid (TS/TP) stiffened panel has been manufactured, using a Sequential Spot Ultrasonic Welding Process for skin/stiffeners Assembly.

A costs analysis tool, based on inputs supplied by the EFFICOMP partners, was developped leading to these main results: Prepreg prices play a decisive role in the manufacturing costs, Resistive heating & Hybrid heating process are competitive vs Autoclave, Ultrasonic Welding is a very interesting assembly process but to deal nevertheless with certification issues, manufacturing costs of Cross Beams could be reduced by new industrial approach, hybrid heating system should permit to lower the manufacturing cycles times of Leading Edge.

The activities level and their impacts was quantified by EASN TIS, against the objectives of the period, as well as to compare the evolution of the progress with respect to the previous months of the project. The number and type of dissemination and exploitation activities performed and/or intended to be performed by the EFFICOMP partners after the end of the project is considered to be sufficient. In addition, the time distribution of the performed and planned activities is considered satisfying. Finally, the involvement of all partners in the implementation of the dissemination activities is considered adequate, since all partners have reported their participation in several dissemination activities.

Final results

Impacts were expected on common R&T approaches and way of working between Europe and Japan, for having strong links in the future, in aerospace industry to propose high technology aircraft with affordable price for worldwide market.

During the final EFFICOMP meeting, a specific NCC Workshop was organised by NCC at the Nagoya University. Presentations made by the European and Japanese partners permitted to present the EFFICOMP Project, but also to give to the Japanese composites consortium members, a view of the partners R&D organisations & activities: contacts were established, which can be fruitful in the future, if further programs are intended to be launch in continuation of EFFICOMP.

The Resistive heating Process could lead to more flexible manufacturing process chains and to reorganization of Composites Workshops within Airbus Bus; Semi-curing processes should be also interesting for new industrial approaches, if use of low cost materials and outsourcing the Manufacture of pre-cured slit tapes: Outsourcing the Composites Blankets manufacture to SMEs, after technological transfer in a first step by AIRBUS, is the second way to investigate. AIRBUS CRT (AGI) already organized and will organize after the end of the project, internal workshops for promoting the results of the project. Knowledge does not have to stay in laboratories, therefore everything will be done to enable a fast transfer of EFFICOMP results in the shop floors, if any interest of AIRBUS BUs.

A DLR Patent is pending related to the hybrid heating technology.

USTUTT is an institution with focus on research, lecture and training. One focus of EFFICOMP results exploitation will thus be educational purposes. Furthermore, events like public science and open house days, were everyone can visit the workshop and see the Advanced ply Placement (APP)-Cell in action, are organised on yearly basis. The IFB is very active in local and international industry networks and always promotes the APP process.

The reduction of material costs and waste has economic and ecological benefits, in line with the goals of Flightpath 2050 and ACARE SRIA.The DLR cost tool will not be commercialized now, but it might play a decisive role, planning the German-French Next Generation Weapon System.The costing tool is moreover used intensively today for assessment of wind turbine rotor blade production.

Welding Process is the low-energy and cost-efficient alternative to curenttly used joining techniques. This may have quite a large impact, because it touches aspects of composite-oriented design, maintenance factors, as well as certification issues. It is a key component for the green composite aircraft of the Future, because of suppressing the metallic rivets, inducing drastic weight decrease, with impact on NOx emission and fuel consumption reduction. It could be used now for assemblying dissimilar composite structures, which increases the number of assembly applications and its potential for industrial application.

The dissemination actions performed so far have resulted in an increased awareness of the EFFICOMP project in the European Aeronautical Industry, the European Scientific Community and Academia, as well as in the Composites Industry. The effort towards keeping the EFFICOMP Community updated about the projectâ€™s achievements and significant results will continue after the end of the project.