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Extremely uncomfortable levels of bounce and pitch vibrations are produced when a CV moves over uneven terrain. The present study was carried out to ascertain the vibrational response at the driver’s, commander’s and trooper’s seats. A 23 -degrees of freedom (DOF) lumped parameter 3-D model of a combined CV and human body was made. The vehicle had 15 DOF corresponding to the bounce, pitch and roll of the hull (sprung mass) and bounce motions of the 12 wheel stations (unsprung masses) on either side. The human body was idealized as having 8 DOF corresponding to bounce motions of the pelvis, abdomen, diaphragm, thorax, torso, back and head. The seat was also assigned a bounce DOF. The lumped masses of the body parts were distributed and connected by springs. The differential equations of motion for the linear rigid body model were formulated and the natural frequencies of different parts of the human body and the military tank were determined by eigenvalue analysis using MATLAB.

Additive manufacturing (AM) technology, also known as 3D printing, has transitioned from concepts and prototypes to part-for-part substitution and the creation of unique AM-specific part geometries. These applications are increasingly present in demanding, mission-critical fields such as medicine and aerospace, which require materials with certain thermal, stiffness, corrosion, and static loading properties. To advance in these arenas, metallic, ceramic, and polymer composite AM parts need to be free from discontinuities. The manufacturing processes have to be stable, robust, and repeatable. And the nondestructive testing (NDT) technology and inspection methods will need to be sufficiently capable and reliable to ensure that discontinuities will be detected to prevent the components from being accepted for use. As the second installment of a six-part series of SAE EDGE™ Research Reports on AM, this one discusses the need, challenges, technologies, and opportunities for NDT in AM.

Advanced air mobility (AAM) refers to urban transportation systems that move people and goods by air. This has significant implications for reducing traffic congestion in cities and for providing an integrated approach to urban mobility. With the emergence of drone technology and the possibility of more autonomous aircraft, interest has grown considerably in AAM. Unsettled Issues in Advanced Air Mobility Certification discusses the impact of AAM on private sector solution providers including aerospace and technology companies and goes into solutions for urban planners and transportation professionals for better integration across all AAM modes. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio.

A large international airport is a microcosm of the entire aviation sector, hosting hundreds of different types of aviation and non-aviation stakeholders: aircraft, passengers, airlines, travel agencies, air traffic management and control, retails shops, runway systems, building management, ground transportation, and much more. Their associated information technology and cyber physical systems—along with an exponentially resultant number of interconnections—present a massive cybersecurity challenge. Unlike the physical security challenge, which was treated in earnest throughout the last decades, cyber-attacks on airports keep coming, but most airport lack essential means to confront such cyber-attacks. These missing means are not technical tools, but rather holistic regulatory directives, technical and process standards, guides, and best practices for airports cybersecurity—even airport cybersecurity concepts and basic definitions are missing in certain cases.

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as “3D printing,” is often touted as a sustainable technology, especially for metal components, since it produces either net or near-net shapes versus traditionally machined pieces from larger mill products. While traditional machining from mill products is often the case in aerospace, most of the metal parts used in the world are made from flat-rolled metal and are quite efficient in utilization. Additionally, some aspects of the AM value chain are often not accounted for when determining sustainability. Unsettled Issues in Additive Manufacturing and Improved Sustainability in the Mobility Industry uses a set of scenarios to compare the sustainability of parts made using additive and conventional technologies for both the present and future (2040) states of manufacturing. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio.

Increased production rates and cost reduction are affecting manufacturing in all mobility industry sectors. One enabling methodology that could achieve these goals in the burgeoning “Industry 4.0” environment is the optimized deterministic assembly (DA) approach. It always forms the same final structure and has a strong link to design-for-assembly and design-for-automation. The entire supply chain is considered, with drastic savings at the final assembly line level through recurring costs and lead-time reduction. Unsettled Technology Areas in Deterministic Assembly Approaches for Industry 4.0 examines the evolution of previous assembly principles that lead up to and enable the DA approach, related simulation methodologies, and undefined and unsolved links between these domains. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio.

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.

“Smart” refers to tools that are “specific, measurable, achievable, reasonable/realistic, and time bound.” Smart assembly tools are used in many industries, including automotive, aerospace, and space for measuring, inspecting, gauging, drilling, and installing all existing fastening systems. Inside the Industry 4.0 environment, these tools have a huge influence on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), assembly cost reduction, process control, and even the product and process quality. These four domains—and their undefined nature—are the focus of this SAE EDGE™ Research Report. The technical issues identified here need to be discussed, the goals clarifying the scope of the industry-wide need to be aligned, and the issues requiring standardization need prioritized. NOTE: SAE EDGE Research Reports are intended to identify and illuminate key issues in emerging, but still unsettled, technologies of interest to the mobility industry.

Currently, inaccuracies in machine tools are often not detected until after they have produced nonconforming parts, causing reworking or scrap. For high-value aerospace parts, a single rejected part is a significant cost. Low-value parts are often inspected less frequently, allowing many nonconforming parts to be produced before the issue is detected, also resulting in high cost. The alternative to relying on part inspection is to run frequent tests on the machine itself, but established calibration and health-check processes take between 20 minutes and several days. Emerging rapid and automated verification (RAV) processes enable machine tools to check their performance automatically in just a few minutes. These RAV processes can be performed frequently throughout the day, allowing machines to operate without human intervention for long periods of time. When an issue is detected, the machine may be able to recalibrate and then continue automatically.

The aerospace manufacturing industry is, in many ways, one of the most sophisticated commercial manufacturing systems in existence. It uses cutting-edge materials to build highly complex, safety-critical structures and parts. However, it still relies largely upon human skill and dexterity during assembly. There are increasing efforts to introduce automation, but uptake is still relatively low. Why is this and what needs to be done? Some may point to part size or the need for accuracy. However, as with any complex issue, the problems are multifactorial. There are no right or wrong answers to the automation conundrum and indeed there are many contradictions and unsettled aspects still to be resolved. Unsettled Issues on the Viability and Cost-Effectiveness of Automation in Aerospace Manufacturing builds a comprehensive picture of industry views and attitudes backed by technical analysis to answer some of the most pressing questions facing robotic aerospace manufacturing.

Advanced two-dimensional (2D) materials discovered in the last two decades are now being produced at scale and are contributing to a wide range of performance enhancements in engineering applications. The most well-known of these novel materials is graphene, a nearly transparent nanomaterial comprising a single layer of bonded carbon atoms. In relative terms, it has the highest level of heat and electrical conductivity, protects against ultraviolet rays, and is strongest material ever measured. These properties have made graphene an attractive potential material for a variety of applications, particularly for transportation related uses, and especially for aerospace engineering. The Role of Graphene in Achieving e-Mobility in Aerospace Applications reviews the current state of graphene-related aerospace applications and identifies the technological challenges facing engineers that look to benefit from graphene’s attractive properties.

The field of parallel kinematics was viewed as being potentially transformational in manufacturing, having multiple potential advantages over conventional serial machine tools and robots. However, the technology never quite achieved market penetration or broad success envisaged. Yet, many of the inherent advantages still exist in terms of stiffness, force capability, and flexibility when compared to more conventional machine structures. Deployment of Parallel Kinematic Machines in Manufacturing examines why parallel kinematic machines have not lived up to original excitement and market interest and what needs to be done to rekindle that interest. A number of key questions and issues need to be explored to advance the technology further. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio.

The general aviation industry is about to be transformed by a rare convergence of technologies, mainly electrification, automation, and autonomy. Small aircraft of the future will be more sustainable, safer to operate, and more capable than today’s piston-engine aircraft. This report describes some of the challenges and opportunities that will arise when the upcoming technology convergence wave finds applications in four- to six-seat aircraft that will enter into service before the end of the 2020s. NOTE: SAE EDGE™ Research Reports are intended to identify and illuminate key issues in emerging, but still unsettled, technologies of interest to the mobility industry. The goal of SAE EDGE™ Research Reports is to stimulate discussion and work in the hope of promoting and speeding resolution of identified issues. These reports are not intended to resolve the challenges they identify or close any topic to further scrutiny.

In its entirety, automation is part of an integrated, multi-disciplinary product development process including the design, process, production, logistics, and systems approach—it depends on all these areas, but it also influences them as well. Automation in aerospace manufacturing is present throughout the entire supply chain, from elementary part manufacturing at suppliers up to final assembly, and a clear understanding of all the benefits (and drawbacks) of automation would help designers and engineers select the right designs for and levels of automation. The Right Level of Automation Within Industry 4.0 examines all impacts of automation that should be known by designers, manufacturers, and companies before investments in automation-related decisions are made—regardless of the which industry they work in. The process and the set of criteria discussed in this report will help decision makers select the right level of automation.

The extent of automation and autonomy used in general aviation (GA) has been accelerating dramatically. This has huge potential benefits for safety given that 75% of accidents in personal and on-demand GA are due to pilot error. However, an approach to certifying autonomous systems that relies on reversionary modes limits their potential to improve safety. Placing a human pilot in a situation where they are suddenly tasked with flying an airplane in a failed situation, often without sufficient situational awareness, is overly demanding. This, coupled with advancing technology that may not align with a deterministic certification paradigm, creates an opportunity for new approaches to certifying autonomous and highly automated aircraft systems.

Recent advancements of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft have generated significant interest within and beyond the traditional aviation industry, and many new and novel applications have been identified and are under development. One promising application is rapid response during natural disasters, which can complement current capabilities to help save lives and enhance post-disaster recoveries. The Use of eVTOL Aircraft During Natural Disasters presents issues that need to be addressed before eVTOL aircraft are integrated into natural disaster response operations: eVTOL vehicle development Detect-and-avoid capabilities in complex and challenging operating environments Autonomous and remote operations Charging system compatibility and availability Operator and controller training Dynamic air space management Vehicle/fleet logistics and support Acceptance from stakeholders and the public Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio.

In the early days, there were significant limitations to the build size of laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) additive manufacturing (AM) machines. However, machine builders have addressed that drawback by introducing larger L-PBF machines with expansive build volumes. As these machines grow, their size capability approaches that of directed energy deposition (DED) machines. Concurrently, DED machines have gained additional axes of motion which enable increasingly complex part geometries—resulting in near-overlap in capabilities at the large end of the L-PBF build size. Additionally, competing technologies, such as binder jet AM and metal material extrusion, have also increased in capability, albeit with different starting points. As a result, the lines of demarcation between different processes are becoming blurred.

A typical risk assessment or audit used in industry today will look at a single organizations risk in an isolated business system dimension, such as the management system, product, or process deployed at a specific company. Risk must be found in both material and information flows and quantified in order to enable effective management decisions. Value Stream Risk Assessment™ (VSRA™) is a tool to identify, quantify, prioritize, and intelligently mitigate risk wherever it resides in a the Value Stream. VSRA™ has been developed to compliment Lean and Six Sigma techniques and enhances the quality audit process to provide more value to the organization.

The ESA HUYGENS probe is scheduled for launch as part of the CASSINI mission to the Saturnian system in 1997, due to arrive at TITAN in late 2004. The HUYGENS probe shall then perform a 2.5 h exploratory descent in TITAN's atmosphere. This descent phase will be preceded by a 3 mn Entry phase during which the velocity of the European probe will be reduced from 6 km/s down to around 400 m/s. This will be obtained by means of a 2.7 m diameter shield. This paper presents the general rationale used for the shield design, development and qualification.The following steps are described: choice of shield concept and materials verification of compliance of thermal protection materials with shield requirements development of new processes imposed by the mission specificities verification of interface compatibility between thermal protection materials and shield structure qualification of the thermal protection system and of the shield design to the entry mechanical loads and thermal fluxes.

Numerical investigation of airflow at a transonic speed over the wing of the NASA high-lift Common Research Model (CRM) with and without a conformal vortex generator (CVG), placed on the airfoil suction side has been performed. The objective of the investigation was to assess the impact of CVG on the wing’s lift to drag (L/D) ratio and tip vortices. The wing has aspect and taper ratios of respectively 9, and 0.275, and a leading-edge sweep angle of 37.24 degrees. The root and tip chords were respectively 11.81m and 2.73 m with an approximate mean chord of 6.62 m. The angle of attack was 2.5 degrees. The CVG was distorted V-shaped with a base distance of approximately 4.8 cm, a depth of 8.8 cm, and a tip-to root angle of approximately 30.20. The CVG is on both sides of the tape pointing in opposite directions. The tape is 2 mm thick, 83 cm wide, spanning the entire length of the wing surface.