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The European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme has funded the SENS4ICE (Sensors for Certifiable Hybrid Architectures for Safer Aviation in Icing Environment) project [1], an innovative approach for the development and testing of new sensors for the detection of supercooled large droplets (SLD). SLD may impinge behind the protected surfaces of aircraft and therefore represents a threat to aviation safety. The newly developed sensors will be tested in combination with an indirect detection method on two aircraft, in two parallel flight programs: One on the Embraer Phenom 300 in the U.S. and one on the ATR-42 in Europe. In this framework the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (German Aerospace Center) is in charge of the airborne measurements and data evaluation of the microphysical properties of clouds encountered during the SENS4ICE field campaigns in February, March and April 2023.

In the European FULMEN program, a collection together with an analysis of available data on lightning have been collected in a public database produced by Aerospatiale. This database contains data on In-flight and ground measurements, on In-flight incidents and manufacturer transfer functions. In this paper, the data of the in-flight measurements are presented. The In-flight data have been extracted from the Convair and Transall campaigns performed during summer 1985 and 1988 respectively. The measurements have shown that a lightning strike to an aircraft can be decomposed into four main phases: (1) the pre-breakdown phase associated with the general electrostatic condition just before the lightning, (2) the leaders development phase, (3) the recoil streamers phase and (4) the continuous current phase. For each phase, the main physical parameters (current, number of impulse current, impulse period, impulse duration, electric field, …) have been collected.

MOSA (Modular Open System Approach) provides a framework for efficient and sustainable design of complex integrated systems. In domain of embedded technology, the MOSA as-is does a good job in identifying modular software and hardware frameworks required to establish a common baseline for generic open architecture. On the other hand, it does not cover physical aircraft integration, integration methodology and other constituent elements essential for design of robust interfaces and integrated embedded systems, which are owned by OEMs and their suppliers. The definition of open interfaces is a key constituent in definition of MOSA-compliant architectures. An efficient system integration lifecycle requires unambiguous interfacing among hosted functions. Open interfaces and Ethernet are core system integration technologies and should be integrated and configured with other software/hardware framework elements, to enable hard RT, real-time and soft-time application hosting.

This paper reports the development of an operation support system for production equipment using image processing with deep learning. Semi-automatic riveters are used to attach small parts to skin panels, and they involve manual positioning followed by automated drilling and fastening. The operator watches a monitor showing the processing area, and two types of failure may arise because of human error. First, the operator should locate the correct position on the skin panel by looking at markers painted thereon but may mistakenly cause the equipment to drill at an incorrect position. Second, the operator should prevent the equipment from fastening if they see chips around a hole after drilling but may overlook the chips; chips remaining around a drilled hole may cause the fastener to be inserted into the hole and fastened at an angle, which can result in the whole panel having to be scrapped.

Many tests have shown that engine oil pumps are the limiting factor in providing satisfactory high-altitude aircraft oil system performance. As is pointed out in this paper, it is for this reason that both reciprocating and gas turbine engine manufacturers should design and provide their engines with a pump that will give satisfactory performance at an inlet pressure of 2 in. of Hg absolute with 10% (by volume) entrained air. Of the various oil systems investigated by the AMC, the closed-circuit system seemed to be most desirable in terms of both performance and installation, for use in high-altitude operational aircraft.

This paper defines the geometry of minimum weight tank structures of given enclosed volume. A tank structure is considered to comprise a circular cylindrical shell (monocoque or stiffened), bulkheads, and skirt structures. The analyses, starting from established criteria of failure, apply to the loading cases of longitudinal compression and bending moments in combination with internal pressure. The bulkhead geometries are flat, hemispherical, and ellipsoidal. For monocoque shells, the analyses yield the radius and wall thicknesses prescribing a minimum total weight of cylindrical tank wall, bulkheads, and skirts (unpressurized cylindrical appendages, for example, interstage structure). For stiffened shells, the analyses yield the tank radius, skin gauge, stringer spacing, and frame spacing prescribing a minimum total tank weight. An optimum relative geometry is defined for three types of stringers.

Sustainability is both an ethical responsibility and business concern for the aerospace industry. Military and commercial avionics developers have pushed toward a common standard for interfaces, computing platforms, and software in hopes of having “reusability” and reducing weight with backplane computing architectures which, in theory, would support commonality across aircraft systems. The integrated modular avionics (IMA) and military Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE) standards are two such examples. They emerged to support common computing architectures for reuse and sustainability concepts, from the beginning of aircraft development to the sundown or mortality phase. Pitfalls of Designing, Developing, and Maintaining Modular Avionics Systems in the Name of Sustainability looks at technological, organizational, and cultural challenges making reuse and IMA platform models difficult to fully realize their sustainability goals.

Occupant’s protection requires two design considerations: 1) reduction of decelerations on the occupant (restrained by a belt) by intentional deformability of the structure; 2) limitation of passenger’s compartment deformation to avoid passenger crushing. It is thought that the second trend should have basic importance. It is necessary to ensure a minimum space called “survival space.” This is also necessary in the event of severe crashes. A survey is made of structure deformations due to longitudinal, transversal and vertical loads dynamically or statically applied on trucks cabs and car passenger’s compartments. A high-power static test rig permitting the study of structure is described. Orientative values of the survival space are proposed for truck cabs and car passenger’s compartments.

The Fly-By-Light Advanced Systems Hardware (FLASH) program is developing Fly-By-Light (FBL) and Power-By-Wire (PBW) technologies for military and commercial aircraft. The flight control system portion of FLASH focuses on the integration of fiber optic sensors, optic data buses, actuators (PBW, smart, rotary thin wing) and optic cable plant components for centralized and distributed flight control architectures. Laboratory demonstrations will show applicability to widebody commercial transport and military tactical aircraft. This paper summarizes the requirements, objectives, key technologies and demonstration configurations of each of three FLASH flight control system developments.

Successful trace chemical contamination control is one of the components necessary for achieving good cabin atmospheric quality. While employing seemingly simple process technologies, sizing the active contamination control equipment must employ a reliable design basis for the trace chemical load in the cabin atmosphere. A simplified design basis that draws on experience gained from the International Space Station program is presented. The trace chemical contamination control design load refines generation source magnitudes and includes key chemical functional groups representing both engineering and toxicology challenges.

Emission regulations are becoming more stringent, as global temperature continues to rise due to the increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Battery electric vehicles (BEV), which have zero tailpipe emissions, are expected to become widespread to solve this problem. As the powertrain of BEV is more efficient than conventional powered vehicles, the proportion of energy loss during driving due to aerodynamic drag becomes greater. Therefore, reducing aerodynamic drag for improved energy efficiency is important to extend the pure electric range. At Honda, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnel testing are used to optimize vehicle shape and reduce aerodynamic drag. Highly accurate CFD is essential to efficiently guide the development process towards reducing aerodynamic drag. Specifically, the prediction accuracy for the exterior shape, underfloor devices, tires, and wheels must meet development requirements.