Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPTResearch project "CompSTLar"
Always 100 percent: aircraft components must be stable and durable
The aviation industry places high demands on the quality of aircraft components. These must be able to withstand extreme loads - after all, human lives depend on reliable components and structures. Thermoplastic composites are often used in aircraft construction because they are lightweight and durable. However, components and parts made of fiber composite materials also fatigue gradually and need to be replaced in good time. Until now, the aviation industry has lacked the technical means to reliably monitor the quality of fiber composite components during use. This is where new digital technologies can make an important contribution.
Monitoring the life cycle of the component with the digital shadow
In the "CompSTLar" research project, the project partners are addressing the need for digital technologies and processes: The European consortium is developing a process chain that integrates the production and maintenance of aircraft components made from thermoplastic composites.
Using high-quality production technologies such as automated tape laying and new tape materials, the project team aims to produce defect-free components as a first step. Mapping such workpieces in the digital shadow enables the researchers to maintain components proactively throughout their entire life cycle. The project therefore supplements component monitoring with the rapid and cost-effective development of repair processes.
Using digital processes and artificial intelligence (AI) to create the perfect component
The "CompSTLar" project aims to accelerate the digital transformation of the European aviation industry and help companies become competitive in the long-term. Digital infrastructures and data-driven approaches are seen as necessary prerequisites for achieving national and international climate targets.
By developing a digital infrastructure, the project consortium is laying the foundations for open data exchange along the entire production chain of a thermoplastic composite component. The project partners use optical fiber sensors and piezoresistive sensors to monitor the component structure. In addition, AI-based models will be used to optimize the manufacturing process.
High-quality recycling of fiber composite material
The project is not only looking at significantly enhancing production, but also at recycling the fiber composite material more effectively. Until now, components made of fiber-reinforced plastic had to be shredded to recycle the material. In conventional recycling processes, the fiber orientation dissolves, the matrix degrades and the fiber length is shortened.
To overcome these disadvantages, the Fraunhofer IPT research team has developed and a recycling process in which the unidirectional carbon fiber tape can be recovered from the product without negatively affecting the mechanical properties of the tape. The patented recycling technology is registered under the brand name “Tape-REx.” Fraunhofer IPT has already demonstrated the benefits of the recycling process for rotationally symmetrical components in previous research projects.
The "CompSTLar" project partners aim to demonstrate this for flat laminates. The more valuable carbon fibers can be recycled to a high standard, the greater the cost and energy savings. An important aspect here is the recyclability of the material: The recycled tape can be reprocessed into a component in the tape laying process. Industrial recycling approaches have so far only allowed downcycling of the material.
Project coordination
Asociación de Investigación Metalúrgica del Noroeste (AIMEN), Spain
Project consortium
- Asociación de Investigación Metalúrgica del Noroeste (AIMEN), Spain
- École Nationale Supérieure D'Arts Et Métiers, France
- Fundación IMDEA Materiales, Spain
- Ideko S Coop, Spain
- Asociación de Investigación de Materiales Plásticos y Conexas, Spain
- Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technologie IPT, Germany
- Msquare GmbH, Germany
- Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Universitet, Norway
- Engineering Ingegneria Informatica S.p.A., Spain
- Collins Aerospace Ireland Ltd., Ireland
- Ziegler Aerospace Limited, Deutschland
- Mandat International Alias Fondation pour la Cooperation Internationale, France
- University of Coimbra, Portugal
- Icons Srl, Italy
- IoT Lab Association, Switzerland