Projects completed in 2023
Projects completed in 2023
FEINA
FEINA project was closed in 2023 with the submission of justification memorandums and reports to the Ministry of Science and Innovation's RETOS Programme. The achievements made during the project were highlighted, including the good mechanical properties and the correct granulometry achieved in the Ti demonstrators manufactured using WAAM (Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing) technology and, therefore, confirming that they can be an alternative to forging, especially in development phases due to their competitiveness in terms of cost and time.
COPERNICO
The COPERNICO project, funded through the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities' RETOS Programme, ended in 2023. The main conclusions included in the reports are the feasibility of RTM manufacturing for elements with a high production rate. In particular, injection into a multi-cavity tool and three-dimensional laser cutting of dry carbon preforms are shown to be more than acceptable techniques to increase production, reducing production times in both cases. Even laser cutting of preforms significantly improves the quality of the parts while reducing the time compared to mechanical cutting.
AERCOST
2023 was the year in which the AERCOST (‘Future Aeronautical Components and Systems’) project was completed, led by Aciturri within the scope of the 2021 call of the Aeronautical Technology Programme (PTA). The main achievements of the project are described below.
Firstly, the development of frames using automatic taping and press forming, defining the geometry of the laminates and preforms suitable for the selected frame geometry, as well as the capacity of the manufacturing process for this geometry.
On the other hand, research has been carried out into developing wing tip components using RTM (Resin Transfer Moulding) technology. We have completed the dimensioning and design of the element and developed several demonstrators, allowing us to identify the problems of forming large thicknesses with double curvature and potential solutions to the issues found in fine-tuning the processes. A noteworthy feature of the project is the application of laser preform cutting as an alternative to manual preform cutting, given the thicknesses and geometry to be cut.
Aligned with Alestis's strategy of excellence in tail cones, Aercost has made it possible to develop an innovative Rear-End concept based on a structure that is integrated with its structural elements using a single one-shot manufacturing process. This concept seeks a significant cost reduction by drastically reducing individual component manufacturing and assembly using conventional riveting joining processes.
Fabrication of an integral demonstrator with a high degree of maturity and prototypes for mechanical and fire barrier testing was carried out during 2023 with highly successful results. Within the project, the development facilities for press and membrane forming technology have been used, running demonstrators in our facilities, with application to high curvature structures. This technology will continue to evolve in future years as part of the TIANA project.
Finally, within the ventral fairing excellence strategy, we have been studying highly integrated designs aiming to significantly reduce weight and assembly time at the final stages of assembly through robust and highly automated processes. 2023 saw the production of technological demonstrators applied to the design of sandwich panels with complex geometries in different materials (carbon fiber and glass fiber) and flexible material characterizations for additive manufacturing with representative prototypes of products requiring redesign during in flight test process. This has allowed us to identify AERCOST's objective TRL and has made it possible to open a new research window in this field for the coming years within the framework of the TIANA project.
COMPCOAT
Aciturri has completed research on new ceramic coatings for composite materials this year with the objective of improving their functionalities. This work was part of the call for R&D projects of regional interest in Castilla y León, which aimed to effectively collaborate between technology centers and companies.
In collaboration with CTME and CIDAUT, we have identified the most suitable materials to be sprayed depending on the base substrate on which they are sprayed, as well as the manufacturing processes, including not only the spraying but also the pre-treatments preparing the laminates for the spraying of the ceramic coating and the post-treatments improving the ceramic coating finish, and the optimum process parameters. Different spraying operations have been carried out on specimens of various materials, and other tests have been conducted, depending on the intended functionality, to confirm the validity of these solutions, including the performance of erosion tests.
SOFIA
Within the Clean Sky 2 program, we find the SOFIA project (“test methods for analySis OF Infusion Panels”), focused on studying the behavior of thermoset material fuselage manufactured by infusion versus conventional fuselages manufactured with prepreg thermoset. Level 2 test analyses and the execution and analysis of level 3 sub-component tests were completed during the year, successfully closing the initial plan. As a consortium leader, the company has contributed significantly to the evolution of the SOFIA project as a whole. In its turn, the SOFIA project has made it possible to obtain relevant information on the behavior of integrated structures for future projects underway as part of the company's development plan for infusion technology components.