New aircraft

• Commercial aviation accounts for 2 to 3% of global CO2 emissions. Aircraft manufacturers are under increasing pressure from public opinion to reduce these emissions.
• AIRBUS has announced the launch of zero-carbon aircraft by 2035.
• SAFRAN has announced a new generation of ultra-clean engines by 2035 (Usine Nouvelle, 29/09/20). New hybrid and non-hybrid propulsion systems, new equipment (EMA) and new ways of generating electricity on board must be developed to achieve this goal.
• The interaction between the engine and the airframe will raise a number of challenges.

It is against this backdrop that Vibratec and the SAFRAN Group are working together to capitalize on experience and prepare for the future.

A more electric aircraft

• The integration of electrical machines + gearboxes in propulsion chains and actuators generates new dynamic loads.
• Current models are not always suitable for high-frequency dynamic response calculations.
• The effects of installing this new equipment on propulsion lines require us to overcome the risks of mechanical failure associated with such designs.

A more digital aircraft

The integration of new equipment in aircraft raises the question of its reliability, given the low RETEX on such equipment

Airline requirements are evolving: the expected benefits include :

• Improved fleet availability,
• Reduced maintenance costs,
• Extended equipment service life.

A greener aircraft

• New fuselages, optimized wings, massive electrification of equipment, new avionics, new propulsion systems… The Zero Emission aircraft is a final objective that will have to deal with the integration of numerous disruptive technologies.
• The greener aircraft must be lighter, more comfortable, less polluting and quieter, but above all it must be reliable and competitive.
• Mastering the vibratory, acoustic and dynamic environment is a necessity.
• Need for skills to exploit tests and make simulation methods quantitative.

More electric aircraft

• Develop innovative calculation methods (strong coupling, HF calculation, 3D calculation) integrating the electric machine, its gearbox and its environment, to simulate the loads and dynamic responses of hybridized shaft lines and electro-mechanical actuators.
• Optimize the design of downsized electrical machines to minimize dynamic loads.
• Integrate a digital demonstrator into the design and development process for hybridized propulsion systems and electrified equipment.
• Develop solutions for reducing dynamic loads in design retrofits.

More digital aircraft

• Exploit the dynamic part of signals delivered by monitoring sensors, ideally already on-board (phonic wheel, gear, accelerometer).
• Develop a hard/soft predictive maintenance solution capable of detecting mechanical/electrical/thermal faults early enough to anticipate maintenance tasks.
• Characterize usage (dynamic loads).

Greener aircraft

• Turboprop engine dynamic force measurement (TECH TP program).
• Characterization of design sources and methods è impact of new aerodynamic shapes, improvement of vibro-acoustic designs (CANOBLE Program).
• Operation of ground test benches: analysis and operation of dynamic tests on composite fan blades (Phare I bench).