Pioneering technology in the struggle against climate change: tecsis will contribute towards reducing the ecological footprint of air travel. Within the European ?Clean Sky? programme, the force specialists within the WIKA Group are collaborating with Liebherr Aerospace to develop a force transducer ideal for aerospace applications.
EU project: Force transducer for electric drives
The project presents a special challenge. Products for aviation must be manufactured in accordance with extremely strict requirements. The DO254 (guidelines for the development of electronic hardware in the air) and DO160G (environmental conditions and test procedures for aviation equipment) standards, for example, are applicable here.
Force transducers will play an increasingly important role in aircraft manufacturing down the road. Machines are increasingly being controlled by electric drives. They are replacing the hydraulic and pneumatic on-board systems which are common today. Future aircraft designs will be based on the ?More-Electric and All-Electric Aircraft? concept. This can contribute towards reduced weight and better energy management through the reduced amount of CO2 and NOX emissions. Force transducers are an important element of these electric drives. They perform key function in the control and monitoring of the systems, e.g. on the landing gear and flaps.
Absolute innovation in aviation
In the implementation of the project, tecsis can draw upon its many years of experience and its own comprehensive expertise in neuro-scientific force sensor technology. The core of this new product is a reliable sensor technology in conjunction with application-specific electronics. In the field of measurement technology, this solution is an absolute innovation, and constitutes an alternative to comparable products available.
In collaboration with Liebherr Aerospace, tecsis is assuming full responsibility for developing this new sensor. Self-sufficient , i.e. a continuing sequence of improvement steps and validations around the finished product, should lead to the goal. In this manner, tecsis aims to supply a force transducer by 2021 that’s in a position to deliver Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5-6 and that provides a robust platform for further developments.
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Further information on our force measurement products can be found on the WIKA website. When you have any questions, your contact will gladly help you.
Disclaimer: The content of the article reflects only the author?s view. The Clean Sky Joint Undertaken isn’t responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
This project has received funding from the Clean Sky 2 Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 821135. The JU receives support from europe?s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and the Clean Sky 2 JU members apart from the Union.