‘Luchtvaart in Transitie’ consortium brings partners in the Dutch aerospace eco-system together to collaborate on the development and industrialization of sustainable aviation technologies.
GKN Aerospace is currently leading two historic cooperative R&D programs, zeroed in on electrification and thermoplastics, to help the improvement of sustainable aviation technologies and pave the way for the industry to arrive at net zero emissions. The two programs are important for the Dutch ‘Luchtvaart in Transitie’ proposal and are financed in partnership with the Dutch Growth Fund.
The Royal Netherlands Aerospace Center, Technical University of Delft, individuals from Lucht en Ruimtevaart Nederland, and members from Netherlands Aerospace Group will band together with GKN Aerospace on the research & development programs, making it genuinely cooperative across industry, knowledge institutes, SMEs and universities. Around 100 profoundly concentrated engineers and operators will cooperate on the projects, based out of GKN Aerospace’s centers of excellence in Hoogeveen, Papendrecht, and Hoogerheide.
Micky Adriaansens, Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy said, “Inspiring to see how a large number of parties in the Netherlands, from manufacturing industry including SMEs to knowledge institutes, work together in an adaptive ecosystem to make the necessary steps towards significantly more sustainable aviation. In the longer term, innovative technologies like thermoplastic composites promise to have a notable contribution to the ambitions of the international aviation industry to achieve net zero targets and sustain an economic impact as well.”
The electrification project includes research and development toward advanced Electrical Wiring Interconnection Systems (EWIS) for sustainable aviation. This consists of developing High Voltage High Power Wiring, necessary for the distribution of high electrical power as part of a (hybrid) electric powertrain or a hydrogen fuel cell system, as well as to transport data signals.
The new technology will need to meet these advanced requirements, with a lower weight and volume within an aircraft than today’s equivalent. The project also covers the development of cost-efficient design and assembly automation technologies for high power and electrical data distribution systems.
John Pritchard, President Civil Airframe GKN Aerospace said: “GKN Aerospace has deep knowledge and expertise in thermoplastic technology and EWIS and we are proud to lead these projects. Accelerating the adoption of lightweight, cost-effective advanced thermoplastic aerostructures and development of high voltage high power wiring systems is a critical stepping stone for the aerospace industry and its move to more energy-efficient aircraft. Ensuring we can not only develop these technologies, but also manufacture them across the Netherlands supply chain, will maintain our world-leading position in this area and underpin our commitment to sustainability. The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy is a key part of the Dutch eco-system and it is providing vital support to the industry as we focus on shaping the next generation of sustainable aircraft.”
- Electrification: One programme will explore and develop advanced High Voltage High Power wiring and distribution systems to support the increased electrical power required for Electrical aircraft and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Systems
- Lightweighting: The second programme will focus on the development of new thermoplastic materials and processes for scalable high volume production of lightweight sustainable components
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The thermoplastics project intends to foster new thermoplastic materials and cycles for versatile and reasonable high-volume creation. Thermoplastic composites are advanced lightweight materials offering weight savings of no less than 10% contrasted with traditional aircraft materials, as well as being more proficient to produce and with an elevated degree of fire safety and recyclability. This makes thermoplastics a cheaper, sustainable answer for airplane structural components.
