Pioneering technology in the struggle against climate change: tecsis will contribute towards reducing the ecological footprint of air travel. As part of the European ?Clean Sky? programme, the force specialists within the WIKA Group are collaborating with Liebherr Aerospace to develop a force transducer suitable for aerospace applications.
EU project: Force transducer for electric drives
The project presents a particular challenge. Products for aviation must be stated 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 in the future. 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 depends on the ?More-Electric and All-Electric Aircraft? concept. This will contribute towards reduced weight and better energy management through the reduction of CO2 and NOX emissions. Force transducers are a significant component of these electric drives. They perform key function in the control and monitoring of the systems, e.g. on the landing gear and flaps.
Preposterous in aviation
In the implementation of this project, tecsis can draw upon its a long time of experience and its comprehensive expertise in the field of force sensor technology. The core of the new product is really 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 solution to comparable products available to buy.
In collaboration with Liebherr Aerospace, tecsis is assuming full responsibility for developing this new sensor. An iterative process, i.e. a continuing sequence of improvement steps and validations up to the finished product, should lead to the goal. In this way, tecsis aims to supply a force transducer by 2021 that is in a position to deliver Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5-6 and that provides a robust platform for further developments.
Note
Further information on our force measurement products can be found on the WIKA website. Assuming you have any questions, your contact will gladly assist you to.
Disclaimer: The content of this article reflects only the author?s view. The Clean Sky Joint Undertaken isn’t in charge of any use which may be made of the info 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 the European Union?s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and the Clean Sky 2 JU members apart from the Union.