AEROMUCO - AEROdynamic Surfaces by advanced MUltifunctional COatings
Overview
Background & policy context:
The high-speed airflow over aircraft can contain sand, water droplets, insects, ice crystals and other particles. There thus exists a significant challenge to produce protective coatings for this varied and demanding environment.
Objectives:
The main objective of the AEROMUCO project was to develop and evaluate a number of alternative (and highly innovative) active and passive multi-functional surface protection systems for future generation of aircraft, leading to a significant improvement in fuel efficiency and a reduction in CO2 and NOx emissions. Two technological routes to achieve this goal were explored:
- The reduction of the energy consumption for inflight de-icing through the development of coatings that exploit the use of a new generation of low-energy consuming active de-icing systems;
- The development of durable and effective active and passive surface protection systems that facilitate and maintain laminar boundary layers on aerodynamic surfaces. These coatings reduce insect adhesion through novel, low-surface-energy concepts and remove insect residue through photoactive/enzymatic activity on nanotextured coatings.
Methodology:
The multi-disciplinary approach yielded technological improvements beyond the state of the art through a structured, but innovative, research strategy. A comprehensive set of unique tests were performed, including ice build-up tests (microscopic and full-scale icing wind tunnel tests), comparative rain erosion tests, abrasion tests, and an assessment of kinetic of enzyme processes.
These novel coatings were customised to the requirements of the location on the wing (e.g. leading edge contamination avoidance, upper surface runback ice prevention). The multi-disciplinary approach yielded technological improvements beyond the state of the art through a structured, but innovative, research strategy. A comprehensive set of unique tests were performed, including ice build-up tests (microscopic and full-scale icing wind tunnel tests), comparative rain erosion tests, abrasion tests, and an assessment of kinetic of enzyme processes.
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