MESEMA - Magnetoelastic Energy Systems for Even More Electric Aircraft
Overview
Background & policy context:
MESEMA, a technology oriented research project, built upon the success of previous EU projects with devotion to accomplish the objectives of the aeronautics priority through designing, producing and testing 'innovative transducer systems based on active materials'. Four fixed and rotary-wing aircraft companies accompanied by SMEs and university research institutes participated in - and benefited from - the developments of primarily magneto-elastic transducers for high-torque actuation, vibration and noise reduction, electrical energy generation and structural health monitoring. Structural dynamics, energy conversion in active materials and control systems represented the scientific fundamentals of the project.
Objectives:
The scientific and technological objectives were the results of an evolution of the activities developed during the previous six years by the group which had promoted the two successful European research projects named 'M.A.D.A.Vi.C.' and 'M.E.S.A.'
The MESEMA objectives consisted mainly of the design and development of five systems, integrating vibration transducers, based on active components aimed at:
- reducing the level of disturbance noise in turbofan aircraft;
- reducing the level of disturbance noise in helicopters;
- examining the health status of aircraft structural components;
- replacing the helicopter rotor blade pitch angle actuation systems;
- transforming mechanical energy related to vibration fields within aircraft into electric one (VIBEL).
The five objectives had a common aspect in that they all required the design and development of a dedicated actuation system (including control algorithms and driving electronics) providing dynamic displacement and force fields on a host structure.
Methodology:
The first twelve months of the MESEMA project (01.01.2004 - 31.12.2004) were mainly characterised by the discussion and definition of requirements as well as the elaboration of specifications in different work packages.
The second twelve months of the MESEMA project (01.01.2005 - 31.12.2005) were mainly characterised by the design and development of first actuator prototypes and assessment of their integration on the technology demonstrator.
The last eighteen months of the MESEMA project (01.01.2006 - 30.06.2007) were mainly characterised by the production and experimental testing of all the devices designed during the first two project years in order to accomplish the requirements of the five selected applications.
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