Overview
In future, there will be big challenges for the aviation industry: Increasing capacities, noise reduction, fuel efficiency, shorter product development cycles and fewer costs for airplanes in use and maintenance. These challenges require a continuous optimization of the airplane structure and design.
The expected growth rates in the aviation sector are about 5% to 6%. Concurrently, the requirements and restrictions are increasing. For example, at the London City Airport a higher glide slope of 5.5° is required.
The Research activities of the M-Fly project contain modelling, analysis, synthesis and optimizing of the whole airplane structure. It is the aim to reduce the fuel consumption and emissions, and to increase economic efficiency, comfort and safety.
New methods of load monitoring will optimize maintenance times and waiting periods of airplanes.
The objectives of the M-fly project are in line with the objectives of ACARE (Advisory council for Aeronautics Research in Europe) and Vision2020 (refers to technological goals of the industry)
The M-fly project was divided into the following 3 subprojects: AeroNext, Optodyn and Shanel-L
The Aeronext subproject was largely implemented by the Airbus operations GmbH in Bremen, and was supported by other project partners (e.g. DLR) and subcontractors.
The Optodyn subproject was largely implemented by the Airbus Operations GmbH in Bremen and Hamburg, and was supported by other project partners (DLR Göttingen, EADS-MAS, RWTH Aachen) and subcontractors. The subproject gains data from laboratory tests, wind tunnel tests and tests during flight.
Funding
Results
In the AeroNext subproject, the following results were achieved: Implementation and development of aerodynamic and aero-acoustic technologies for the next airplane generation. Therefore, basic research activities in flight physics, simulations and tool developments were carried out.
In the Optodyn subproject, the following results were achieved: New modelling approaches for phenomena in physics and new testing methods were developed. In a second step, a multi-discipline optimization process was installed.
Findings of the study are published by a final report (German only), which is available online via the Technical Information Library (TIB) of the Hannover University: http://edok01.tib.uni-hannover.de/edoks/e01fb13/757459854.pdf
Further results are available on the websites of project partners:
TU Munich, Institute for Lightweight Construction:
https://www.mw.tum.de/lpl/forschung/optimierung/m-fly/
TU Berlin, Institute for Aeronatics and Space Technologies: