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 special challenge. Products for aviation must be manufactured 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. These are replacing the hydraulic and pneumatic on-board systems that are common today. Future aircraft designs will be based 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 an important component of these electric drives. They perform a key function in the control and monitoring of the systems, e.g. on the landing gear and flaps.
Absolute innovation in aviation
In the implementation of this project, tecsis can draw upon its many years of experience and its comprehensive expertise in the field of force sensor technology. The core of this new product is 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 to comparable products on the market.
In collaboration with Liebherr Aerospace, tecsis is assuming full responsibility for developing this new sensor. An iterative process, i.e. a continuous 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 able to deliver Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5-6 and that provides a robust platform for further developments.
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Further information on our force measurement products can be found on the WIKA website. If you have any questions, your contact will gladly help you.
Disclaimer: The content of this article reflects only the author’s view. The Clean Sky Joint Undertaken is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information 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 other than the Union.