The economic state of the aircraft industry within the United States and Kansas continues to advance as aircraft manufacturers and airlines are investigating extreme methods to reduce manufacturing costs and increase operational efficiency while continuing a commitment to airworthiness assurance and safety of flight.
These advances have been demonstrated by new models being pursued by numerous aircraft companies that will provide the platform for the next revolution in aerospace vehicle technology as well as ensure leadership in both commercial and military sectors. These advances in vehicle development will likely accelerate during the next decade as emerging technologies are applied to design and placed into production throughout the aircraft industry.
As aviation continues to be one of the cornerstones for achievement within the history of the United States, this R&D Brief highlights the foresight and recent efforts of the Kansas congressional delegation’s commitment to maintain this leadership within the United States and in Kansas.
The National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University would like to thank the Kansas congressional delegation, especially Senator Sam Brownback, Representative Todd Tiahrt and Senator Pat Roberts, for leadership and continuous support of the aviation industry, Wichita State University, and NIAR through efforts in Washington D.C. Recently, these congressional leaders have supported efforts to benefit the National Institute for Aviation Research, Wichita State University, the Wichita aviation industry and national R&D programs in aviation including the following:
Department of Defense
Accelerated Insertion of Advanced Materials and Certification for Military Aircraft Structure Material Substitution and Repair:
This program will provide a breakthrough in technology integration and will achieve significant cost and cycle-time reductions in new material insertion through (a) data-sharing among multiple users, (b) statistical continuity from one length-scale to another and (c) reduced testing via increased capability and use of numerical/analytical simulation tools. Anticipated benefits include reductions in nonrecurring and recurring program qualification costs and introduction of multiple sources of new advanced material forms.
Nanocomposites for Lightning Protection of Composite Airframe Structures:
Recent advances in the addition of nanocomponents to advanced composite materials have shown the potential for reducing lightning strike damage to composite airframe structures. A variety of nanoconstituents known for their conductivity and high aspect ratio have been recently analyzed under an exploratory Air Force study and have shown great promise for the incorporation of this technology into a manufacturing environment. This research focus will advance the development and operation of a nanocomposite based methodology addressing lightning strike protection on composite airframe structures in Department of Defense aircraft applications.
Aging Evaluation of Advanced Materials Used for Military Aircraft:
The biggest concerns with aging aircraft are the unknowns that emerge with little or no warning, raising the concern that an unexpected phenomenon may suddenly jeopardize an entire fleet’s flight safety, mission readiness, or support costs. This research focus, in addition to the ongoing research in aging metallic structures, will permit NIAR to partner with the DoD and investigate the effects of aging on composite structures as well as composite/metallic hybrid structures.
WSU/NIAR also has a number of partnerships ongoing with commercial industry through Department of Defense funding that was supported by the Kansas congressional delegation. These programs include the following:
Continuous Integrated Vehicle Health Monitoring Systems
Common Reconfigurable Advanced Thermal Management System
Next Generation Ice Protection Technologies for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Digital Network Centric Remotely Operated Weapons System
Immersive Medical Environment for Distributed Intuitive Consultation iMedic
Unmanned Air Vehicle Technology Evaluation Program
Advanced Avionics Miniaturization Program
Laser Peening for Friction Stir Welding
Materials Integrity Management Research (MIMRs)
Department of Transportation
Advanced Materials Research - Federal Aviation Administration:
One of the most important safety research areas in aviation and of importance to the expansion of the aerospace industry is advanced materials. As this advancement of technology into application occurs, research will be needed to prove the safety and integrity of these aircraft and advanced materials for the general public. The establishment of the FAA Center of Excellence for Composites and Advanced Materials at WSU/NIAR will play a key role in this evolution as the strategic integration of these new technologies cannot be achieved with contemporary materials and structures
Small Aircraft Aging Research - Federal Aviation Administration:
In order to support and provide solutions for general aviation aging aircraft issues, the primary objectives of this research program are to assist in the development of fleet management strategies and to establish maintenance criteria for the small airplane fleet. The focus of this research will be to support and enhance the safety goals of the FAA by developing technologies, technical information, procedures, and practices to help ensure the continued airworthiness of aircraft structures in the commuter-class aircraft fleets.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Center for Advanced Materials Performance:
This program will focus on the continued development and operation of the National Center for Advanced Materials Performance (NCAMP) located at the NIAR. This center provides shared-database methodology addressing material, structural, manufacturing, and repair qualification processes for use of affordable polymeric composite materials in commercial and military applications. The primary focus of NCAMP will be on increasing the efficiency of advanced material implementation into new aircraft models while at the same time decreasing the cost of these materials.
Programs such as the ones mentioned above help ensure the United States will remain strong in aviation pioneering. We appreciate the efforts of the Kansas congressional leadership to ensure the United States and Kansas remain the Air Capitol of the World. We would also encourage you to thank Congressman Tiahrt, Senator Brownback, and Senator Roberts for their efforts on behalf of the aviation industry and Wichita State University.
For any information of the above mentioned programs, please feel free to contact Tracee Friess at (316) 978-5597 or tracee.friess@wichita.edu
