Since its founding 170 years ago, German conglomerate Siemens has built a global industrial empire, making electric power components for cars, hospitals and power stations. It has gained a toehold in the aerospace industry as a provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software for aircraft designers and automated systems for aircraft assemblers.
Now, Siemens has found a way to enter the aviation market as a tier one supplier, leveraging its decades-old expertise in electric power systems in an industry on the verge of a major transformation in propulsion system technology.
It began with a chance encounter between a Siemens and Airbus executive in 2008. A decade later, Siemens has opened a US facility in Waco, Texas, dedicated to introducing innovators in the US market to a potential new partner in several key systems for an electric-powered aircraft.
"What we really wanted to do here in the USA is stand up a team. We need to be close to innovators. If you're not in the US aviation market, you're not really in the market, so this team was stood up to be extension of the European team," says Teri Hamlin, Siemens' vice-president of electric and hybrid-electric propulsion.
The Waco-based team, which is co-located with Texas State Technical College, is focused on aircraft at the lower end of the power scale. These include unmanned air vehicles for the defence market, auxiliary power systems for large commercial aircraft and an emerging class of electric-powered urban air taxis, Hamlin says: "We’re on some projects right now that should be announced real soon – hopefully, by this summer."
The US operation is building on a decade-long pursuit by their colleagues in Europe of a new role for Siemens in the aviation supply chain. As the market electrifies, Siemens is attempting to take a position now occupied by the likes of UTC Aerospace Systems, Honeywell and GE Aviation's electric power systems division.
Siemens' quest to obtain this role began in 2008 during a chance encounter between Siemens executive Frank Anton and then-Airbus chief technology officer Jean Botti at Siemens' in-house innovation day. According to Siemens, Anton and Botti were both amateur pilots filled with dread about the future of gas-powered aviation. As emission regulations become more strict over the next four decades, Anton could envisage a day when it would no longer be possible to fly conventional aircraft on regional routes.
SPARK OF AN IDEA
For Siemens, the only possible solution to the problem called for electrifying aircraft propulsion systems. It seemed an impractical vision at the time, given the state of electrical power technology. At that time, the only electric motors on the market were used for terrestrial applications, lacking the aviation industry's demand for the lightest possible weight. A conventional electric motor produces about 1kW for every pound of weight, resulting in a roughly 1:1 power-to-weight ratio. By comparison, a CFM International CFM56-7B has a power-to-weight ratio above 5:1.
As Siemens set out to conquer this problem, it drew on its industrial digitalisation strategy. The company's PLM software allows designers to create a virtual copy of a physical product, using simulation tools and computational analysis to make rapid improvements.
The result of that approach led to the design of a new 260kW motor for the aviation market, boasting a 5:1 power-to-weight ratio. That improvement was possible because of improvements in the efficiency of the motor's power cycle. It was also enhanced by Siemens' use of the company's PLM software suite to make certain components substantially lighter. A bearing shield on the front of the motor normally weighs 11.3kg (25lb), but that figure was reduced to 4kg.
"Siemens is not intending to become an aircraft OEM. We have no intention to move into that space," Hamlin says. We’re focusing on what we're good at and that is the electric propulsion and the electrification of complex systems, including motors, generators, power and signal distribution, inverters and complete end-to-end drive trains of these electric components. This is where Siemens shines. We have decades and decades and 100-plus years of experience in complex electrical systems. We’re coming at this market from that level of expertise."
Source: Cirium Dashboard
