Engineers at GKN Aerospace (Hall 6 A24) are pushing forward the boundaries of current technology and is in the final stage of developing one piece acoustic engine and inlet liners which have already demonstrated 4db noise level reductions and promise to be 40% lighter than current liners.
Phil Grainger, senior technical director and chief technologist says: "Installed today, this is a development that offers the operator real performance improvements and significant noise reduction. And it is a technology we are still evolving, moving towards a future product with fully versatile honeycomb layers that are constructed on a cell-by-cell basis to give the optimum solution for each application and to maximise noise reduction."
In the aeroengine, the aircraft wing and rotor-blade, GKN's embedded electro-thermal ice protection technology is reducing weight, enhancing performance and improving safety, the company says. This equipment will fly within the flying surfaces on the wings of the Boeing 787 during trials later this year.
Miniaturisation of the control system is a major goal, offering the pilot individual, finely tuned ice protection directly to each slat. This increase in system control will bring fuel savings, improved performance and greater aircraft safety.
GKN is also investigating using thinner coatings in the construction of the heater mats to further reduce the weight of this already extremely lightweight system.
In its aerostructures business, GKN Aerospace is investing in new robotic technology, and GKN is aiming for an alternative to the traditional autoclave curing process for composites that can represent an expensive and inefficient "bottleneck" in the production process.
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Source: Flight Daily News
