Bristol tech pioneers at the National Composites Centre (NCC) in Bristol are working with Airbus on new aircraft wing technology the aerospace giant hopes will help decarbonise the aviation industry.
The organisation, which is based at Bristol and Bath Science Park in Emersons Green, is one of the UK’s world-leading composite research and development facilities.
It collaborates with businesses across sectors such as aerospace, energy, infrastructure and biomedical on complex engineering challenges, often aiming to make products lighter, stronger, smarter and more sustainable.
The NCC has said its engineers have been collaborating with Airbus on its eXtra Performance Wing demonstrator programme.
The project aims to improve wing aerodynamics and performance in a bid to reduce CO2 emissions, and is intended to be compatible with any future aircraft configuration and propulsion system.
The NCC will work with Airbus to design the demonstrator wing, which it said would be longer and more flexible than a standard wing, and therefore more susceptible to turbulence.
It added that it would look to manufacture primary components of the ‘wing box’ structure to host the new active control technologies
The design phase is expected to be completed this summer, followed by the full-scale demonstrator wing manufacturing stage, with the first flight of the demonstrator aircraft following modification of the aircraft with the new wings. The project team is adapting a Cessna Citation VII aircraft for flight tests.
Airbus recently completed key wind-tunnel trials at its site in Filton, South Gloucestershire, using a scaled-down partly 3D-printed model of the aircraft using the eXtra Performance Wing.
Paul Clarke, head of aerospace at the NCC, said: “Following our recent AS9100 quality management standards accreditation, we are well positioned to support the wider UK composites supply chain in the development of aerospace technology through to industrial application, potentially opening new opportunities for non-aerospace companies to access this market."
The National Composites Centre has a long-standing partnership with Airbus, working on major innovation programmes including the Wing of Tomorrow project, which is exploring radical new approaches to the design and manufacture of aircraft wings.
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