Universität Stuttgart – Institut für Flugzeugbau (IFB)

📢 We are at the EASN Conference 2024 this week!   If you are attending the conference too, join our talks and meet us between the sessions. Our colleagues from the research group on Aircraft Design are presenting plenty of their research efforts and are looking forward to meeting you!   Tuesday, 8 October: Hybrid Electric Flight (Part I) session chaired by Andreas Strohmayer 11:20-13:20 in room CR-1 Comparison of actual e-Genius hybrid-electric flights with a SUAVE model for preliminary aircraft design by Dominik Eisenhut Investigation of different powertrain architectures for a fuel cell battery hybrid electric aircraft by Andreas Bender Preliminary Design of Regional Aircraft – Integration of a Fuel Cell-Electric Energy Network in SUAVE by Jakob Schlittenhardt Poster session, Tuesday, 8 Oct. 16:30-17:30 and Thursday, 10. Oct. 16:00-17:00 Poster 16: Development of a Modular Test Rig for In-Flight Validation and Calibration of a Multi-Hole-Probe on Board the ‘e-Genius-Mod’ by Sara Hijazi Poster 32: Iterative Aircraft and Engine Sizing Using SUAVE and TurboMatch in Remote Component Environment (RCE) by Felix Brenner Poster 40: Preliminary Aircraft Design for Hybrid-Electric Propulsion Architectures – A Focus on Critical Loss of Thrust by Jonas Mangold Poster 46: The next evolution of e-Genius: assisted electric aerotowing with an upgraded battery electric aircraft by Stefan Zistler   Friday, 11 October: Conceptual Design session 10:30-12:30 in room CR-2 LH2 tank modeling, integration concepts and implications on fuselage design by Nicolas Moebs   In addition, you are invited to attend the Workshop of our research group on Design Theory and Similarity Mechanics! The workshop is about the holistic digital modeling along the aerospace product life-cycle and will be held by PD Dr. Stephan Rudolph and Felix Löser on Thursday, 10 October, from 14:00 in room Maurice Saltiel II.   Thank you for having us, EASN - European Aeronautics Science Network!   Universität Stuttgart #EASNConference2024 #GreenAviation #Innovation

IFB goes TexComp-15 👨🔬   From September 11 to 13, three of our colleagues joined the TexComp-15 conference in Leuven, Belgium.   Sebastian Hügle presented a methodology to predict a realistic fiber-bundle architecture in the coreless filament winding process using a multifilament-approach in the SimTex finite element solver (developed at Bristol Composites Institute).   Jens Take gave some insights on UV curing of FRPs. This high energy- and time-efficient production process can lead to material properties comparable to those achieved with epoxy resins.   Johannes Baur showed that ultrasonic welding of thermoplastic NFRPs provides an efficient approach for joining sustainable lightweight materials.   The abstracts can be found here: https://lnkd.in/eYh7-ucE   We want to thank the whole team from the Composite Materials Group at KU Leuven for the great organization!   #TexComp15 #Conference #CompositeTechnology #Research #IFB #Belgium

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐱𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬? Well, first we need to understand what they are. 𝐁𝐨𝐱𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠: A boxwing features two horizontal wings, one above the other, connected by vertical wings on each side. This design is particularly effective at reducing induced drag—the drag generated by lift-producing vortices that form at the wingtips. In traditional wing designs, these vortices create significant drag as they interact with the surrounding airflow. The boxwing's stacked configuration minimizes these vortices by allowing airflow from one wing to interact with the adjacent wing, reducing vortex strength and spread. The vertical wings further control and diminish these vortices, leading to even less drag. By minimizing induced drag, the boxwing design enhances overall aerodynamic efficiency, resulting in improved lift and better fuel efficiency. 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: This technology uses multiple smaller electric engines distributed along the wingspan, significantly enhancing aerodynamic efficiency. It can reduce noise, as electric engines operate much more quietly than traditional jet engines, resulting in significantly quieter flights. Additionally, distributing the propulsion system across the wingspan improves lift by ensuring more even thrust distribution, which enhances overall aerodynamic performance. In addition, when powered by hydrogen fuel cells, distributed electric propulsion becomes even more sustainable, as hydrogen fuel cells produce electricity with zero carbon emissions. The enhanced efficiency allows for lower fuel consumption, which directly translates to reduced greenhouse gas emissions, making it a promising advancement for the future of aviation. When compared to traditional wings and propulsion systems, combining both of these technologies can greatly enhance aircraft performance. The integration of these technologies reduces drag, increases efficiency, and lowers emissions, leading to more sustainable and cost-effective air travel. Universität Stuttgart – Institut für Flugzeugbau (IFB) is proud to be involved in the multi-partner 𝐃𝐎𝐗𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆 research project, which will test the hypotheses above over the next two years. Stay tuned to see what happens and let us know in the comments which theory you like the most! Find more information on DOXWING and many other projects of our Analytical Aircraft Design research group here: https://lnkd.in/e2PH6twu Universität Stuttgart #Innovation #GreenAviation #ElectricFlight Image credit: University of Stuttgart, IAG

Students are our future! 🚀   In recent months, our students did a great job with their research at Universität Stuttgart – Institut für Flugzeugbau (IFB). Today we want to highlight the work of Eliška Rapcová from Masaryk University Brno, Department of Plasma Physics and Technology. With help of CEPLANT, she analyzed the influence of plasma as a surface treatment method for different fibers as a part of her master’s thesis, supervised by Dana Skácelová. Her research focused on different plasma sources as well as various glass fibers, natural fibers, and sizing systems. During her time she collaborated on these different research topics with Jens Take, Johannes Baur, Anthony Greven, and Johannes Bauer.   We thank you for your time and valuable research at IFB! See you soon. 👩🔬   #Student #StudentsAbroad #ResearchCollaboration #AerospaceInnovation #PlasmaModification #CompositeMaterials #JointResearch #KnowledgeExchange Universität Stuttgart Masaryk University

Composite manufacturing in practice: One-shot VAP-infusion of the InnovationsCampus Mobilität der Zukunft DEMO5 – MobIL cargo bike box demonstrator. Universität Stuttgart #Composite #CompositeTechnology #VAP #Infusion #NFRP #Sustainability #CargoBike #InternationalCooperation #ESTACA #ICM

Thank you Anthony Greven! During his four month internship at Universität Stuttgart – Institut für Flugzeugbau (IFB), the student from ESTACA - Ecole Supérieure des Techniques Aéronautiques et de Construction Automobile worked on the InnovationsCampus Mobilität der Zukunft project DEMO5 – MobIL. He designed, developed and manufactured a cargo bike transport box from natural fibre reinforced plastic with topology optimized structures included. His attention to detail, problem-solving skills and composite knowledge resulted in a wonderful demonstrator part. We wish Anthony all the best for the future!   #Composite #CompositeTechnology #TopologyOptimization #NFRP #Sustainability #CargoBike #InternationalCooperation #UniversityofStuttgart #ESTACA #ICM

📢 We've done it again! 🛩 After one and a half years of conversion work, the e-Genius took to the skies to set yet another #record! After a successful first flight end of July, we had the great opportunity to take part in the annual Idaflieg - Interessensgemeinschaft deutscher Akademischer Fliegergruppen e.V. #Sommertreffen in Stendal-Borstel (EDOV) where the e-Genius became one of only three electric towplanes worldwide by performing the first aero tows. The impressive performance of the e-Genius in its new #SiFla configuration quickly allowed us to increase the weight of the towed sailplanes and by the end of the event we set the record for the heaviest electrically towed sailplane with a successful aero tow of a 750 kg double seater Arcus. In addition to this, an initial noise measurement campaign, enabled by the use of the noise measurement equipment from the Universität Stuttgart Institute of Aerodynamic and Gasdynamics, was also conducted. As part of the #WhisperProp project, the generated data will be used as a reference for noise simulations. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Idaflieg - Interessensgemeinschaft deutscher Akademischer Fliegergruppen e.V. and all our project partners who made this fantastic achievement possible! You can find more information on the new e-Genius configuration here: https://lnkd.in/eschAV_V     Team #SiFla: Air Energy Entwicklungs GmbH & Co KG AIR Avionics Uni Stuttgart iFR Team #WhisperProp: CFD Consultants GmbH Hochschule Offenburg yasAI FanJet Aviation GmbH #eGenius #innovation #electricflight #greenaviation

Have you ever heard of a flying test bed? 🛩 Below you see some of our testing platforms we are currently using for our research at the Universität Stuttgart: 1 - e-Genius: Shown here as a test bed for a hybrid-electric powertrain. 2 - icaré 2: Shown here as a test bed for wing tip propellers. (Photo credit: Jutta Scholz) 3 - e-Genius-Mod: Shown here as a test bed for distributed propulsion and differential thrust for yaw control and stabilization. --- Flying test beds provide a safe way to test new technologies, but can also be used to simulate emergency situations to identify potential safety hazards, safety being a top priority in aviation. They use modified aircraft to test new technologies. This could be anything from new materials, propulsion systems or aerodynamics. For example, an aircraft might have four propellers and one is changed to test the new technology. It also provides valuable data on how systems perform under different conditions, such as altitude, speed and more. But also measurements such as temperature, vibration and other important parameters. But not every test bed actually leaves the ground. Ground-based test beds are, as the name suggests, aircraft that don't take off but remain stationary in test facilities. It's astonishing to see the remarkable ideas that emerge when we work together and use what we already know to build a knowledge base on what we don't know yet. --- You can find more information on the research involving our flying test beds on our website: https://lnkd.in/e8kRtSnC #greenaviation #innovation #electricflight

Last week, our researcher Sara Hijazi gave an interview on her research efforts at the Universität Stuttgart and the research project DOXWING which will combine the technologies of a boxwing and distributed electric propulsion. Head over to the article linked down below to find out what she thinks on how new technolgies and unconventional aircraft configurations like these will be able to make aviation more sustainable! #innovation #aircraftdesign #THEaerospaceLÄND #greenaviation

Did you know that technologies discovered in 1924 - that's exactly 100 years ago - are being used to improve future aircraft today? The boxwing concept was first developed and enhanced in 1924 by the German aerodynamicist Ludwig Prandtl. It consists of two offset horizontal wings with vertical wings connecting their tips and shaped to give a linear distribution of lateral forces. This design is said to improve the efficiency of a number of aircraft concepts. Unfortunately, it is not as simple as you might expect, as it is difficult to create a strong and self-supporting closed wing, but our technology is constantly improving. As you can see, this has been a topic for a long time, but in the last few years the concept has become more and more relevant again. Follow us and stay tuned to find out how the Boxwing concept is linked to our current research efforts here at Universität Stuttgart – Institut für Flugzeugbau (IFB). #Aviation #AircraftDesign #Innovation