AVATAR R&D project

Keen to follow the evolutions of its most important fields and to be an key player of the technological developments of the future, this is the mindset that the MECA teams have had for 5 years while working on integrating sensors and measurement systems in composites (see also COGITO).

AVATAR is a research project for access to the digital twin of aeronautical composite processes. This is a 3-year collaborative program funded partly by the Civil Aeronautics Research Council (CORAC) bringing together :

Background and main issues:

Metallic materials have been progressively replaced by composite materials in the field of aeronautics over the last 30 years.

However, although the manufacturing processes are mature and technically compatible, we cannot use them to meet the needs of the medium-haul "Full Composite" aircraft of the future, for high production rates.

Indeed, conformity controls for aeronautical composite parts are currently long and can be expensive.

To meet this future challenge, Meca is proposing an original approach combining tooling monitoring with real-time process simulation that will allow the development of the digital twin for the process.

Results:

Based on our expertise and skills, detailed instructions of the process, and with the use of extensive bibliographic studies, Meca was able to identify the phenomena and physics involved, develop adapted models and therefore be able to design and deploy an adapted and embedded tool called the "autonomous box".

The "autonomous box" has been deployed on demonstrators such as the Airbus A350 angle bars and has made it possible, with the help of a small number of sensors, to monitor the process and the part thoroughly in real time, in particular:

• To characterize the mechanical properties and obtain the state of the material by taking images during the fiber deposit phase;
• To monitor the injection phase (detection of the resin front, pressure curve, etc.);
• To monitor in detail the firing phase (temperature and firing rate within the part, thermal tooling, etc.);
• To detect defects or process errors;
• To optimize of the heating time on angle bar (X time saved).

Conclusions and outlook:

The "intelligent" connected tooling and the digital twin developed by this project give convincing and concrete results, improve the control of the manufacturing process and help, among other things, to detect several defects and process deviations, to identify areas to be monitored, to optimize cycles and to detail the state of the mold... in real time.

MECA therefore makes the premises of a technical innovation into reality, whose future developments will make future productivity objectives reliable and productive.

 Communication video to come!