The mission

Modern aeronautical structures are increasingly made of composite materials due to their well-known benefits. Composite materials have however a wide range of possible failure modes, implying lengthy and expensive structural inspection processes for modern aircrafts. Ultrasonic guided wave technologies are nowadays confined in baseline subtraction approaches, where structural damage can be detected but not identified. This is due to lack of efficient techniques for predicting wave interaction with damage in composite structures.

SAFE-FLY brings together a team of enthusiastic researchers that will eventually propose the blue print for a novel, reliable and lightweight SHM integrated system, addressing key challenges and wishes identified and expressed by leading European aerospace industrialists. 

Key aims and objectives

At the core of the SAFE-FLY EID there exist three scientific and technological challenges

• The development of multiscale damage modelling tools for nonlinear, damaged composite structures.
• The development of accurate and reliable tools for modelling the interaction of GWs with damage in composites.
• Development of a dedicated optimal experimental configuration able to incorporate and validatethe produced numerical tools.

Concortium

The SAFE-FLY EID team consists of the University of Nottingham, a leading European University and AERNOVA, a global leader in designing, certifying, manufacturing and maintaining aeropsace composite structures. 

Announcements