Airbus (Italy)

Abstract It is well known that the amount of damage caused by lightning strikes to protected composite airframe structures depends on the paint characteristics, often applied on the surface of composite structures to protect from environmental effects and to personalise a product. In this work, physically based models of the mechanical loads induced by lightning strikes are employed in the generation of the mechanical overpressure fields due to a simulated lightning strike, while accounting for the paint thickness. These fields are then implemented into a three-dimensional finite element framework and combined with a damage model to predict the effect of paint thickness on the mechanical damage in composite structures subjected to this type of events. These models accurately predict the increase of damage extent with the increase of paint thickness, which is corroborated by experimental observations from industry and by the experimentally observed trends reported in literature.

This paper focuses on the multi-dimensional efficacy of the integration of photovoltaic materials and building envelope structures. Through theoretical analysis, experimental research, and case studies, it explores the heat transfer characteristics, the impact of solar radiation, and the carbon emission reduction contribution of the composite material technology. The research shows that the combination of photovoltaic materials and buildings can significantly reduce the heat transfer coefficient of the envelope structure, decrease solar radiation heat gain, and achieve significant carbon emission reduction. At the same time, it analyzes the application challenges such as technical compatibility, service life matching (especially the durability of photovoltaic materials in specific climates ), and heat dissipation, and proposes directions for the research and development of new materials and system optimization. The study constructs a multi-dimensional evaluation system, providing theoretical and practical support for the promotion of composite material technology and the green transformation of the construction industry.

In this work, a wireless multi-sensor node designed for aircraft structural monitoring is presented. The node is powered by an inductive energy harvesting power supply developed for non-invasive coupling to aircraft power lines. The sensing performance is evaluated and the energy autonomy is studied in various scenarios involving different data acquisition and transmission modes including cold starting. A regulated continuous power delivery of 13 mW is indicatively demonstrated from a 10 A RMS, 500 Hz line current, with a 10 min cold-starting time and a 1.1 J energy buffer. This supports the sensor node maximum power of 40 mW during 200 Hz strain data acquisition, at a duty cycle of over 40%, with a full-power autonomy of 37 s.

Intra-vehicular free-flying robots are anticipated to support various work in human spaceflight while working side-by-side with astronauts. Such example of robots includes NASA’s Astrobee, DLR’s CIMON, and JAXA’s Int-Ball, which are deployed on the International Space Station. This paper presents the first joint analyses of these robot’s shared experiences, co-authored by their development and operation team members. Despite the different origins and design philosophies, the development and operations of these platforms encountered various convergences. Hence, this paper presents a detailed overview of these robots, presenting their objectives, design, and onboard operations. Hence, joint lessons learned across the lifecycle are presented, from design to on-orbit operations. These lessons learned are anticipated to serve for future development and research as design recommendations.

This article investigates the influence of faults in the phase current measurement channel on torque generation in permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drives. It is demonstrated that measurement errors, depending on their type and origin, significantly distort the actual electromagnetic torque as a function of the motor shaft angle. Since the current controller operates on incorrect values, indirect diagnostic methods are required. This study shows that analyzing the output signals of the current component controllers, particularly the torque regulator output and its phase relation to the electrical or mechanical angle, enables fault detection and classification. The waveform, frequency, and amplitude of these signals provide information about the fault’s nature, with offset errors having a more pronounced impact on torque across the entire load range than gain-related errors.

Next-generation transportation and industrial systems are characterized by a continuously increasing number of integrated software functionalities and computational performance requirements. Nevertheless, there is also a need to reduce the cost, number, size, power consumption, volume and weight of integrated dependable embedded systems. In this context, virtualization technology enables the reconciliation of these challenges supporting the integration of multiple software functionalities of mixed-criticality (real-time and non-real-time, safety and non-safety-related) on a single computing device. This survey provides an overview of virtualization solutions (hypervisors, microkernels, and separation kernels) and categorizes research contributions addressing virtualization, real-time, dependability, and domain-specific technological challenges.

An efficiency breakdown analysis is derived including energy efficiency, propellant utilization efficiency and beam efficiency and correlates the thruster performance with plasma parameters. The methodology can be applied to a partially ionized and multiply-charged discharge plasma. Additionally, a semi-empirical scaling model is introduced, utilizing a novel database of low-power Hall Effect Thrusters to predict performance across various power levels. These models are used to analyze the Halo thruster performance, providing insights into ionization, acceleration, and loss mechanisms. The findings indicate specific performance losses due to plasma-wall interactions, low ionization rate and low mass utilization efficiency and highlight the need to improve the Halo’s magnetic field design to enhance thruster performance.

This paper presents the design, manufacturing, testing, and validation of the MASKARA (Multiple Apertures for high-resolution SAR based on Ka-band Reflectarray) Breadboard Model (BBM), a large Ka-band reflectarray antenna developed for Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) applications. The BBM features a dual-offset antenna configuration intended for a high-resolution, wide-swath SAR instrument. At the core of the system is a 1.5 m × 0.55 m reflectarray operating between 35.5–36.0 GHz in the Ka-band. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a reflectarray antenna designed to support two distinct modes of operation, exploiting the inherent advantages of reflectarrays—such as reduced cost and compact stowage—over traditional solutions. The antenna provides a high-resolution mode requiring a higher-gain beam in one polarization and a low-resolution mode covering a larger swath with broader beam coverage in the orthogonal polarization. The design process follows a holistic, multidisciplinary approach, integrating RF and thermomechanical considerations through iterative and concurrent design reviews. The BBM has been successfully manufactured and experimentally tested, and the measurement results show good agreement with simulations, confirming the validity of the proposed concept and demonstrating its potential for future high-performance SAR missions.