Development of innovative FunctiOnal aiRcraft MOveable SurfAces

Project Information

FORMOSA

Grant agreement ID: 885971

DOI

10.3030/885971

Project closed

EC signature date 23 March 2020

Start date 1 September 2020

End date 28 February 2023

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Smart, Green And Integrated Transport

Total cost

€ 500 000,00

EU contribution

€ 500 000,00

Coordinated by

POLITECNICO DI MILANO
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - FORMOSA (Development of innovative FunctiOnal aiRcraft MOveable SurfAces)

Reporting period: 2021-12-01 to 2023-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The FORMOSA project, addressed to the framework of the Clean Sky 2 Fast Rotorcraft IADP (Horizon2020), is aimed at developing innovative wing control surface concepts for the NextGen Civil Tiltrotor (NGCTR) manufactured by Leonardo S.p.A.
The main objectives of the FORMOSA project are to:
1. Replace the present NGCTR tiltrotor wing architecture, characterized by an inner large flap and external flaperon, with a single movable surface able to incorporate multiple functions including roll, flap control, and download reduction.
2. Minimize the encumbrance on the fixed wing, with an advantage for fuel storage.
3. Reduce the number and the weight of the actuators and the complexity of the actuation system, evaluating both standard hydraulic and innovative electrical systems for power generation.

Tiltrotors will contribute to the expected growth of air transport, therefore contributing to the goals of safe, secure, fast, affordable, and environmentally friendly travel. At the same time, research on new solutions for tiltrotor architecture will contribute to strengthening European competitiveness and innovation capacity.
The Fast Rotorcraft platform will provide more speed, longer range, and more productivity to fill the gap between conventional helicopters and other fixed-wing platforms and FORMOSA will give its contribution in terms of a lighter, simpler, and more efficient architecture for wing aerodynamic components in tiltrotors.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The high-level objective of the FORMOSA project included the investigation of three innovative concepts for the NGCTR wing.
The design of the control surface and the selection of its actuators required the correct evaluation of the aerodynamic loads during the different maneuvers that the aircraft is required to do to fly safely.
To this aim, the FORMOSA consortium developed a new methodology based on coupled multibody – mid-fidelity aerodynamics simulations. The combination of the two approaches allowed an ideal trade-off, to obtain at the same time fast and time-accurate solutions.

The best concept was defined at the System Functional Review (SFR) in February 2022 while the design of the selected concept reached the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) in February 2023.
The final configuration presented was able to reduce the download in helicopter mode (-9% compared to the original design) allowing to reduce the fuel consumption during vertical take-off and landing maneuvers, in line with the objectives of the Clean Aviation programme.
A remarkable impact in airplane mode flight was presented as well, through the improvement of the roll performance obtained thanks to a 25% time-to-bank reduction.
Finally, to demonstrate the functionality of the innovative control surface developed by the FORMOSA consortium, a 1:1 functional mockup was manufactured and tested at CEiiA facilities.
During the activity, the FORMOSA team published 2 journal articles and 7 conference proceedings in international forums to promote awareness of project results and to exploit project results.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

In Europe’s vision for aviation, the goal is to have 90% of travellers within the region completing their door-to-door journey within 4 hours by 2050. Innovative aircraft types are pivotal to achieve this. Useful for passenger transport, rotorcrafts have also the potential to provide new transport capabilities for the future of air mobility. With an increased "golden hour distance" these vehicles are specifically suitable for relevant missions such as search and rescue, medical emergency, surveying, and policing.
Research on new solutions for tiltrotor architecture will strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and innovation.
The FORMOSA consortium proposed a new design that integrates both the flap and the flaperon on the same surface, easing their use and reducing the weight of the movable surface.
With the technology developed by FORMOSA, further optimisations of this rotorcraft configuration can be done, also considering the operations through short take-off, landing, and approach.

Flaperon actuator kinematics

Control surface geometric parameters

Mock-up

Proposed configuration III (morphing)

Optimization design workflow

Flap actuator - detail

Mock-up and logos

Final meeting

Proposed configuration I

Downwash area

Energy comparison (actuation systems)

Proposed configuration II

Tiltrotor full model

Flap actuator kinematics