The Systems ITD will develop and build highly integrated, high TRL demonstrators in major areas such as power management, cockpit, wing, landing gear, to address the needs of future generation aircraft in terms of maturation, demonstration and Innovation. Integrated Cockpit Environment for New Functions & Operations - D1: Extended Cockpit - D24: Enhanced vision and awareness - D25: Integrated Modular Communications Innovative Cabin and Cargo technologies - D2: Equipment and systems for Cabin & Cargo applications Innovative and Integrated Electrical Wing Architecture and Components - D3: Smart Integrated Wing Demonstrator - D4: Innovative Electrical Wing Demonstrator Innovative Technologies and Optimized Architecture for Landing Gears - D5: Advanced Landing Gears Systems - D6: Electrical Nose Landing Gear System - D7: Electrical Rotorcraft Landing Gear System - D17: Advanced Landing Gear Sensing & Monitoring System High Power Electrical Generation and Conversion Architecture - D8.1: Innovative Power Generation and Conversion for large A/C - D8.2: Innovative Power Generation and Conversion for small A/C Innovative Energy Management Systems Architectures - D9: Innovative Electrical and Control/Command Networks for distribution systems - D10: HVDC Electrical Power Network Demonstrator Innovative Technologies for Environmental Control System - D11: Next Generation EECS for Large A/C - D12: Next Generation EECS Demonstrator for Regional A/C - D13: Next Generation Cooling systems Demonstrators - D16: Thermal Management demonstration on AVANT test rig Ice protection demonstration - D14: Advanced Electro-thermal Wing Ice Protection Demonstrator - D15: Ice Detection System Small Air Transport (SAT) Innovative Systems Solutions - D18, D19, D21: More Electric Aircraft level 0 - D20: Low power de-ice for SAT - D22: Safe and Comfortable Cabin - D23: Affordable future avionic solution for small aircraft ECO Design T2: Production Lifecycle Optimisation Long-term Technologies T1: Power Electronics T3: Modelling and Simulation Tools for System Integration on Aircraft

The Innovative Manufacturing and Construction Research Centre (IMCRC) will undertake a wide variety of work in the Manufacturing, Construction and product design areas. The work will be contained within 5 programmes:1. Transforming Organisations / Providing individuals, organisations, sectors and regions with the dynamic and innovative capability to thrive in a complex and uncertain future2. High Value Assets / Delivering tools, techniques and designs to maximise the through-life value of high capital cost, long life physical assets3. Healthy & Secure Future / Meeting the growing need for products & environments that promote health, safety and security4. Next Generation Technologies / The future materials, processes, production and information systems to deliver products to the customer5. Customised Products / The design and optimisation techniques to deliver customer specific products.Academics within the Loughborough IMCRC have an internationally leading track record in these areas and a history of strong collaborations to gear IMCRC capabilities with the complementary strengths of external groups.Innovative activities are increasingly distributed across the value chain. The impressive scope of the IMCRC helps us mirror this industrial reality, and enhances knowledge transfer. This advantage of the size and diversity of activities within the IMCRC compared with other smaller UK centres gives the Loughborough IMCRC a leading role in this technology and value chain integration area. Loughborough IMCRC as by far the biggest IMRC (in terms of number of academics, researchers and in funding) can take a more holistic approach and has the skills to generate, identify and integrate expertise from elsewhere as required. Therefore, a large proportion of the Centre funding (approximately 50%) will be allocated to Integration projects or Grand Challenges that cover a spectrum of expertise.The Centre covers a wide range of activities from Concept to Creation.The activities of the Centre will take place in collaboration with the world's best researchers in the UK and abroad. The academics within the Centre will be organised into 3 Research Units so that they can be co-ordinated effectively and can cooperate on Programmes.

The Systems ITD will develop and build highly integrated, high TRL demonstrators in major areas such as power management, cockpit, wing, landing gear, to address the needs of future generation aircraft in terms of maturation, demonstration and Innovation.

UTC Aerospace Systems is a leader in the provision of advanced systems to the aerospace market. The funding opportunity will allow the consortium, comprising of UTC Aerospace Systems, Renishaw, Sagentia, Newcastle University and the University of Nottingham to develop new technology for advanced aircraft wing systems to support future aircraft programmes which directly benefit the UK. This project, the Next Generation High Lift System, is based around an innovative system architecture that will enable the following objectives to be realised: Support efficient integration into the wing through reduced parts, thus reducing aircraft build time; Reduced loads transferred to interfacing aircraft structure, thus enabling reduced structural component weight / size and corresponding reduced fuel burn; Low Weight Actuation System using innovative gearing architecture; SMART system with increased health monitoring capability to allow airline operators to predict maintenance needs; Minimise system weight through the use of new manufacturing techniques and materials. The lessons learnt will be transferred to other areas of the UTC Aerospace Systems global market business.

This proposal is in response to the call for International Cooperation in Aeronautics with China, MG-1.10-2015 under Horizon 2020 “Enhanced Additive Manufacturing of Metal Components and Resource Efficient Manufacturing Processes for Aerospace Applications”. The objectives are to develop the manufacturing processes identified in the call: (i) Additive manufacturing (AM); (ii) Near Net Shape Hot Isostatic Pressing (NNSHIPping) and (iii) Investment Casting of Ti alloys. The end-users specify the properties and provide computer-aided design, (CAD) files of components and these components will be manufactured using one or more of the three technologies. During the research programme, experiments will be carried out aimed at optimising the process routes and these technologies will be optimised using process modelling. Components manufactured during process development will be assessed and their dimensional accuracies and properties compared with specifications and any need for further process development identified. The specific areas that will be focussed on include: (a) the slow build rate and the build up of stresses during AM; (b) the reproducibility of products, the characteristics of the powder and the development of reusable and/or low cost tooling for NNSHIP; (c) the scatter in properties caused by inconsistent microstructures; (d) improving the strength of wax patterns and optimising welding of investment cast products. The process development will be finalised in month 30 so that state-of-the-art demonstrators can be manufactured and assessed by partners and end-users, during the final 6 months. The cost of the process route for components will be provided to the end-users and this, together with their assessment of the quality of these products, will allow the end-users to decide whether to transfer the technologies to their supply chain. The innovation will come through application of improved processes to manufacture the demonstrator components.