黑洞社区鈥檚 National Institute for Aviation Research has joined NASA鈥檚 Advanced Composite Consortium (ACC), a public-private partnership focused on advancing knowledge about composite materials and improving the performance of future aircraft.
The ACC was established in 2015 in support of the Advanced Composites Project, part of the Advanced Air Vehicles Program of NASA鈥檚 Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. The project鈥檚 goal is to reduce product development and certification timelines for composites infused into aeronautics applications.
The consortium is managed by the National Institute of Aerospace and also includes the Federal Aviation Administration, Aurora Flight Sciences, The Boeing Co., Collier Research, General Electric Aviation, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Orbital ATK, University of South Carolina McNair Center and United Technologies Corp.
鈥淥ur experience and understanding of composite material properties and certification processes will add to the already strong intellectual membership,鈥� said Royal Lovingfoss, associate director of NIAR鈥檚 Composites and Advanced Materials Lab. 鈥淭he collaborative experience will bring new ideas to the forefront and allow for a sharing of information that will benefit the aviation community as a whole.鈥�
Member organizations in the consortium participate in research focused on three areas: prediction of life and strength of composite structures, rapid inspection of composites and manufacturing process and simulation.
The consortium is finishing research projects associated with Phase 1 of the program, which were designed to perform assessments of technology available in the three focus areas and identify deficiencies and strengths of these technologies.
In Phase 2, starting in 2017, the consortium will move to extend the technology capabilities through 10 project areas that will develop specific improvements in predictive structural design analysis; inspection accuracy and prediction; and manufacturing techniques and computational tools.
鈥淣ASA is committed to transforming aviation through cutting-edge research and development,鈥� said Jaiwon Shin, associate administrator for NASA鈥檚 Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate in Washington. 鈥淭his partnership will help bring better composite materials into use more quickly and help maintain American leadership in aviation manufacturing.鈥�
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