EU Funded Projects

SMART ROTORS (2020-2023)

SMART ROTORS is an ERDF-funded research project aimed at the development of design, analysis, and manufacturing tools for quiet, efficient rotors. The goal of the project is to develop a new integrated design and automated manufacturing methodology for rotors for electric aircraft and drones for future urban air mobility. TUD focuses on the multi-disciplinary aerodynamic/acoustic optimization of rotors with a newly developed rapid design tool, including validation with high-fidelity numerical and experimental simulations.

Project Partners:

Rotterdam The Hague Innovation Airport, NLR, KVE Composites, Airborne

Contact persons TUD:

Tomas Sinnige, Francesco Avallone, Daniele Ragni

METROPOLIS 2 (2020-2022)

Metropolis 2 is a SESAR/Horizon 2020-funded research project aimed at providing concrete solutions to enable air traffic in high-density urban environments. As the European demand for U-space research is shifting towards U3/U4 services, the project consolidates the results from U1/U2 services and provides a realistic foundation for future Urban Air Mobility (UAM).  The project takes a unified approach to airspace and separation management on different levels: strategic deconfliction, tactical deconfliction, and dynamic capacity management.

Project Coordinator:

TU Delft

Project Partners:

NLR, Unifly, Linkoping University, ENAC, Everis, University of Patras

Contact persons TUD:

Joost Ellerbroek

ENODISE (2020-2024)

The noise and greenhouse gas emissions generated by aircraft have a negative impact on human health and the environment. To reduce noise and gaseous emissions, the EU-funded ENODISE project aims at improving the integration of novel aircraft’s propulsion systems with the airframe. To achieve this, it will study the key propulsion-airframe integration issues and build a solid basis of knowledge and methods. The project will investigate integration optima using a novel experimental methodology combined with high-fidelity simulations and low-order modelling approaches. It will also implement shape modifications and innovative flow/acoustic control technologies to maximise aero-propulsive efficiency while reducing adverse installation effects. The proposed research plan should lead to better integration designs with minimal detrimental installation effects.

Project Coordinator:

Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics

Project Partners:

TU Delft, GPU Prime LTD, Universita Degli Studi Roma Tre, University of Bristol, Pipistrel Vertical Solutions, Universiteit Twente, Siemens Industry Software NV, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, DLR, ONERA, RWTH Aachen University, NLR

Contact persons TUD:

Francesco Avallone, Daniele Ragni

COLOSSUS (2022-2024)

COLOSSUS paves the way for future European aviation products and services which are designed in a truly holistic approach and to thus provide a major contribution to the digital transformation of aviation and air transportation in order to enable European competitiveness in a key industrial sector.

The expected outcomes of COLOSSUS provide Europe’s aviation sector with the platform to develop new and breakthrough product and technology in a holistic system-of-systems approach.

Project Coordinator:

DLR

Project Partners:

SAAB, ONERA, LIU, UNINA, POLITO, TECNAM, TU Delft, INCAS, Thelsys, SmartUp, GKN Fokker, CFSE, VTI

Contact persons TUD:

Francesco Avallone, Daniele Ragni, Fulvio Scarano, Roeland De Breuker, Bruno Santos