“Better, Faster, Cheaper” (BFC) emerged in the 1990s as a new paradigm for aerospace products. In this paper, we examine some of the underlying reasons for BFC and offer some thoughts to help frame the thinking and action of aerospace industry professionals in this new era. Examination of literature on industrial innovation indicates that aeronautical products have evolved to a “dominant design...

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) technology is a revolutionary method of determining the integrity of aircraft structures, and is increasingly being evaluated by the aerospace industry as a possible method to improve the safety and reliability of aircrafts and thereby reduce their operational cost. Researchers in China have been studying SHM technologies for aerospace applications since the b...

In this paper we discuss issues in the development of formal methods for use in aerospace applications, reflecting our experience in working with both Rolls-Royce and British Aerospace. We discuss some of the key factors which we believe govern the application of discrete mathematics to aerospace applications, drawing comparisons with applied engineering mathematics in other domains. We give an...

Working Paper Series This literature review was prepared in support of research investigating team-level systems thinking. Three critical constructs were identified–team, process, and culture–and the pertinent literature is explored in this white paper. The research focused on the aerospace industry, and as such, this white paper uses illustrative examples from the aerospace industry wherever p...

Modern Aerospace systems are cyber-physical, comprised of physical components but commanded and controlled by “cyber” (computing and communication) elements. It is widely acknowledged that codesign across cyber and physical elements will provide a better-performing holistic system, but few of today’s engineers have adequate preparation to model, optimize, and simulate both. Even working in team...

Like other industries, the aircraft industry is under high pressure to meet drastically increased customer goals for market price and flexibility. This while at the same time share holders request for short term profit guarantees. Daimler-Benz Aerospace Airbus has met this challenge using business process reengineering methods which led to total company restructuring from functional orientation...

Traditionally, abrasive finishing process focus on producing excellent surface finish on regular form shapes. Ever increasing demands in freeform features in aerospace, energy and medicine industry requires abrasive finishing technology not only provides excellent surface finish but also is capable to correct the errors on freeform surfaces. The paper presents current development of corrective ...

Focusing on the organisational competence notion, this work introduces a methodology to find suitable engineering Small-Medium Enterprise (SME) partners and to suggest effective agile supply networks. The ideas described have been tested with over two hundred engineering SMEs in the North East region of England. Participant companies are mainly engaged in the defence and aerospace industry.

The application of Fibre-Reinforced Plastics is important in many engineering areas, but vital for the aerospace industry. This work shows how inline metrology can contribute to a feasible production of composite parts. An inspection system based on a Machine Vision System will be presented as a key-component for the automatic construction of complex Preform structures.

ABSTRACT: Contemporary digital systems must necessarily be based on the “System-on-Chip” (SoC) concept. Especially in relation to the aerospace industry, these systems must overcome some additional engineering challenges concerning reliability, safety and low power. An interesting style for aerospace SoC design is the GALS (Globally Asynchronous, Locally Synchronous) paradigm, which can be used...