Story ID: 421
UTC Expands Smart Aircraft Ops Portfolio
By: James Wynbrandt
Caption: REACh-compliant coatings and fiber optic sensing technology added to the company’s “ecosystem” of products and services.
Word Count: 476
UTC Aerospace Systems (Chalet 346) is here at the Paris Air Show highlighting products and services that enable smart aircraft operations, while also introducing new additions to its expanding range of sensing technology, advanced aircraft interfaces, health and usage monitoring systems and other advanced technologies. “It’s an ecosystem,” said president Dave Gitlin of UTC’s portfolio, pointing to products and applications such as the integrated propulsion system on the Airbus A320neo, along with the ground maneuvering camera system and proximity sensing data concentrator on the Boeing 777X.

UTC also unveiled here at Le Bourget the first chromate-free Reach (the EU’s chemicals regulation) compliant landing gear corrosion protection coating for steel parts on commercial aircraft. The new primer, incorporating UTC’s patented EcoSky pigment, performed as well as or better than existing chromate primers in laboratory testing, and is now in field evaluation with Canada's Porter Airlines. UTC has also implemented zinc nickel plating for steel components as a drop-in replacement for cadmium and titanium cadmium in support of Reach sunset dates. The plating is already being used on the A350-1000 main landing gear. UTC introduced chromate-free primers for wheel and brake application in response to U.S. OSHA regulations in 2007.

The company also announced an exclusive licensing agreement with Smart Fibres Ltd. for a fiber-optic based temperature sensing technology, to support a growing need for more reliable, lightweight and easier to install sensing systems.

“After extensive analytical studies and testing we found that Smart Fibres’ technology is the most promising, reliable and accurate solution for temperature sensing on aircraft,” said Dr. Mauro Atalla, UTC’s v-p of engineering and technology, sensors and integrated systems. One promising application is in aircraft overheat protection systems, which monitor aircraft bleed ducts, control valves and critical areas of the aircraft. An overheat protection system based on fiber-optic technology would be highly configurable, faster and easier to install, more reliable, and lighter weight, according to UTC. Additionally, more accurate fault detection would reduce maintenance time.

UTC is also highlighting its work on shaping a wing of the future, in part by transferring knowledge gained in Formula One high-performance race cars to actuation systems for commercial aerospace applications. The company’s composite center of excellence in the UK is producing composite actuation components 30- to 70-percent lighter than metal alloy parts, and is currently supplying composite fuel pipes and isolators for the carbon wings of Airbus’s A350XWB. The parts are designed to last the entire life of the aircraft and require no maintenance.

UTC also announced here a €900,000 ($1 million) three-year contribution to Orbis International, a non-governmental organization that operates the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital, an MD-10 aircraft, whose physicians perform hundreds of sight-saving and restorative surgeries every year, and train eye-care professionals around the world.