Perspectives Issue 2 / December 2016

Presenting our AIRC

The Open Lab 1500m 2 in size. Mainly used for the testing of intelligent robots in the structural assembly of aircraft parts. Robots include a FANUC CR-35iA (pictured), the world's strongest collaborative robot able to lift 35 kg. It uses sensors to determine the proximity of a person/object and stops if touched.

Visualisation area Facilities include an air traffic management simulator (pictured) and large aircraft flight simulator, used to test new ideas and impact on aircraft. Feedback screens linked to the Visualisation lab and 'The Pod' meeting area (see below).

Office space Used by Cranfield staff and other users of the AIRC including industry and visiting academics.

Sliding doors (18m x 6m) allow for aircraft around the size of a Jetstream 31 to pass through. Also home to various aircraft structures - including a full size aircraft wing - used for testing assembly procedures and structural integrity.

'The Pod' Meeting space incorporating video-conferencing and live streaming from the Visualisation area (see above).

The Atrium A flexible space for meetings and social events, open to all.

Due for completion at the end of the year and set to officially open in mid-2017, our Aerospace Integration Research Centre (AIRC) is certainly starting to make its mark on the Cranfield landscape.

In October a topping out ceremony was held to mark the highest point of the building being reached and over the coming months work will continue on kitting the building out. The £35 million AIRC builds on our existing expertise and will foster collaboration between industry and academia, providing capabilities comparable with the leading aerospace facilities across Europe and the world. Tim Mackley, a Senior Lecturer in Systems Engineering, who will head up the Centre said: “The AIRC represents a new approach to performing research in an increasingly integrated world. I am looking forward to working with our partners in industry and across academia to develop what is intended to be a key capability in aerospace research, both in the UK and internationally.” The Centre’s uniqueness is its focus on integration in aerospace, where new aerospace technologies will be rapidly developed and tested for current and future aircraft and airspace concepts using modern simulation and visualisation techniques, creating a virtual aerospace environment for research. Its design emphasises collaborative working, with spaces for partner firms to carry out their research while calling on the wider facilities of the University. There is a large open area in the building for mechanical, electrical and structural type research; hangar doors will directly open on to the airfield, designed to accommodate a 19-seater aircraft like our own Jetstream 31.

Closed lab areas These labs will be used for research related to UAVs, structures, assembly and intelligent automation needing a controlled environment.

AIRC Factoids •

Dimensions – 16.6m high, 67.5m long, 40m wide

• Time taken to build – design and enabling works approx 12 months; construction approx 12 months • Materials used – over 500 tons of steel and over 90 tons of glass • Crane used in construction – widest in the UK (40m wide) and the second widest in Europe • Manpower – Over 500 people worked on the build, amounting to over 60,000 man hours.

This project has been co-funded by Airbus, Rolls-Royce, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and ourselves.

Perspectives Keeping staff informed December 2016

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