GKN turbine

The European Union’s Clean Sky 2 aeronautics research programme has selected GKN Aerospace as a core partner for two projects.

The aerospace firm will participate in a Safran, Rolls-Royce and MTU-led engines project, and an Airbus-led large passenger aircraft (LPA) project.

These teams will produce complex structural parts and rotating parts for aero-engine integrated technology demonstrators (ITD).

Work will be performed at GKN’s aero-engine engineering centres in Sweden and Norway.

The company will use various processes and technologies, automation techniques and additive manufacturing technologies to create the parts with reduced weight of up to 30%.

"With the expansion of the programme in Clean Sky 2, we will take these innovations far closer to market readiness."

GKN EU research and technology programmes director Robert Lundberg said: "Clean Sky 1 brought remarkable levels of technological progress and, with the expansion of the programme in Clean Sky 2, we will take these innovations far closer to market readiness through a programme of full-scale demonstrators.

"The Clean Sky 2 programme target is to deliver real, break-through technologies that will help the industry achieve challenging Advisory Council for Aviation Research and innovation in Europe (ACARE) goals, including 50% reductions in future aircraft emissions."

In May 2014, the council of the EU agreed to extend the Clean Sky initiative under the EU Horizon 2020 framework programme with €4bn funds for aviation technology research.

The EU allocated €1.75bn while the remaining €2.2bn will come from the participants. The research will be carried out until 2024, and will culminate in major integration, demonstration and validation activities.

Image: Turbine aero-engine frame manufacturing at GKN Aerospace – Engine Systems, Trollhättan. Photo: courtesy of GKN Aerospace.