Ingezonden persbericht
PERS-UITNODIGING
Vliegtuigen Airbus 25 jaar getest in DuitsNederlandse Windtunnel
Een van de grootste en meest geavanceerde windtunnels van Europa, de Large Low-speed Facility (LLF) staat in de Noordoostpolder en vliegtuiggigant Airbus test hier al 25 jaar zijn vliegtuigen. Om deze mijlpaal te vieren en tegelijkertijd een kijkje in het hart van deze enorme windtunnel te bieden, nodigt de stichting Duits-Nederlandse Windtunnels (DNW) u graag uit op woensdag 15 november as.
DNW exploiteert naast de LLF ook de belangrijkste windtunnels van het Nationaal Lucht- en Ruimtevaartlaboratorium (NLR) en het Deutsche Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR). Daarmee beschikt de DNW over een aantal belangrijke faciliteiten voor de ontwikkeling van nieuwe vliegtuigen. Voor de lucht- en ruimtevaartindustrie -en dus ook voor Airbus - is een windtunnel een onmisbaar werktuig. Er is geen enkel Airbustype dat niet intensief in de LLF getest is.
Dit feit vieren wij op 15 november 2006 met een feestelijke bijeenkomst bij de DNW in de Noordoostpolder. Voorafgaand aan de festiviteiten (waar u ook van harte welkom bent) vindt een persbijeenkomst plaats. Bovendien is er de mogelijkheid om vooraf deel te nemen aan een rondleiding door de LLF. Tijdens de perspresentatie zal er onder meer gesproken worden over de toekomst van de luchtvaart, nieuwe meettechnieken, het nut van windtunnels en de bijdrage aan reductie van brandstofgebruik en geluid.
Airbus en DNW zullen vertegenwoordigd zijn door:
Alain Garcia Executive Vice President Engineering van Airbus
Fred Abbink Algemeen directeur van het NLR en voorzitter van het DNW-bestuur
Joachim Szodruch Bestuurslid van het DLR en vice-voorzitter van het DNW-bestuur
Georg Eitelberg Directeur van de DNW
Datum: 15 november 2006
Tijd: 14:00 uur
Locatie: DNW-LLF
Voorsterweg 31
8316 PR Marknesse
(Voor routebeschrijving zie www.nlr.nl)
Mocht u nog vragen hebben dan kunt u contact opnemen met het secretariaat van DNW: info@dnw.aero of 0527 248520
U kunt zich aanmelden door onderstaand formulier in te vullen en te mailen naar (opvragen bij afzender)
DNW, Siggi Pokörn, E-mail: siggi.pokoern@dnw.aero
Background Information
DNW - high-quality assets for aeronautics industry and research community
The wind tunnels operated by DNW are an essential tool to assist the aeronautical industry in its efforts for product innovation and development. Certain DNW facilities, in particular the Large Low speed Facility DNW-LLF in the Noordoostpolder, are acknowledged by the European and world-wide aeronautical industry as strategic elements for their development process and played an important role in programs such asthose of Airbus and Eurofighter. In fact, there has not been a single Airbus aircraft type, of which the aerodynamics have not been developed and/or tested? in the LLF. The same applies to a large number of helicopters produced by European manufacturers such as Eurocopter and Agusta. Also a DNW customer is the consortium that builds the NH90, which has been procured by the Royal Netherlands Navy. Other important customers in the past also includethe Fokker 50 and 100 programs, as well as the Dornier 328 and 728 programs. The wind tunnels operated by DNW are part of the basic aerospace research infrastructure in the two home countries - Germany and Netherlands.
The particular relationship with Airbus has been made evident by an important number of recurrent tests. The number of tests undertaken has been much higher than the number of Airbus models available on the market today, because not only do the models require multiple testing, but also variations and modifications of already flying aircraft have to be evaluated in the wind tunnel simulation.
The joint history of Airbus and DNW
Cooperation between Airbus and DNW started right from the calibration phase of the DNW-LLF. For the calibration of the tunnel, a generic model representing the A300 was used and wasfunded by public authorities. From 1981 on, the A300-600 model was used for various studies of high lift configurations and engine integration simulations. At this stage, the engine simulators were still un-powered. The first A320 model followed in 1986. In the following year, this model was also equipped with powered engine simulators and was used for ground proximity simulations, as is the case for all the subsequent models. Models of other aircraft followed in rapid succession. Some of the more unusual tests were simulating the A310 carrying a Hermes Space Shuttle on its back and the Super Guppy transporter in 1991. Also the A300-600 Super Airbus Transporter had to be validated in the DNW-LLF.
In the nineties, tests for airframe noise started to gain increasing significance. The A340 underwent its first dedicated noise testing in a wind tunnel in 1994, as was also the case for the A321 HAK high lift configuration. In the same period, the trend to aero-acoustic testing of the main noise generating components, such as landing gear or wing tips, as well as detailed tests of the aircraft wake vortices, became more frequent. Both latter topics are of course significant for the environment and flight safety around airports. Both the new double-decker A380 as well as the military transporter A400M first started testing with DNW in the year 2000; work on these two is still ongoing.
With its test results, the LLF has made invaluable contributions to the safety and economy of aircraft operations. Moreover, with its unique acoustic features and noise measuring techniques, the LLF has contributed to a better understanding and reduction of the noise produced by aircraft and helicopters, and thereby to a better, less noisier environment. In addition, the facility has tested, over the past two decades, practically every car and truck that is driving over Europe's roads. It has made major contributions to the reduction of air pollution thanks to the progress made in drag reduction.. It is fair to say that the automotive industry has thus benefited from the excellence in aerospace testing maintained by DNW.
DNW - high-quality for the international market
The facilities of DNW represent high-quality assets in people and technology, which are crucially needed by the European aeronautics industry and research community. As the facilities are not continually occupied by this industry, DNW strives for a broader customer base and aims to be the number one provider of specialist wind tunnel services in the worldwide market. DNW is successfully maintaining its high standard of technology and high quality of service in competition with other large organizations like ONERA in France, NASA and Department of Defense facilities in the US, ARA and QinetiQ in the UK and many others. At the five sites of DNW, approximately 150 highly skilled specialists seconded from the national laboratories are permanently employed, with nearly half of them at the Noordoostpolder site. With its presence, DNW is also a significant factor for the local technology infrastructure at the respective sites, generating turnover through its continual innovation and renewal projects beyond its own direct testing activity.
The worldwide users of our wind tunnels originate both in the research communities, where advanced technological studies are organized in international teams as well as in commercial companies. In the first category the recent series of tests dedicated to improving helicopter aerodynamic and aero-acoustic performance deserve particular mention. The national laboratories, here the US Army Aero Flight Dynamics Directorate, NLR, DLR, NASA and ONERA defined the research program; DNW entered as a partner and contractor in the implementation. The resulting project, called HART, has won a number of awards and citations in the scientific community. The Japanese consortium ATIC, which was tasked with a feasibility study for production of a quiet helicopter by its government, also made use of the capability of DNW-LLF. Worth mentioning are further the contributions made by DNW to European noise research under the auspices of several Framework Programs of the European Union. Much of these test results find their way in improved noise characteristics of European aircraft and helicopters and consequently less noise annoyance.
In the development of commercial products for major non-European companies, Boeing has been one of the significant companies using the LLF for noise analysis and noise reduction studies on the 737 and 7J7 in its early days and also the DNW-HST in Amsterdam in their high-speed work. Other well-known clients from outside Europe are companies like the Chinese AVIC, Bombardier (Canada), Cessna (USA), and Embraer (Brazil).
DNW is proud to have received such a significant recognition of its capabilities as witnessed by the awards of the contracts from Airbus, and continues to invest in its people and technologies in order to maintain its presence in the world wide market for experimental simulation in aeronautical research and development.
Contact:
Dr.-Ing. Georg Eitelberg
Director DNW
Phone: +31 527 248520
Fax: +31 527 248582
E-mail: georg.eitelberg@dnw.aero