Better, faster and cheaper maintenance all improve the availability of aircraft and helicopters for both civil and military aviation. New technology such as digital twinning and artificial intelligence is playing an important role in this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Netherlands Aerospace Center (NLR) plays a vital role in conducting research and turning knowledge into value. NLR does this through nine strategic programmes. For the series \u201cThe Aviation of the Future,<\/a>\u201d Innovation Origins speaks with all programme leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the seventh episode, we spoke with Tim Leeuwerink (programme leader of Operational Availability<\/a>) about new ways to increase aircraft and helicopter availability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf aviation is to function properly, both the civil and the military sides, it\u2019s important that planes and helicopters are available enough of the time. If aircraft break down or if components can\u2019t be delivered, it reduces the availability figure. In this programme, we investigate how that availability can be improved, for instance using new technologies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re researching the options for automation and robotisation, for example. That\u2019s because plane and helicopter maintenance is in fact largely done manually at the moment, which makes it a costly activity. On top of that, finding staff to carry out the work is becoming increasingly challenging in this tight labour market. Robots could be one element of the solution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tim Leeuwerink is the Aerospace Vehicles business manager and the programme leader of the Operational Availability programme. He was educated as a physical scientist but then went more into the commercial side. Aircraft maintenance piqued his interest. \u201cThere are three aspects to the social importance of good operational availability. First of all, there are the economic interests. If parties such as KLM can do maintenance more cost-efficiently, it improves their competitive position with respect to other aerospace companies. Secondly, it\u2019s important that society should be kept safe. We want to help the air force operate more effectively thanks to greater availability of their aircraft. Finally, we play a part in making society greener by combating waste and making maintenance more sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A good example of the support we provide for the air force is a setup for inspecting helicopter rotor blades at the air force base in Woensdrecht. As yet, inspecting rotor blades has been time-consuming, manual work: someone taps the rotor with a small hammer and listens to the sounds to detect hidden defects. Every square centimetre of a blade nine metres long and one metre wide has to be inspected this way. We\u2019ve automated that process: the rotor blade is suspended in a cradle and measured using sensors to uncover any defects. This automated process is much quicker than the manual process, which means that the helicopter is ready to be deployed again sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cAnother important topic is predictive maintenance. If we\u2019re smart about doing the measurements, we can make predictions at a given point about the maintenance requirements for planes and helicopters. At the moment, aircraft maintenance is done after a fixed number of hours that is defined in advance, much like the servicing schedule for a car. We want to look a step beyond this type of periodic maintenance. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMeasuring the parts and components individually using sensors lets keep a close eye on their quality. That lets us determine when maintenance is genuinely needed or when the parts have reached the end of their service life and need replacing. That makes it quite a bit more efficient and therefore cheaper because it becomes easier to cluster the maintenance activities, for example. On top of that, it generates useful savings in materials, of course. We then only do the maintenance when it\u2019s really needed, which is an environmental gain as well.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOn top of that, we at NLR are getting more and more into additive manufacturing. That means that we\u2019re able to make metal parts using a 3-D printer. That means less waste during production and less stock is needed. That helps combat waste too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNLR carries out applied research. We have knowledge and expertise in-house about a wide range of topics and we make that know-how available for companies and for the government. It\u2019s interesting for us to work with the industry and with the users. That lets us know what issues they\u2019re coming up against and tells us the best way to let our innovations fit in with the actual practice. That cross-pollination is massively valuable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cImplementing new technologies isn\u2019t so straightforward, though. On the one hand, aviation is high-tech and there\u2019s plenty of scope for new technology and new materials. On the other, it\u2019s a sector that is also very conservative; that\u2019s because of the safety requirements, of course. New components and technologies have to be proved to be reliable. We can\u2019t achieve that with a single programme, naturally, and we work a great deal with other programmes within NLR. There\u2019s a link with Aerospace vehicle development<\/a>, for instance, as a programme that focuses largely on the development of flight, where maintenance is involved. For military aviation, there are links too with the programmes Information-Driven Operations<\/a>, Future Air & Space Power<\/a> and Unmanned and Autonomous<\/a>. We\u2019d like to be able to use drones in future for inspecting aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Artificial intelligence is going to become more and more important in data analysis<\/p>\nTim Leeuwerink<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \u201cPredictive maintenance is an important dot on the horizon. A variety of projects are working towards that. It means that we\u2019re taking a step-by-step approach to implementing sensors and analysing data. We\u2019re getting capable of producing a better picture of a plane\u2019s condition and that means we can make increasingly accurate predictions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI also think that artificial intelligence is going to become more and more important in data analysis. In the longer term, I believe we\u2019ll be able to make smarter models and that will yield better predictions. Complementary to that, I expect that sensors will be built into the aircraft to an increasing extent. That\u2019s already being done, but because the sensors are becoming cheaper, it will be possible to expand that further in future. That makes it easier to collect and analyse data.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Better, faster and cheaper maintenance all improve the availability of aircraft and helicopters for both civil and military aviation. New technology such as digital twinning and artificial intelligence is playing an important role in this. The Netherlands Aerospace Center (NLR) plays a vital role in conducting research and turning knowledge into value. NLR does this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1640,"featured_media":505055,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"views\/single-partner.blade.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26049],"tags":[69735,83492,48777,54097],"location":[6763],"article_type":[6758],"serie":[],"archives":[],"internal_archives":[],"reboot-archive":[],"class_list":["post-473450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mobility","tag-ai-nl-3","tag-aviation-of-the-future","tag-nlr","tag-predictive-maintenance","location-netherlands","article_type-interview"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":{"subtitle":"How could new technologies increase the availability of aircraft and helicopters? An interview with Tim Leeuwerink, programme leader Operational Availability at NLR.","text_display_homepage":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"Linda Bak","author_link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/author\/linda-bak\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/NLR_2023_054_38_preview.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Mobility<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Mobility<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["AI<\/a>","Aviation of the future<\/a>","NLR<\/a>","predictive maintenance<\/a>"],"unlinked":["AI<\/span>","Aviation of the future<\/span>","NLR<\/span>","predictive maintenance<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 2 years ago","modified":"Updated 2 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on April 2, 2024","modified":"Updated on April 2, 2024"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on April 2, 2024 2:00 pm","modified":"Updated on April 2, 2024 2:00 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1640"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=473450"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473450\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/505055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=473450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=473450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=473450"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=473450"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=473450"},{"taxonomy":"serie","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/serie?post=473450"},{"taxonomy":"archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/archives?post=473450"},{"taxonomy":"internal_archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal_archives?post=473450"},{"taxonomy":"reboot-archive","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reboot-archive?post=473450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What exactly does the Operational Availability knowledge programme involve?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
About the programme leader<\/h2>
\u201cIt\u2019s the combination of technology and practical applicability that makes this field so fascinating,\u201d says Leeuwerink about his work. Collaborating with colleagues is an important aspect for him as well. \u201cIn my job as a business manager, I\u2019m primarily involved with clients and with specific orders. As a programme leader, I work with my colleagues on the roadmaps for the future. That\u2019s completely different.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\nWhat impact will the programme have on society?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Predictive maintenance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Additive manufacturing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What is NLR\u2019s role in all this?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
What will the programme be concentrating on in the coming time?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nAdditive manufacturing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u201cOn top of that, we at NLR are getting more and more into additive manufacturing. That means that we\u2019re able to make metal parts using a 3-D printer. That means less waste during production and less stock is needed. That helps combat waste too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat is NLR\u2019s role in all this?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u201cNLR carries out applied research. We have knowledge and expertise in-house about a wide range of topics and we make that know-how available for companies and for the government. It\u2019s interesting for us to work with the industry and with the users. That lets us know what issues they\u2019re coming up against and tells us the best way to let our innovations fit in with the actual practice. That cross-pollination is massively valuable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cImplementing new technologies isn\u2019t so straightforward, though. On the one hand, aviation is high-tech and there\u2019s plenty of scope for new technology and new materials. On the other, it\u2019s a sector that is also very conservative; that\u2019s because of the safety requirements, of course. New components and technologies have to be proved to be reliable. We can\u2019t achieve that with a single programme, naturally, and we work a great deal with other programmes within NLR. There\u2019s a link with Aerospace vehicle development<\/a>, for instance, as a programme that focuses largely on the development of flight, where maintenance is involved. For military aviation, there are links too with the programmes Information-Driven Operations<\/a>, Future Air & Space Power<\/a> and Unmanned and Autonomous<\/a>. We\u2019d like to be able to use drones in future for inspecting aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nArtificial intelligence is going to become more and more important in data analysis<\/p>\nTim Leeuwerink<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nWhat will the programme be concentrating on in the coming time?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u201cPredictive maintenance is an important dot on the horizon. A variety of projects are working towards that. It means that we\u2019re taking a step-by-step approach to implementing sensors and analysing data. We\u2019re getting capable of producing a better picture of a plane\u2019s condition and that means we can make increasingly accurate predictions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cI also think that artificial intelligence is going to become more and more important in data analysis. In the longer term, I believe we\u2019ll be able to make smarter models and that will yield better predictions. Complementary to that, I expect that sensors will be built into the aircraft to an increasing extent. That\u2019s already being done, but because the sensors are becoming cheaper, it will be possible to expand that further in future. That makes it easier to collect and analyse data.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Better, faster and cheaper maintenance all improve the availability of aircraft and helicopters for both civil and military aviation. New technology such as digital twinning and artificial intelligence is playing an important role in this. The Netherlands Aerospace Center (NLR) plays a vital role in conducting research and turning knowledge into value. NLR does this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1640,"featured_media":505055,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"views\/single-partner.blade.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26049],"tags":[69735,83492,48777,54097],"location":[6763],"article_type":[6758],"serie":[],"archives":[],"internal_archives":[],"reboot-archive":[],"class_list":["post-473450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mobility","tag-ai-nl-3","tag-aviation-of-the-future","tag-nlr","tag-predictive-maintenance","location-netherlands","article_type-interview"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":{"subtitle":"How could new technologies increase the availability of aircraft and helicopters? An interview with Tim Leeuwerink, programme leader Operational Availability at NLR.","text_display_homepage":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"Linda Bak","author_link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/author\/linda-bak\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/NLR_2023_054_38_preview.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Mobility<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Mobility<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["AI<\/a>","Aviation of the future<\/a>","NLR<\/a>","predictive maintenance<\/a>"],"unlinked":["AI<\/span>","Aviation of the future<\/span>","NLR<\/span>","predictive maintenance<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 2 years ago","modified":"Updated 2 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on April 2, 2024","modified":"Updated on April 2, 2024"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on April 2, 2024 2:00 pm","modified":"Updated on April 2, 2024 2:00 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1640"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=473450"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473450\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/505055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=473450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=473450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=473450"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=473450"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=473450"},{"taxonomy":"serie","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/serie?post=473450"},{"taxonomy":"archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/archives?post=473450"},{"taxonomy":"internal_archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal_archives?post=473450"},{"taxonomy":"reboot-archive","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reboot-archive?post=473450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}](\"https:\/\/www.nlr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/NDI-20052-03-scaled.jpg\"){kind=link}