DISMANTLING AND END OF LIFE
When parts or full airframes reach the end of their life span, automation and other Industry 4.0 systems shall support recycling processes to increase the value of the constituent composite and metal materials.
The overall aim of this research focus is the economically viable automated aircraft fuselage dismantling and material separation, through the set-up of a rivet removal demonstrator using robotics and water jet cutting for improved recovery of high-quality aluminium recycling materials.
Specifically, main structural aircraft components shall be dismantled by:
- Application of water jet cutting through/around/next to rivets;
- Isolation of the main structural components (shells, stiffeners, frames) according to size & alloys;
- Sorting by alloy group;
SUSTAINair incorporates the following technology for the dismantling stage:
Robotics and water jet cutting to dismantle EoL aircraft for maximised recyclate value
SUSTAINair aims to bring cost-efficient, automated, intelligent solutions to the MRO and EoL industries, allowing reuse and recovery of expensive aerospace materials, to be kept at high-grade aviation standards.
There will be a strong focus on future-proofing the technology, ensuring its robustness for hybrid and composite materials as well as morphing structures.
The work will be led by DLR, AIT-LKR, AELS and NLR with contributions by other project partners.