ALFA Seal - Advanced Laminar Flow snAp-fit Seal

阿尔法密封项目(阿尔法密封-**A**跳跃**L**阿米纳**F**低sn**A**p-Fit密封)建立在以前英国政府和行业资助的项目的基础上，旨在通过启用机翼层流使航空旅行在环境上更可持续，支持政府承诺到2050年实现温室气体净零排放\。涡轮机翼的设计在过去50年中不断演变，引入了相对较小的增量变化来减少阻力和提高效率。为了满足航空公司降低运营成本的要求，并响应可持续飞行的社会压力，需要在技术上进行阶段性变革。层流机翼创新实现了这种阶段性变革，减少了燃料/能源消耗，这反过来又导致了运营成本的提高，运营商的盈利能力和环境影响。未来，部件组装将越来越智能化和自动化，新型的层流友好型阿尔法密封系统支持这一雄心。创新的阿尔法密封系统的组装容易，在关节(台阶和间隙)之间消除了密封剂的需要，平衡了紧密的空气动力公差与成本效益的冲突要求，易于维修的结构。简而言之，它解决并管理了层流和机械配件相结合的顽固遗留挑战。此外，作为传统密封剂的替代品，阿尔法密封系统将有助于提高气动结构的生产率，这也将是飞机需求上升的一个差异化因素。该项目：*寻求成熟一种新型的层流友好型装配密封解决方案，用于满足空气动力公差的空间分配和结构连接(步骤和间隙)的关键问题，和服役中的可操作性要求*有助于未来机翼的层流开发--短程飞机的自然层流和远程的混合层流*解决ATI“加速雄心”(2019年)航空结构路线图中的优先领域，并与政府产业战略的未来飞行挑战、英国零喷气机理事会目标以及ATI在加速改善未来飞机环境性能方面的FlyZero倡议保持一致*利用伦敦金融城大学的跨音速风洞作为国家风洞设施(NWTF)基础设施的一部分，以获得关键测试数据，以便进行模型验证和改进计算建模，这将导致在项目结束时生产TRL4密封产品

The ALFA Seal project (ALFA Seal - **A**dvanced **L**aminar **F**low sn**A**p-fit Seal) builds on previous UK government and industry funded projects aiming to make air travel more environmentally sustainable through the enablement of wing laminar flow, supporting the Government to committing to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050\.Turbulent Wing design has evolved over the past 50 years introducing relatively small incremental changes to reduce drag and improve efficiency. To meet airlines requirements for reducing operating costs, and to respond to societal pressure for sustainable flight, a step change in technology is required.Laminar flow wing innovation enables such a step change, reducing fuel/energy burn, which in turn results in improved operating costs, improved profitability for the operators, and reduced environmental impact.In the future, component assembly will be increasingly smart and automated, and the novel laminar-flow-friendly ALFA Seal system champions this ambition.The ease of assembly of the innovative ALFA Seal system removes the need for sealant between joints (steps and gaps) balancing the conflicting requirements of tight aerodynamic tolerances, against cost-effective, easy-to-repair structures. In short, it solves and manages the stubborn legacy challenge of marrying laminar flow and mechanical fit.Moreover, as a replacement for traditional sealant, the ALFA Seal system would contribute to a ramp-up in aero-structure production rates, which will also be a differentiator with an upturn in aircraft demand.This project:* seeks to mature a novel laminar-flow-friendly assembly sealing solution for the key issues around space allocation and structural joining (steps and gaps) that meets aerodynamic tolerances, a ramp-up in production rates, and in-service operability requirements* contributes to laminar flow exploitation on future wings -- natural laminar flow for short-range aircraft and hybrid laminar flow for long-range* addresses priority areas within the ATI "Accelerating Ambition" (2019) Aerostructures Roadmap and aligns with the Future Flight Challenge of the Government's Industrial Strategy, the UK Jet Zero Council objectives, and the ATI's FlyZero initiative in accelerating improvements in environmental performance of future aircraft* exploits the City, University of London transonic wind tunnel as part of the National Wind Tunnel Facility (NWTF) infrastructure to obtain crucial test data that allows model validation and improved computational modelling, which will lead to a TRL4 seal product at the conclusion of the project