Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT), a Manufacturing USA institute, has been recognized by TechConnect Defense with a 2018 Innovation Award for an ongoing project to increase engine efficiency and airplane performance.
The “Forging and Processing of Al-Li for Improved Performance and Structural Life” project creates a tool that allows engineers to model and predict mechanical responses, which will enable a significant increase of engine efficiency and payloads, as well as significant reduction in cost and emissions.
Due to its efficacy, the model will be incorporated into the Engineering Standard Work for industrial partner business units to not only improve future forgings and designs, but also allow for routine optimization to improve performance and reduce the weight of overly-conservative designs.
“Lightweighting goes beyond just materials, it goes all the way back to the design,” said Alan Taub, chief technology officer, LIFT. “If we can accurately predict how materials will react in different situations, we are better able to remove mass, saving both energy and costs.”
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