ADDIFLAP Project

Additive Manufacturing of Flap Tracks based on W-DED Process

ADDIFLAP aims to develop a new concept of flap track system by combining a novel flap track support manufactured by Laser Wire Direct Energy Deposition (W-DED-LB) with a new design of carriage system based in sliding pad concept, free of maintenance. Deployment of W-DED-LB process will be supported by numerical models and the online process monitoring & control, to stablish the manufacturing strategies to reduce distortion and achieve the suitable structural integrity. Sliding pad design for the flap carriage system will be based on self-lubricant surfaces-materials & processing- approach.

ADDIFLAP will validate the W-DED-LB performance in a real manufacturing environment, getting the final validation of the flap track structure under dynamic conditions. Besides, a self-lubricant material which enable the redesign of the carriage system through a sliding concept will be validated, under normal load and several sliding cycles. The wear resistance behaviour of the new sliding pad will be finally validated in the additive manufactured track.

New manufacturing strategy of ADDIFLAP will impact the whole value chain, improving the environmental impact and the industrial competitiveness: raw material saving, energy-efficiency and overall optimisation. On the other hand, a cost reduction is expected if the rollers are replaced with sliding or rubbing pads, with no maintenance. 

ADDIFLAP project is included within ITD Airframe, under the Activity Line A, High Performance & Energy Efficiency (HPE), which is focused on increasing the efficiency of airframes.

This is a CS2 funded project, initiated as part of the CS2 funded project MANTA (Movables for next generation aircraft). Within MANTA, Asco designed a multifunctional TE flap mechanism that may lead to a performance increase in order to minimize the impact of aviation on the environment.

Work Packages