International Partner Search

Innovation & Technology Request

Seeking industrial partner for designing, developing and producing a prototype of a twin-engine helicopter and its rotors

Country of Origin: Italy
Reference Number: TRIT20170208001
Publication Date: 21 March 2017

Summary

An Italian company located in Lombardy is developing an internal combustion propulsion system consisting of 2 independent engines integrated in a single base, meant to be installed on a light helicopter (0,6-1 ton). 
The prototype of the innovative engine is at an advanced stage of construction, but the company still requires research and technical cooperation for the completion of the preliminary analysis, the design of details and the construction of a light helicopter to host the motor.

Description

The Italian company, based in Lombardy, was founded in 1996 in motorcycle sector and since 2009 is expanding its activities to aeronautical sector. 

The segment of light aircrafts classified as VLR (Very Light Rotorcraft), VLA (Very Light Aircraft) and UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) is strongly influenced in its development by the presence in the market of a small range of propulsion systems which show a too old design (dated from the ‘60s), just with some upgraded components and electronic apparatuses, which remain penalized in terms of performance (weight, power, specific fuel consumption, operating costs, etc.).

In this context, the company is developing a twin engine system that could find application on a multi-engine helicopter but also on a fixed wing aircraft. 

This new engine integrates technology and design criteria that underpin the implementation of a single engine already produced by the company specifically for light aircrafts. 

The twin engine system is conceived as a product with high functional performance and extremely high standard of reliability and safety, that meets the airworthiness requirements and possible different uses in any civil or military mission without any restriction. To be more specific, the aircraft would be useful for aerial works, such as reconnaissance, environmental monitoring, surveillance, health care in remote areas (transport patients), with a cheaper cost compared to the actual aircrafts driven by two turbine propulsion units. With the new system it would get a reduction in both the cost of acquisition and the operational costs (due to the increased energy efficiency of internal combustion engines and lower maintenance costs). 

The development program covers a complex articulation of activities ranging from aerodynamics to the study of materials, mechanics, electronics in an interdependent context that concerns both the new engine and the helicopter in its complexity as a whole.

The final goal is the fabrication of an engineering prototype, designed to show how technological developments obtained by this project respond to the expectations and are able to overcome the solutions that currently make up the state in the sector.

The decision to perform the testing using a rotary-wing aircraft allows to make a validation that covers the wider horizon of possible aeronautic applications. At the end of this phase, the Bill of Product Base will be updated and consolidated with all changes made. It can be assumed that the overall technological maturity of departure is proving to Level 2-3 and that achieved at the end of this research project is classified at Level 6, experiment dealing on the first prototype. 

The company is looking for research and technical cooperation to complete the preliminary analysis and to design a  a specific bi-blade light helicopter that will be produced to host the motor.

Expertise sought

The twin engine system is conceived as a unit of 2 completely independent power units - 2 shafts with 4-cylinder for each tree, side by side and spaced 180° - integrated in a single base, managed by an electronic control system (ECC), in order to modulate the power output of the individual motors as a function of the operational needs of the aircraft. One of the objectives is to provide an active redundancy able to handle the flight even in extreme conditions, such as in case of “out of use” of a single motor. The new system benefits of a specific single engine technology (a 4-cylinder Boxer 2,700 cc), made up in part of the same components and in part of similar components that comply to the design criteria. As for the single engine, the twin engine system is equipped with the full redundancy of all critical components by insertion of a second element in stand-by, that is activated when the primary component undergoes an anomaly. The other engine peculiar characteristics concern:

-	extremely reduced weight / power ratio;

-	reduced specific fuel consumption;

-	increased cooling efficiency;

-	extreme reduction of the product costs.



Moreover, the commercial availability of an internal combustion engine, with its low cost, can be a very strong stimulus for the market of the light aircrafts and can also immediately open the way to new and diversified applications. Pilots training is one of the first uses that can be made with significant cost savings. Compared to the high cost of the bi-turbine machines, used at the moment, it can be considered that a light helicopter motorized with the new system is able to perform the flight activity at a cost equivalent to the 10-15% of the current cost and the total saving is calculable at around 80%. 

The company is seeking an industrial partner to develop the twin engine and to produce a specific bi-blade helicopter dedicated, designed to complement the engine optimizing the functional and operational conditions, in order to evaluate all the potential offered by this new motorization. 

The partner sought shall have the ability to produce certified aerospace metal structures made of steel, titanium alloys and /or light aluminum alloys. The capability to produce tubular welded trusses with titanium alloy and the experience in the design of kinematic chains for flight controls is desirable.

Stage Of Development

Under development/lab tested

Requested partner

The requested partner is a manufacturing company specialized in helicopter’s design and production.

The partner will collaborate  for the completion of the preliminary analysis, the design of details and the construction of a light helicopter to host the new motor, within research and technical cooperation agreement.

The partner sought shall have the ability to produce certified aerospace metal structures made of steel, titanium alloys and /or light aluminum alloys. The capability to produce tubular welded trusses with titanium alloy and the experience in the design of kinematic chains for flight controls is desirable.