Center for Applied Aviation Research

ZAL Finkenwerder, exterior view of the large test hall and the entrance area

The Center for Applied Aviation Research (ZAL) was founded in Hamburg in 2009 by nine shareholders and cooperates intensively with Hamburg universities and industry on research and development work .

ZAL Finkenwerder, view from above into the great hall

founding

An important goal of the establishment was to strengthen the aviation research network in the Hamburg metropolitan region. Belong to the nine shareholders

• the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg with a share of around 20%
• the Airbus Operations GmbH and with a share of around 20%
• the Lufthansa Technik AG with a content of about 20%
• the ZAL Förderverein e. V. with a share of around 18%
• the German Aerospace Center with a share of around 10%
• the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg with a share of around 3%
• the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences with a share of around 3%
• the Helmut Schmidt University / University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg with a share of around 3%
• the University of Hamburg with a share of around 3%

Main topics and facilities

Test halls, laboratories and offices were built and set up in the ZAL in order to offer R&D services together with Airbus, Lufthansa Technik and the Hamburg universities, industrial partners and suppliers and to acquire the basis for future competencies. Various laboratories and test infrastructures were provided for the main topics and research areas to carry out practical experiments. The ZAL, together with its industrial partners Airbus and Lufthansa Technik, has coordinated these key issues with the following six technology fields:

ZAL Finkenwerder, large hall with ceiling crane

• Fuel cells
• Cabin technologies (cabin and cabin systems)
• Air conditioning & power electronics
• Production
• Acoustics & vibration
• Virtual reality

ZAL Finkenwerder, large hall with 3-D printer

For this purpose, 1200 m² of hall space with the corresponding large gates and powerful crane systems as well as 700 m² of test room areas are available, which are divided into individual areas of 50 m² to 250 m². The infrastructure with cooling circuit , necessary ventilation as well as exhaust gas and wastewater connections and possibilities for energy recovery for testing fuel cell systems with hydrogen was designed for systems up to 250 kW. The focus is on the integration of fuel cells into on-board operations with the use of "exhaust gases" such as water and nitrogen . The resulting water can be used in the toilets (weight saving) and the nitrogen is used as an inert gas for the tanks and also replaces the halon as a fire extinguishing agent (environment, safety).

The area of ​​cabin technologies includes electronic cabin systems (e.g. DELIA project), air conditioning and power electronics, cooling of on-board components and the entire aircraft infrastructure. This is intended to increase passenger comfort with reduced energy consumption. This area for the A320 series up to the A380 is integrated in the multi-storey hall with laterally arranged laboratories, meeting rooms and offices.

ZAL Finkenwerder, small hall; View into the acoustics laboratory with a full-size demonstrator of an aircraft fuselage

The facility has a large acoustics laboratory for testing new, acoustic cabin systems in full-size hull demonstrators. In this large laboratory room is the research and development platform, reminiscent of an A320 fuselage section, for carrying out vibro-acoustic examinations, the measurements of which were previously only possible in flight. This enables simulation results of sound propagation from external sources of noise into the cabin to be checked. Examples of research projects are the LuFo 5.1 project FlightLAB and the German-Canadian project NAIMMTA.

Hamburg is an important location for aircraft construction with a special focus on aircraft fuselage and final assembly. For production and manufacturing, research is carried out on new, application-oriented technologies and methods in the areas of testing assembly processes, system installations as well as drilling and riveting. This also includes aircraft maintenance with the necessary maintenance and overhaul processes, engine repairs, component replacement and component preparation.

In the Center for Applied Aviation Research, the close link with industrial and research partners is realized under one roof. Cross-departmental communication, networking and modern laboratories are important prerequisites in order to try out various possibilities for cooperation. This area therefore also includes an innovation marketplace, creative rooms and a laboratory for virtual reality. This has time advantages for testing and optimizing new products and processes before they are actually built or implemented.

Promotion of young talent

The ZAL provides space for Pro Technicale . Pro Technicale is a non-profit company that supports young women who have just completed high school diplomas . In an eleven-month course, they will be prepared for the technical professions in the aerospace industry . The focus is on preparing for your studies; in addition to theory, practical project work is carried out with like-minded people.

Web links

Commons : Center for Applied Aviation Research  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Website of the Center for Applied Aviation Research

Individual evidence

1. ↑ About: Sharehoilders. In: ZAL. Retrieved January 7, 2020 (American English). 
2. ^ Research & Technology. In: ZAL. Retrieved January 7, 2020 (American English). 
3. ↑ Distributed, Extendable, Lightweight, open, reliable, service-oriented Architecture for next-gen mobility. Accessed January 7, 2020 (English). 
4. ^ New Acoustic Insulation Metamaterial Technology for Aerospace. Accessed January 7, 2020 (English).