AnnuAl report

2017

Irt in motionStart up

2013

ramp up

2014 2015

CruISe mode

2016 2017 2020+

41PhDs

8Post-Docs

294 PeoPleincluDing

1sAtellite site

2017 totAl suRFAce5 000 m2

2017 tecHnicAl suRFAce1 700 m2

boRDeAux

toulouse10 900 m2

toulouse AeRosPAce 2018

soPHiA AntiPolis

teCHNoLoGY reSearCH @ Irt SaINt eXupÉrY peopLe

50 AcADeMicMeMbeRs incluDing

20Public institutions

30lAboRAtoRies

sMes59inDustRiAl MeMbeRs incluDing90

Key FIGureS

PRojects stARteD

44cuMulAtiVe buDget

(2014-2023)

€319M

PlAtFoRMs11

7 PAtents

equiPMents45

PublicAtions135

17 tecHnicAl ReFeRents 105 scientiFic

ADVisoRs

conFeRences214

tecHnology tRAnsFeRs

27

FaCILItIeSmemBerS & partNerS

boRDeAux 2 800 m2

nice

Contents

Key figures ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2

Foreword ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3

High Performance Multifunctional Materials 4

More Electrical Aircraft 10

Embedded Systems 16

Platforms at IRT ………………………………………………………………………………………… 22SMes at IRT ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 23PhD Students at IRT ………………………………………………………………………………… 24 Academics at IRT ……………………………………………………………………………………… 25Training Activities at IRT ………………………………………………………………… 26Alumni …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 26events ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 28Saint-exupéry Values ……………………………………………………………………………… 31

2018

152 142iRt contRAct eMPloyeesiRt seconDMents

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dear reader,« We have underestimated time factor to build-up these institutes and to reach notoriety. But they have all confirmed there genuine project and are all on the line of success. They are in full growth and to the gate of maturity » said Louis Schweitzer on November 21st. This fully applies to IRT Saint Exupéry the ramp-up of which has been unanimously recognized as impressive. Facts and figures simply give evidence of our good health (see p.2).

As for science, Chaimae Ghfiri international award in 2016 has not been a single fortuitous event: on November 15th Saber Chelaghma won the Sampe Europe Student Symposium 2017 in Stuttgart, and will participate in the

CAMX2 2018, in Dallas. This proves that IRT Saint Exupéry offers a particularly fruitful environment to our PhD students. The first students having accomplished their PhD thesis have been hired by enterprises as a first step to promising careers. All this means that accelerating transferable R&T also implies accelerating good science and empowered competencies.

Focus on strategic technologies for our Industrial partners is particularly visible in the More Electrical Aircraft Domain, where 3 structuring projects were launched for a total amount of more than €25M over 4 years. In the Big Data area, results capitalized on the Citadel Platform will be the basis for a larger innovation cycle, involving actual users of geo and spatial data. First significant contract with a SME for accessing high value Additive Manufacturing Platform was also signed.

The second funding tranche has been officially signed up by governmental authorities for more than €55 M(PIA3), securing budgets until 2022 at least, and providing serenity to developing the post-PIA business model.

Sustainability of our Institute clearly means excellence which is key to facing successfully the forthcoming state assessment in 2019, which will trigger post-tranche 2 PIA funding. Several ideas are emerging such as establishing a pole of expertise in each of our three R&T domains, and there is a leitmotiv which is self-arising: IRT Saint Exupéry is the place where real or digital things and processes become sustainable, reliable and certifiable.

2017 has also seen the opening of a new antenna at Sophia Antipolis with a new promising partnership with Inria. In 2018 will also happen reinforced cooperation with the competitivity clusters, Aerospace Valley heading, and a more and more strategic involvement of regional authorities.

Times are challenging and demanding but passion and pioneering spirit are still there and we are eager for inaugurating the new B 612 building and for developing reinforced partnership in the Toulouse Aerospace eco-system.

President

GIlbeRT CaSamatta

Chief Executive Officer

ARIel SIrat

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The Competence Centres have gained momentum, and our platforms are now all close to being operational. We are now benefiting from the first results. This was an important milestone, as it confirms both our initial choices and our strategy

with stakeholders. Our original platforms and multi-disciplinary competence mix attracts clients seeking to develop disruptive technologies or enhance current products. 2017 was also a transition year to prepare for the future. Several workshops were held with industrial and academic partners to present our results and update the roadmaps and proposals for 2nd generation of projects to be carried out in 2018.Amongst the major 2017 breakthroughs, we can cite the following : the hot forging of titanium alloys for high-temperature applications; the set-up of a database on defects encountered in additive manufacturing, improving the performance of composite materials, mastering elaboration and assembly processes (fibre sizing, thermoplastics

and thermosetting materials functionalisation, out-of-autoclave polymerisation, bonding, welding, etc.) ; and increasing the maturity level in processes for Ceramic Matrix Composites materials elaboration as well as in surface treatments and automated application of ink and paint on aircraft exteriors.

STéphAne MAhdi-pierAzziHead of Materials Domain

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HIGH perFormaNCe muLtIFuNCtIoNaL materIaLS

d o m a I N

« The ability to elaborate material tailoredfor performance and manufacturability,

“out of cycle”, is attracting both industrials and major supply chain players. »

HIGHLIGHtSThe thermoplastic prepreg impregnation line is in operation and producing prepreg with state-of-the-art quality. The ability to elaborate material tailored for performance and manufacturability, “out of cycle”, is attracting both OEMs and major supply chain players. This work is being completed by fundamental developments on induction welding technologies, with the aim of getting closer to an aero structure proof of concept. Good progress is also observed for thermoplastic, thermoset matrix functionalisation (electrical, damping…) and the optimisation of cure cycles for out of autoclave processes. Last, but not least, the hybrid (experimental/simulation) Stimpact platform, inaugurauted in march (see p. 28), is also opening new opportunities to address ice, drone, and impact threats in a modular manner.

Micro arcs oxydation

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Shared Stimpact Platform Institut Clément Ader/Airbus/IRT Saint Exupéry

On the metals side, the additive manufacturing platform is now in operation with our electron beam melting machine. Activities are starting, focusing on bridging physical metallurgy – process – durability, in line with the IRT Saint Exupéry positioning within FIT1 developments. The laser beam melting test bench, laser metal deposition, and hot isostatic press capabilities will soon follow. Wet surface technologies and partnerships are yielding good results, confirming the need to continue developing green coatings with applications to air inlets and pressure valves. Laser and plasma platforms, combined with automation, are enabling UV-curable painting/decoration applications and innovative solutions for surface preparation before bonding operations. Lastly, Ceramic Matric Composites activities have led to the development of the 1st EU-based oxide prepreg, patented jointly with Safran Ceramic. Research activities continue with the development of 3D SiC infused materials and processes.

1 French Institutes of Technology

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« The IRT Saint Exupéry is a focal pointallowing us to get a first access through

an industrials partners’ network. »

Panel of Ti 64 samples built in Arcam Q20+ (EBM Technology)

perSpeCtIveSMaterials operations have reached cruising speed: with great achievements expected. To face the challenges, research activities are developing through Competence Centres:• Polymer Matrix Composites, with a focus on developing aero-

structure carbon fibre reinforced plastics and its optimisationfor performance, manufacturability (out of autoclave, welding,bonding…) and functionalisation.

• Ceramic Matrix Composites, the continuation of generic CMCactivities.

• Metallic Materials, including a focus on additive manufacturingand forging applications.

• Innovative Technologies, enabling strong focus on developingindustry-tailored green and automated (wet & dry) surfacesolutions and innovative assemblies.

It is worth noting that simulation technologies, in support to our experimental developments, are at the heart of all IRT Saint Exupéry projects. The role of the Competence Centres is to ensure scientific and technical excellence with the aim of shortening industrial development time, allowing for a right 1st time material insertion.

addItIve maNuFaCturING pLatForm2017 was marked by the implementation of the additive manufacturing platform, which serves as a foundation for the Andduro and DePÔz research projects. An ARCAM Q20Plus machine (additive manufacturing using an electron beam to melt powdered metal), with a build size of 350 mm in diameter with 380mm height, has been in operation since May 2017. This machine enabled the IRT Saint Exupéry to begin research on material/fusion process in-teractions for titanium and nickel-based alloys. These investigations will soon also be carried out on a laser metal deposition machine made by the French company BEAM. The new ma-chine will be installed in early 2018, offering a useful build size of 650*400*400 mm, and will allow to perform activities involving multiple material in the near future. These machines, which fully complement IRT members’ additive manufacturing platforms, will achieve concrete results regarding the influence of manufac-turing strategies and parameters, geometric limitations of 3D objects built using these pro-cesses, and will establish a design framework that can be applied to best leverage these revo-lutionary manufacturing processes.

zoom oN

pierre rOUCh (AviACOMp)Technical Director

Specialised in the design and manufacture of sub assemblies in latest generation thermoplastic composites,

Aviacomp notably supplies access hatches to A350 and CSeries fuel tanks. We are partners with the IRT Saint Exupéry on Sofusin, an 18-month project in which we have invested €346K. The aim of Sofusin is to demonstrate the feasibility of an induction welding process and supply demonstrators on elementary parts by integrating the constraints of new high performance materials. This multiple-partner research with the IRT and other partners should enable us to make an end-user qualified assembly process.

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STephAne hOLLArd (AUberT & dUvAL)Technical Director of Research and Development

Metaltechnics is the first multiple-partner research project in which we work alongside IRT Saint Exupéry. The project

was launched three years ago and has now come to fruition. During the project we studied thermomechanical paths and were able to deliver practical results with proposals for new high performance materials combining, for instance, titanium and light alloys, as well as their property characterisation. The IRT Saint Exupéry is a focal point allowing us to get a first access through an industrials partners’ network. The success of Metaltechnics will open the way to future collaborative studies with the institute. The new MAMA project should be initiated in March 2018 with a budget of €4M.

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CeramIC matrIX CompoSIteS The goal of this Competence Centre is to increase the maturity level of pro-cesses for elaborating Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) materials in order to enable their introduction within civil aircraft engines, for applications to internal parts as well as engine exhaust systems. In 2017, we focused on putting resources into operation, with platforms dedicated to relevant manufacturing processes, as well as by enhancing the skills of our techni-cal teams. Additional differentiating equipments will be integrated in 2018 to complete the CMC development capabilities with the aim to create an innovation platform that combines, reinforces and leverages our mem-bers’ expertise.

end Of prOjeCT: LiqUid STATe Oxide-bASed CMCAfter three years, the Liquid State Oxide-based CMC project ended on August 31, 2017. A family of pre-impregnated oxides based on Nextel™ 610 fibre, with preliminary properties comparable to competing materials, was developed during this project. This result is the fruit of multiple iterations ranging from the formulation of suspensions, impregnation parameters, filming, storage and cutting, to draping, compacting, moulding, debinding and sintering. The team’s work contributed signif icantly to understanding the relationships between process parameters, the micro-structure of elaborated materials, and their mechanical properties. Two patents were co-filed with Safran to protect the progress made in the context of this project. Work to achieve greater understanding based on two PhD theses will also continue until September 2018.

STUdieS On CArbide-bASed CMC AerOnAUTiCS pArTS The CMC SiC MI project strives to develop materials that are compatible with use in airplane engine turbine parts to improve the efficiency of the turbo-machine and reduce emissions such as NOx. It will also reduce manufacturing cycles and investment in equipment, notably thanks to the use of optimised, robust, ready to produce industrial isable and series-in line-controllable processes. Implemented resources, such as a slurry injector and a melt infiltration fur-nace (silicifying furnace), are nowfully operational on the Bordeaux platform. IRT technical teams are working to master pro-cesses by identifying and implementing controls on key parameters. We are also focusing on the rela-tionship between process parameters and material performance properties.Scale-up work has begun (slurry barbotine preparation, multi-object manufacturing handling, etc.) and will continue through the end of the project.

Injector. © Patrick Dumas

innOvATive ASSeMbLieS Studies on increasing the maturity level of adhesive bonding and surface preparation technologies are ongoing with topographic and surface energy control. The project focuses on the use of dry surface preparation techniques before bonding such as laser or plasma treatments. Work performed this year on the implementation of a statistical approach for industrial applications has allowed to determine the dependence and sensitivity of the different process parameters as well as surfaces of response and optima. At the same time, progress has been made in the practical implementation of an adhesive bonding integrated laboratory with process and characterisation facilities supplies such as a laser cabin, atmospheric plasma, automatic adhesive dispensing, climatic chamber, digital microscope, mechanical test, goniometer, and more.

Surface analysis of a laser treatment © IRT Saint Exupéry

D O M A I N HIgH PerfOrMANce MultIfuNctIONAl MAterIAlS 2017 ANNuAl rePOrt

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1 Automated Fibre Placement 2 Automated Tape Laying

3 Out-of-Autoclave 4 Expanded Copper Foil

orGaNIC matrIX CompoSIteSThe Competence Centre activities focus mainly on issues related to improving the performance of composite materials, mastering elaboration and assembly processes (fibre sizing, thermoplastic and thermosetting materials functionalisation, out-of-autoclave polymerisation, bonding, welding, etc.). The competence centre also study the possibilities for boosting economic competitiveness, such as ways to reduce costs and introduce electrical, vibration damping and thermal functions. In 2017, we were also able to work with our industrial and academic partners to establish the major technical challenges that will serve as the starting point for our follow-up projects. This includes the development of high competitive performance thermoplastic tapes, as well as the mastery of induction welding, based on a simulation approach.

indUCTiOn weLding Of TherMOpLASTiC COMpOSiTeS Introducing thermoplastic composites within primary structures is one option that could be considered by aircraft manufacturers. Beyond the many advantages of this type of material, the use of composites is strongly influenced by the costs related to elaboration processes. Integration and automation processes are therefore key competitiveness factors for a new technology. With that in mind, IRT Saint Exupéry began R&D work seeking to demonstrate that a stringer welding technology using continuous induction heating is indeed adapted to thermostable TP composites manufactured by lamination of unidirectional prepregs. A welding pilot comprising a robot-mounted induction effector (Fig. 1) was developed, and is used to study optimal welding conditions. This work has allowed to achieve a preliminary definition of process parameters to ensure perfect welding between two C/PAEK laminates (Fig. 2).

Fig. 1-Welding robot. © IRT Saint Exupéry

Fig. 2-Weld joint. © IRT Saint Exupéry

prOTeCTiOn Of COMpOSiTe STrUCTUreS frOM LighTningProtecting aircraft from lightning is a major concern for ensuring in-flight safety. The quantity of composite materials used in recent airplanes has risen continually, now even representing a greater proportion than metals. The low conductivity of composites makes it difficult for electrical charges to flow in case of a lightning strike, which can lead to a damage to both the structure and the equipment. One of the current solution consists in laying a copper mesh (Fig. 1) on the surface of the composite structure. Performed manually, these operations increase production cycles and result in many non-conformities. An alternative could be the development of conductive coating: we developed a coating comprised of sub-micronic silver wires dispersed in an epoxy resin (Fig. 2). This resin can be projected as an automatically-settling spray that reduces cycles and non-conformities during production. Preliminary lightning tests have confirmed that this coating has the potential to replace ECF4 for some applications.

Fig. 1-Expanded Copper Foil.

Fig. 2-Coating with Submicron Silver Microwires (thickness < 100µm).

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eLAbOrATiOn And ChArACTeriSATiOn Of high-perfOrMAnCe pre-iMpregnATed MATeriALSSince 2016, our thermoplastics pre-impregnation pilot has supported activities to elaborate high-performance pre-impregnated materials for primary aerospace structure applications. Work to formulate impregnation solutions and master key process parameters for this type of preindustrial equipment led to the elaboration and characterisation of high performance pre-impregnated semi-products. By leveraging line modularity and rapid iterative cycles, various material typologies are addressed and adapted to meet the needs of industry targets through AFP1, ATL2 and OoA3 technologies. Functionalising these pre-impregnated materials resulted in improved electrical conductivity as compared to available commercial tapes.

Carbon PAEK tape with AgNws offering enhanced electrical conductivity © IRT Saint Exupéry

GéRARD BerNHart

Head of Ceramic Matrix Composites

Competence Centre

D O M A I N HIgH PerfOrMANce MultIfuNctIONAl MAterIAlS 2017 ANNuAl rePOrt

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metaLLIC materIaLS & SurFaCe treatmeNtS

SIMon peruSIN

Head of Metallic Materials and Surface Treatments

Competence Centre

The Competence Centre’s 2017 research activity con-tinues ongoing develop-ment for innovative mate-rial and process solutions for the aeronautic and space industry.This year was the occasion to finalise our first studies focusing on topics such as the hot forging of titanium alloys for high-tempera-

ture applications; implementing thermo-optical barriers for space use; micro-arc anti-corrosion treatment of light alloys; and the automated appli-cation of ink and paint on aircraft exteriors. The first technology transfers involving these studies have been discussed with our industrial members. 2017 was also marked by the launch of four new research projects dedicated to additive manufac-turing and treatments for metallic and organic matrix composites surfaces.

MeTAL AddiTive MAnUfACTUringStarted in 2014, the first work on the Ti64 titanium alloy transformed by powder bed technologies was concluded this year. It allows highlighting the differences in obtained micro-structures such as crystallographic textures, phase morphology and defects, with respect to the processes used. The role of thermal post-treatments on mechanical performance has been also studied. This work is being pursued with a research programme that is extended to include other alloys and the Laser Metal Deposition process. Other topics also considered are the optimisation of process parameters, the establishment of design rules and the study of structure durability.

AnOdiSATiOn Of friCTiOn STir weLded zOneSThe friction stir welding process offers high technical-economic potential for manufacturing metal fuselages. However, surface anti-corrosion post-treatment around welded joints is necessary for ensuring overall durability. In 2017, the development of these treatments have been examinated as part of the SALSA project. A prototype enabling to apply a localised tartaric sulfuric anodising treatment was improved in order to obtain a homogeneous and reproducible conversion layer. The surface characterisation demonstrated that this treatment is completely localized and has absolutely no impact on nearby painted zones. A semi-industrial method was also designed to prepare the transfer of the developed solution to our members.

fATigUe CrACkS prOpAgATiOn in αβ TiTAniUM ALLOy

Being able to increase inspection intervals for primary structural elements in aircraft involves mastering the propagation of fatigue cracks. A crack propagation rate is closely linked to a mechanical loading condition and the material micro-structure, which itself is inherited from the manufacturing process. Multiple thermo-mechanical cycles were applied to titanium alloy trials of high industrial interest (Ti54M, Ti64 ELI, Ti575). Propagation kinetics and paths for fatigue cracks were analysed through mechanical tests and multi-scale characterisations. This resulted in a database that can be used for future industrial qualification.

3D Drawing of a localized surface treatment equipment. © IRT Saint Exupéry

Ti64 Lattices structures – Laser Beam Melting process

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Titanium alloy pancake & associated Widmanstätten microstructure © Aubert & Duval

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d o m a I N HIGH perFormaNCe muLtIFuNCtIoNaL materIaLS

phds & poSt-doCs CorNer The first 4 PhD theses of the Materials Domain were achieved this year with brio. 4 New theses have started in 2017. 6 post-docs were present in 2017. CIRIMAT remains the major academic laboratory for the domain. ICA (Toulouse and Albi centres), I2M, LCTS, MATEIS, IMRCP, CEMES, LAPLACE, PPRIME (Poitiers), LGP (Tarbes), LTN (Nantes) are also involved in our projects. LOMC (Le Havre), CRISMAT (Caen), SIMAP (Grenoble) are new laboratories joining for the 2nd generation of projects and theses.

Thesis title: Design ofa polymer extrinsic conductive coating / silver submicron wires: application to the metallization of thermosetting substrate

loaded with carbon fibers for spatial purpose

« An original process for the surface metallisation of carbon fibre reinforced polymer matrix (CFRP) substrates has been developed for electromagnetic shielding applications. The results open up possibilities for industrial technology transfer. »

DAVID dupeNNe

2017 IRT PhD & CIRIMAT Current position at Assystem

2017 phd - MeTALLiC MATeriALS & SUrfACe TreATMenTS On gOing TheSiS - OrgAniC MATrix COMpOSiTeS

Publication: Compaction behavior of out-of-autoclave prepreg materials. L. Serrano, P. Olivier, J. Cinquin - In AIP Conference Proceedings (Vol. 1896, No. 1, p. 030009, 2017), October, 2017.

« Understanding and becoming proficient in the manufacture of thermosetting matrix composites using a non-autoclave process without the application of external pressure and at temperatures below 180°C.transfer. »« The understanding of unusual polymerisation kinetics and the use of X-ray tomography for monitoring implementation and the post-impact characterisation of composite parts. »

PHIlIPPe oLIvIer

Professor at IUT GMP

ICA DirectorPhD Advisor

leonARD SerraNo

3rd year PhD Student at IRTICA

On gOing TheSiS - OrgAniC MATrix COMpOSiTeS

Publication: Investigation of crystal morphology of PEKK and modelling of the crystallization kinetic of PEKK composites. S.A. Chelaghma, O. De Almeida, J.-N. Périé, P. Marguerès, A. Vinet - JNC20 (Journées Nationales sur les composites), Champs-sur-Marne (France), June 28-30, 2017.

« This thesis aims to study and model the influence of process and multifunctional composite constituents on its physical properties through the study of crystallisation and on the mechanical properties through multi-scale modelling. »« The study demonstrates imaging’s contribution to identify crystallization models and construct representative numerical models to establish the process / properties relationship. »

JeAn-noël pÉrIÉ

Associate Professor at IUT GMP

ICA PhD Advisor

SAbeR CHeLaGHma

3rd year PhD Student at IRTICA

1ST pLACe AT SAMpe eUrOpe STUdenT SyMpOSiUM 2017on november 16th, saber chelaghma participated to the sAMPe europe student symposium 2017 in stuttgart dedicated to Materials & Processes.

After winning the national selection, saber took the 1st place of the competition with his presentation:

« Crystallization kinetic modelling of multifunctional thermoplastic composites… First step towards mechanical and electrical optimization. »

Thesis title: PEKK polymer matrix/sodium niobate/graphene or carbon black hybrid composite, for a passive vibration damping by local transduction-dissipation, for aeronautic and space applications

« Improvements have been made to the vibration damping of a high-performance thermoplastic composite using a passive and original solution based on integrating piezoelectric and conductive particles ( local transduction-dissipation). A proof of concept has been provided thanks to the partnership between IRT Saint Exupéry, CIRIMAT and ICA.»

CAMIlle BeSSaGuet

2017 IRT PhD & CIRIMAT, ICA Current position at Assystem

Post-Doc subject: Passive vibration damping of aero-nautical and space compos-ite structures

« Integrating passive vibration damping func-tionality into composite structures requires the development of original materials at the laborato-ry and pre-industrial scale. This work opens up many technological possibilities for IRT Saint Exupéry »« These projects have been the opportunity to study a new damping concept at micro-scale level and to introduce a scale-up of the concept. »

« These studies have validated the original concept of passive damping using multifunctional hybrid composites in OoA thermo-setting and high-performance thermoplastic composites. »

luIS QuIroGa

Post-doctoral position at IRT & CIRIMAT, ICA

eRIC daNtraS

Professor,ScientistCIRIMATPhD & Post-Doc Advisor

GuIlHeM mICHoN

Scientist ICA

PhD & Post-Doc Advisor

Post-Doc subject: Design & realisation of an instrumented laser powder bed fusion test bench.

« The work carried out is aimed at de-veloping in-situ control solutions for additive powder bed manufacturing processes that offer complementarity and / or an alternative to ex-situ con-trols to allow corrective intervention during manufacturing. After a design step, the realisation of this bench is in progress. »

eRIC LaCoSte

Senior scientist at I2M

Post-Doc Advisor

RobIn kromer

Post-Doctoral Position at IRT & I2M

pOST-dOCTOrAL pOSiTiOn MeTAL AddiTive MAnUfACTUring

2017 phd & pOST-dOCTOrAL pOSiTiOn - OrgAniC MATrix COMpOSiTeS

pUbLiCATiOnS

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2017 aNNuaL report

more eLeCtrICaL aIrCraFt

d o m a I N

The 2017 year marks the end of the first generation of projects for the More Electrical Aircraft Domain, as well as the launch of Highvolt, Epower Drive, and Feline, representing a global budget over €25M. Sharing a similar common theme, the

Domain’s new projects are based on mastering costs and reliability for tomorrow’s electrical solutions, offering power density compatible with embedded systems. The increase in voltage and installed electrical power in aeronautics applications, along with today’s disruptions in electrical engineering with new semiconductor components, and the generalisation of electrified transport platforms, are leading to a convergence of work efforts in aeronautics, automotive and rail fields. This convergence enables us to mutualise expertise and experience, share the costs of research studies including expensive tests means. Efforts to integrate new academic and industrial members will be pursued, and we shall continue to reinforce partnerships with other French and European players involved with electrical engineering.

régine Sutra oruSHead of More electrical Aircraft Domain

SIGNature oF HIGHvoLt projeCtOn June 29, 2017, IRT Saint Exupéry signed its largest research project contract: Highvolt. With a budget of €10.3M over four years, the project unites the entire transport industry - aeronautic, automotive, and rail - to gather around disruptive technologies in electrical engineering related to increasing voltage and integrating new wide-bandgap electronic components. At this time, the project involves 14 industrial and academic partners (Airbus, Akka Technologies, Alstom, IVA Essex, LATelec, Liebherr, Nawa Technologies, Leroy-Somer, Radiall, Safran, Sogeti, Zodiac Aerospace, and the Laplace and LSEE laboratories). This number is expected to grow.

Industrial representatives at the HIGHVOLT project signature

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Ieee Summer SCHooL oN NaNo-eLeCtroNICSCongratulations on the successful event on the 2017 IEEE Summer School on Nano-electronics that took place at LAAS-CNRS , Toulouse, France on July 10-14 and organised by IRT Saint Exupéry and Laplace laboratory to promote interdisciplinary understanding of space, aeronautical, defence, and automotive systems based on disruptive nanotechnologies. IRT is proposing the opportunity of a series of annual event and this summer school, supported by IEEE Nanotechnology Council, offered 4 days’ lectures managed by a pool of professors, experts, academics and scientists to about 30 multinational graduate students and postdocs participating in the summer school specially designed for PhD students, Post-Docs and young engineers.

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emC3 CHamBer pLatForm This platform is available for IRT Saint Exupéry and its members, enabling users to work and characterise the increase in power density and conducted EMC performance, and make electromechanical chains more reliable for future transport methods. The platform’s particularity is its ability to test complete chains: 540 VDC4 network, 15 kW SiC inverter [progression planned up to 50 kW], cables, connectors, motors in a DO-160 conducted EMC setup (Faraday cage, LISN DO-160, EMI receiver…). In the short-term, it will enable testing for other types of converters: AC/DC, AC/AC, DC/DC... The platform therefore helps to validate research work performed by IRT Saint Exupéry, the potential for wide bandgap components, related components (passive components, filters, cables and electrical machines), as well as optimisation and integration work on electrical sub-systems. Its measurement and control equipment make the platform a highly modular tool that adapts to many different configurations and uses. It is currently being used for two theses on tests respecting DO-160: one on surge models enabling improvements in chain reliability;the other to model conducted EMI that appears in the electromechanical chain with cables (0...20m) to optimize filter sizing.

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Irt @tHe Heart oF tHe IeC1

In May, 20 renowned worldwide experts from Japan, Korea, Germany, Ireland, United States and France were welcomed at IRT Saint Exupéry for the IEC’s spring meeting of the 47A sub-committee (SC47A), focusing on EMC for integrated circuits. In September at Regensburg (DE), IEC members voted unanimously to nominate André Durier2, in charge of the Components Modelling & Reliability Competence Centre at IRT Saint Exupéry, as co-secretary of the EMC Measurements at Integrated Circuit Level Working Group (WG9) for one year. Then, he will succeed to Christian Marot (Airbus) as President of the SC47A for Integrated Circuit at AFNOR, which represents France at the IEC, and secretary of the WG9. SC47A is a springboard to make IRT Saint Exupéry results on power electronics and EMC components, known at international level. Those results received a «best paper award» at the APEMC 2016 conference in China.

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Control Room

Reproducing of the electromechanical chain into the Faraday cage

At the IMS laboratory, we are collaborating with the IRT Saint Exupéry on a project called Celia, which aims to appraise

the performance and viability of lithium-based energy storage systems in aeronautics. As part of the move to a more electric airplane, possible applications range from improving unbroken on-board systems to energy storage and release for higher power requirements. In the field of mature technologies, Celia is based on the characterisation and modelling of cells, and quantifying performance evolution during accelerated ageing tests carried out using experimental techniques provided by the Cacyssée platform at IMS. By delegating the management of the project to the IRT Saint Exupéry via this partnership, relations with industrialists and our mission in technology research will be greatly facilitated, which will enable us to concentrate on more scientific issues.

jeAn-MiCheL vinASSA (inp bOrdeAUx/reLiAbiLiTy grOUp)University Professor / Power Team Leader

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A major player in the transport industry, Alstom develops, produces and sells rail systems, equipment and services.

We joined the HighVolt project with the objective of improving our understanding of the accelerated ageing process of insulating materials in traction engines. We launched a collaborative research project with Laplace and LSEE laboratories in order to identify the electrical constraints in coiling. A test bench in the IRT Saint Exupéry will soon be created to support this research. Working directly inside the Institute has been more effective in increasing our knowledge and skills base than if we had worked with a laboratory. We also hope we can pool investment for the testing techniques of all-electric aircraft.

gUiLLAUMe deSpOrTeS (ALSTOM) Traction System Engineer

InTeRVIeW

zoom oN

1 International Electro-Technical Commission 2 On assignment from Continental 3 Electromagnetic compatibility 4 Virtual Device Context

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dIeLeCtrICS, CoNduCtorS & pLaSmaS

LAUrenT aLBert

Head of Dielectrics, Conductors & Plasmas

Competence Centre

The growing demand for electrical energy in air-planes requires increas-ingly higher voltage levels. In addition, controlling the weight of on-board equipment will require the use of fast-switching electronic components. These two assumptions lead to more extreme stresses on electrical sys-

tems. Evaluating and controlling electrical risks may be separated into several different research topics, notably: partial discharges, space charges, electric arcs, electrical ageing and dielectrics. The Competence Centre’s activities seek to provide our industry partners with deliverables that are indis-pensable for robust product development, includ-ing: design guidelines, test procedures, databases, simulation tools, test resources, norms and standards.

firST reSULTS frOM fOd1 STUdyElectric arcs on aircraft’s network can lead to significant component degradation. An arc may be initiated when a conductive object (FOD) comes into contact with parts under voltage. The experimental study objective within the scope of the Reliability project was to determine if the damage depends on the FODs types. Results show that the mass of the FOD has an impact on the arc’s behaviour, identifiable in some cases by analysing electrical signals. Arc evolution in time and space was examined in order to determine an optimal safety zone. Many possibilities can be considered with respect to improving both active and passive protections.

experT: A pArTiAL diSChArge TeST benCh deveLOped @irT SAinT exUpéryAn innovative test bench was implemented at IRT Saint Exupéry to characterise the performance of electrical components under aeronautical conditions and under Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) constraints. A specific triphase Silicon Carbide inverter was developed for this purpose. The inverter powers equipment using PWM voltage, with DC bus voltage up to 1 kV, and programmable rising edge voltage on the tested components reaching up to 10 kV/µs. Furthermore, control strategies are entirely configurable. This inverter enabled us to perform many tests under conditions that were extremely close to real-world operating conditions, and also made it possible for us to anticipate extreme loads in the future.

AirLifT: A TOOL fOr evALUATing The qUALiTy Of eLeCTriCAL inSULATiOn A new simulation tool has been developed to assess the quality of electrical insulation during pre-design. The tool leverages innovative methodology based on new criteria developed at IRT Saint Exupéry, making it possible to estimate the voltage at which partial discharges appear in complex geometries for a given environment. The tool is coupled with Comsol™ for finite element electrostatic modelling and with Solidworks™ for defining geometries.

Airlift Software © IRT Saint Exupéry

Electric Arc – Surface evolution example © IRT Saint Exupéry

EXtreme Partial dischargE motoR Test (EXPERT) © IRT Saint Exupéry

1 Foreign object debris

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CompoNeNtS modeLLING & reLIaBILItY

André durIer

Head of Components Modelling & Reliability

Competence Centre

Controlling reliability and reducing the costs of embedded electrical sys-tems are two major chal-lenges in system develop-ment. Work performed within the Components Modelling & Reliability Competence Centre seeks to understand and create models for degradation and ageing mechanisms for var-

ious components in order to predict their reliabil-ity. Characterisation and modelling is established for battery cells and fuel cells during operation under aeronautic conditions. Alone or on sub-strates, electronic components selected by part-ners are subject to electrical, mechanical, thermal or radioactive stress. This Competence Centre also develops EMC1 behavioural models for compo-nents to help reduce requalification costs in case of obsolescence.

inTegrATed CirCUiTS MOdeL generATOr fOr eMi3 behAviOUrAL SiMULATiOn

The use of simulation in the EMC field represents a challenging development. Yet, the advantages of simulation are undeniable for meeting new challenges brought about by progress in electronics. The main limitation is due to a lack of component models. Facing both complexity and long creation time (more than 3 months), leveraging reliable models is difficult today. Following three years of work, our team developed an automatic extraction tool for conducted emissions component modelling (ICEM-CE). It is now possible to generate the internal digital activity for a given component in just a few minutes. This innovation will significantly accelerate the use of simulation for managing the EMC of electronic circuits.

STUdy Of The infLUenCe Of vOidS On The SOLder jOinT reLiAbiLiTy USing repreSenTATive finiTe eLeMenTS MOdeLS fULLy pArAMeTerizedWork carried out at IRT Saint Exupéry to characterise electronic assembly reliability has produced highly representative finite element models for brazed joints that take into account, for example, intermetallic compounds and porosity. The latter, called “voids”, are now generated by a script developed at IRT Saint Exupéry which adapts to any available ABAQUS™ electronic assembly model. Notably, the script was used in the Robustness project to rank defect distribution parameters according to their impact on reliability. In the longer-term, it will be integrated into a prediction tool to quantify the drop in a component’s lifetime due to imperfections in its brazed joints.

heAvy iOn TeST reSULTSGaN2 system GS66708P transis-tors were studied under a heavy ion beam using the Cyclotron at Louvain-la-Neuve in Belgium. Heavy ions are representative of the types of particles encoun-tered in space environments, which are recognised as being harsher than the atmospheric environment. High-penetration heavy ions were selected, no-tably nickel, krypton, and xenon. Among the achieved results, those obtained with the least-en-ergetic ion (Ni) enabled us to de-termine a Safe Operating Area (SOA) value on the order of 550 V, for a nominal component value of 650 V. Using extrapolation, this result can be considered as being representative of the SOA in an spacial environment.

ICEM-CE4 automatic extraction software screenshot © IRT Saint Exupéry

Randomly generated voids in a predefined volume of solder modelled in ABAQUS™

Control of the automatic meshing procedure in some complex cases

1 Electromagnetic compatibility2 Gallium nitride

3 Electromagnetic interference4 Integrated Circuit Emission Model - Conducted Emission

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2017 ANNUAL REPORT

power teCHNoLoGIeS & INteGratIoN

LUdOviC YBaNez

Head of Power Technologies & Integration

Competence Centre

Electricity is becoming widespread as a mean of increasing energy (eco-) efficiency of future transportation applications. To make it a competitive option, it is necessary to increase the voltage, power density and reliability of electrical sub-systems including sources, converters, filters, harnesses and motors, which will be possible by introducing Wide BandGap semiconductors. However, overall performance does not only depend on improvements to these new components. A number of challenges remain, notably topologies, components, EMC, optimisation, stability and more, to achieve all the benefits.The research developed in the Power Technologies & Integration Competence Centre focuses on these technological and methodological challenges and seeks to demonstrate power density and reliability improvements with technological demonstrators.

high perfOrMAnCe pOwer MOdULeS wiTh redUCed pArASiTiCS & high TherMAL exTrACTiOn CApAbiLiTieSIRT Saint Exupéry designs, manufacturers and characterises high-performance power module prototypes for electrical vehicles and more electrical aircraft. IRT Saint Exupéry targets switching loss reduction, with lower parasitic inductance and increased power density, by either improving

heat extraction or decreasing cooling needs. Fig. 1 shows a six-leg SiC1 module demonstrator used for research. It has up to 45% lower switching losses compared to other power modules using the same SiC MOSFET2, as shown in Fig. 2. Tests were performed on a unique test bench that is unique to IRT Saint Exupéry. Other SiC power modules are developed with the aPSI3D SME. IGBT3 modules are now being sampled for automotive inverters. They show 50% lower inductance and compactness improved by a factor of three, with a lower cost bill of material than benchmark automotive products.

high perfOrMAnCe Three-phASe SiC inverTer deMOnSTrATOrSPerformance of SiC power modules is confirmed using a 15kW generic and flexible inverter designed at IRT Saint Exupéry. This platform allows modification of various parameters, such as switching frequency, gate voltage and resistance, as well as output current, input voltage and even the control method. Losses measured with this platform not only demonstrates that our converters achieve very high efficiency (up to 99%), but also that our loss calculation based on IRT Saint Exupéry’s characterisation method as shown in Fig.3. can estimate losses in a real converter precisely even for different control methods. Results in Fig.1 also show the advantages of using the IRT’s SiC power module instead of commercial units to reduce losses, EMI4 and overvoltage issues.

innOvATive TwO-phASe COOLing deviCe To ensure optimal and long-lasting performance for electrical equipment, it is essential to develop effective cooling sys-tems. An innovative solution based on capil-lary pumped two-phase loops is currently being tested for this purpose. A two-phase fluid circu-lates within this type of loop, successively evaporated on the equipment hot zones and then condensed on radiators. This evaporation-condensation phenomenon allows evacuating high heat flux densities, and no active mechanical pump is required to create the fluid motion in this device. Moreover, the demonstrator can collect the heat flux from several dissipative components using only one single loop, and trans-port the heat over distances of several dozen cen-timetres before diffusing it on radiators. This type of system is also able to be miniaturised.

Disphasic loop for cooling several pieces of electrical equipment ©IRT Saint Exupéry

Fig. 1 Optimised six-phase SiC power module designed and manufactured by IRT Saint Exupéry © IRT Saint Exupéry

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Fig. 2 – Measured switching energies of the IRT SiC power module and other equivalent components on the market © IRT Saint Exupéry

Fig.3-Measured and calculated losses for different PWM methods in the 15kW three-phase SiC inverter demonstrator designed, manufactured and tested by IRT Saint Exupéry

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1 Silicon Carbide 2 Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor

3 Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor4 Electromagnetic interference

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phds & poSt-doCs CorNer The first 4 PhD theses of the More Electrical Aircraft Domain were achieved this year with brio. 8 new theses have started this year. 5 post-docs were present in 2017. Laplace remains the major academic laboratory for the domain. IMS (Bordeaux), LAAS-CNRS and LRCS (Amiens) are involved since the first generation. G2ELab (Grenoble), Satie (ENS Paris Saclay), LSEE (Arras) are new laboratories joining for the 2nd generation of projects and theses.

Thesis title: On-line non-intrusive partial discharges detection in aeronautical systems

« S tudy ing for my thesis at IRT was a very

enriching and rewarding experience; it meant I could combine my interest in research with my wish to create a system to meet a concrete industrial need. The result is the OVERSHOT system for detecting partial discharges in an aeronautical environment. Quite naturally, I wanted to continue working on this topic and the partial discharges theme more comprehensively at IRT Saint Exupéry as an engineer. »

CéDRIC aBadIe

2017 IRT PhD & Laplace Current position at IRT Saint Exupéry

2017 phd - dieLeCTriCS, COndUCTOrS & pLASMAS On gOing TheSiS - pOwer TeChnOLOgieS & inTegrATiOn

Publication: Trade-off between Losses and EMI Issues in Three-Phase SiC Inverters for Aircraft Applications. V. Dos Santos, B. Cogo, N. Roux, B. Sareni, B. Revol. J.-P. Carayon - EMCSI 2017 (IEEE International Symposium), Washington DC (USA), 2017.

« The work carried out at IRT is leading to a better understanding and modelling of the conducted electromagnetic interferences in an electromechanical chain using SiC wide band gap semi-conductors. »

« The studies are helping to evaluate the impact of wide band gap semiconductors on EMC, and the use of optimization strategies for designing electromechanical drive systems by adding EMC constraints. »

VICToR doS SaNtoS

3rd year PhD Student at IRT Laplace

nIColAS rouX

Lecturer Senior Scientist INP-ENSEEIHT Laplace, PhD Advisor

bRuno SareNI

Professor Senior Scientist INP-ENSEEIHT

Laplace, PhD Advisor

On gOing TheSiS - COMpOnenTS MOdeLLing & reLiAbiLiTy

Publication: Impact of Li2O2 Particle Size on Li−O2 Battery Charge Process: Insights from a Multiscale Modeling Perspective. Y. Yin, C. Gaya, A. Torayev, V. Thangavel and A. A. Franco - The journal of physical chemistry letters, 2016.

«Several obstacles need to be overcometo reach the high energy density promisedby lithium-air batteries. To do, so we mainly focus on improving the porous cathode. »

« By combining experiments and modeling we are able to extend our understanding of

the technical limitations in order to optimize these batteries and increase their practical energy density. »

AleJAnDRo a. FraNCo

Professor UPJV / CNRS / LRCS

PhD Advisor

CARolIne GaYa

3rd year PhD Student at IRT LRSC Amiens

On gOing TheSiS - dieLeCTriCS, COndUCTOrS & pLASMAS

Thesis title: Determination and influence of the existence of partial discharges in a railway traction system using SiC-based components.

« This study makes it possible to characterise the influence of the electrical stresses imposed by the SiC-based components on machine insulators and to establish predictive aging models. »

« Robin’s work will give us a better understanding of the risks associated with using new power semiconductors over the

lifetime of insulation systems, preparing the way for the inevitable rise in voltage of embedded systems and devices. »

THIeRRy LeBeY

Senior Scientist CNRS

Laplace director PhD Advisor

RobIn aCHeeN

1st year PhD Student at IRT Laplace

pOST - dOCTOrAL pOSiTiOn - dieLeCTriCS, COndUCTOrS & pLASMAS

Publication: Statistical analysis of events following an electric arc initiated by the presence of a conductive object. A. Risacher, G. Belijar, L. Hermette - JITIPEE, Clermont Auvergne University, 2017.

« This work has made it possible to improve our understanding of the initiation and life of an electric arc in the presence of foreign object debris (FOD) with the ultimate aim of determining safety zones. »

« FODs cause many arc defects in the context of more or all electric aircraft; understanding the risk will lead to better installation rules. »

GuIllAuMe BeLIjar

Post-doctoral position at IRT

AuRoRe rISaCHer

Research engineer at IRT

Post-Doc Advisor

pUbLiCATiOnS

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2017 ANNUAL REPORT

emBedded SYStemS

d o m a I N

The Embedded Systems team comprises about 100 people, supported by 36 academic researchers. The team is organised into four Competence Centres: Digital Signal Processing, Intelligent Systems

& Data, Multidisciplinary Design Optimisation (MDO) and Systems Engineering. Each Competence Centre is responsible for its own technology roadmap, as well as its own objectives for excellence and development regarding both expertise and differentiating technology platforms. They are currently contributing to the following industry challenges, respectively: increasing the capacity of satellite communication systems; the acquisition and processing of Big Data in earth observation systems; optimisationof aerostructures; and systems engineering methods and tools to reduce costs and development cycles.

CALixTe ChAMpeTierHead of embedded Systems Domain

HIGHLIGHtS

In 2017, each Competence Centre achieved significant results that reached beyond the current state-of-the-art. Examples include:• A digital pre-distortion solution for wideband amplifiers with

TWTA1 and GaN2 technologies.• Artificial intelligence algorithms for classifying satellite

images.• New bi-level, multi-disciplinary optimisation methods

compatible with industry implementation constraints.• A new approach for certifying aeronautic systems (study

shared with ASD3, EASA4 and the FAA5).Thanks to renewed support from our industry partners, our roadmaps have been enriched with €22M of new projects that take on new challenges, such as 5G-satellite convergence, unsupervised learning, and mastering critical embedded software design on multi-core processors.

Key events included:• We opened facilities in INRIA Sophia Antipolis and launched

a first project focusing on embedded multi-core processing architectures for space applications.

• The MDO Competence Centre co-organised the first European workshop on “MDO for Industrial Applications in Aeronautics,” with DLR6 and ONERA.

perSpeCtIveS

In 2018, activities will be renewed and developed in all Competence Centres through new internal and European projects. In particular, the two structuring projects: MOISE in system engineering and MDA-MDO in multi-disciplinary optimisation will be completed in 2018 and 2019. Both corresponding road maps will have to be updated with our industrial and academic membres. Another important issue will be to finalise our differentiating platforms: SAT-LINK for digital communications; CITADEL for big data processing; and SPIRO for multi-disciplinary optimisation. Appropriate valorisation models will be put in place for these platforms. Our efforts will also focus on reinforcing our European and trans-Atlantic collaborations.

1 Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier2 Gallium nitride3 AeroSpace and Defence Industries Assosiation in Europe

4 European Aviation Safety Agency5 Federal Aviation Administration6 German Aerospace Center

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Example of MDO activities - Intelligent detection of physical regimes: transonic structures (left) and subsonic structures (right)© IRT Saint Exupéry

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1 Telecommunications for Space and Aeronautics Lab2 Solid State Power Amplifier 3 Internet Protocole

nebULOSiTy prediCTiOn SySTeM fOr grOUnd-SATeLLiTe LASer COMMUniCATiOnSOne of the major barriers for implementing optical links between ground-based stations and satellites is being able to reliably forecast the risk of communication blackouts due to the presence of clouds. IRT Saint Exupéry designed a short-term (30-minute time frame) cloud-detection prediction device based on technology by Reuniwatt. Called SOLOGS, the device determines link weakening along the laser’s path based on luminance measurement in the visible and infrared ranges. A mechanism using this approach was developed and installed at the Airbus Defense & Space facility in 2017. Acquired images will help refine prediction models used to evaluate the risk of connection loss between the transmission station and the satellite, and to characterise performance to ensure service availability in operation.

grOUnd STATiOn diverSiTy eMULATOrHigh-capacity satellite communication systems must integrate switching spatial diversity mechanisms to avoid blocking traffic when a station is obscured by rain. The effects of switching on data services are not widely known and are holding back the generalisation of these techniques. IRT Saint Exupéry developed a diversity emulator capable of representing a multi-gateway system, on which the user can trigger such events. The emulator is partly based on an open-source tool, OpenSAND (Thales Alenia Space & CNES), and an event sequencer that handles reproducible scenarios. We were able to demonstrate the tolerance for user applications (i.e. voice over IP3, video broadcasting, file transfer) as well as classic protocols. To convince operators, a mobile version of the bench was developed so they could test other types of applications.

LineAriSATiOn Of widebAnd AMpLifierSPower amplifiers used in ground stations for satellite communication operate in various “centimetre bands” under highly non-linear conditions. IRT Saint Exupéry has been working since 2015 with TeSA1 laboratory on a digital wideband linearisation technology that is more flexible than current solutions, while offering better performance. Based on a 100W travelling wave tube amplifier in Ku band, and a 10W SSPA2 provided by ACTIA, IRT Saint Exupéry developed and evaluated a linearisation model that takes amplitude and phase errors into account and compensates memory effects that appear when the relative transmitted band is large. Tests carried out in 2017 showed the validity of this approach, notably by comparing it to today’s latest-generation analogue pre-distortion devices. Subsequent work planned on this topic will consist of miniaturising the device for industrialisation and then testing it on our platform.

SOLOGS prototype at Airbus Defence and Space facility. © Airbus

dIGItaL SIGNaL proCeSSING

jACqUeS deCroIX

Head of Digital Signal Processing Competence Centre

Activity in 2017 remained focused on digital satellite, radio and optical communications. Our objective is to provide technolo-gy solutions that significantly increase the performance of tomorrow’s broadband systems. The following examples illus-trate how IRT Saint Exupéry con-tributes in that area, notably via demonstration platforms and by

developing technology building blocks. These activities will continue into 2018-2019 to help consolidate the maturity of proposed solutions. Our objective is also to elaborate projects that favour the integration of com-munication systems using satellites in future 5G tele-communications infrastructure.

SATCOM network emulator©

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2017 aNNuaL report

INteLLIGeNt SYStemS & data

grégOry FLaNdIN

Head of Intelligent Systems & Data

Competence Centre

The Intelligent Systems & Data Competence Centre transfers innovative technologies from the digital world to IRT Saint Exupéry’s industrial partners in order for them to remain competitive in a fast-changing environment. This echoes recent advances in digital technologies coupled with the necessity for most industries to adapt their business models and services to the evolutions of value chains. Industrial sectors are encouraged to pursue more open and collaborative innovation. Facing market uncertainty and the agility of newcomers from the digital world who have adopted a risk-based development culture, industries have to reach beyond their usual methods, open their research axes and invest in less mature technologies. One major value proposed by the Competence Centre is its multi-disciplinary skills and means, coupling sharp innovative algorithmic aspects with critical implementation and dependability constraints, as well as operational and usage factors.

LeArning TeChniqUeS fOr CLASSifying TerrAin frOM SATeLLiTe iMAgeSFuture spatial imaging services will be based on the automatic extraction of information from high volumes of images. One of the case studies handled by IRT Saint Exupéry focused on ground classification (typically 18 classes). IRT Saint Exupéry benefited from a contribution by Airbus DS GEO of 200,000 images with a variety of different terrains. Learning methods based on convolutional neural networks were developed and implemented using this very large database. Algorithms were optimised for effective distribution of processing on a cloud platform. This enabled us to demonstrate the scalability of the proposed solutions. The classification performance achieved exceeds that offered by classic approaches. Associated methods and tools are now available for industrialisation to develop operational services.

Automatic land cover classification from Spot images.Image on the left © Airbus DS Geo / Image on the right © IRT Saint Exupéry

SMArT SChedULing fOr wide-rAnge SATeLLiTe COverAgeSatellites observing the Earth are often used to take cloud-free images on a continent-wide scale, covering up to several million square kilometres. Scheduling these image acquisition plans represents a dual challenge: reducing production time by leveraging several interoperable observation systems; and optimising satellite resources by limiting the risk of taking shots that are unusable due to weather conditions (notably cloud coverage). IRT Saint Exupéry developed scheduling algorithms for uncertainty planning at the cutting edge of artificial intelligence techniques for decision-making. The Markovian decision process, representing the state of the plan and scheduling decisions, is analysed using the Monte Carlo Tree Search technique, combined with deep learning to guide exploration intelligently. In some situations, production delays were reduced by as much as 40% thanks to better anticipation of weather and efficient distribution of loads across satellites.

Planification of satellite constellations© IRT Saint Exupéry

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muLtIdISCIpLINarY deSIGN optImISatIoN

Anne GazaIX

Head of Multidisciplinary Design Optimisation Competence Centre

Multidisciplinary Design Optimisation (MDO) is the application of numerical optimisation to the design of systems based on multiple disciplines. A major challenge remains to apply MDO techniques to industrial design processes based on high fidelity simulations, handling challenging configurations in terms of geometrical complexity and interacting components, and using many historically separated and sequentially optimised disciplines. MDO activities started in early 2015 at IRT Saint Exupéry with the objective of taking a significant step towards the deployment of MDO methods in the industry. Taking advantage of a mixed industrial and academic organisation at a single location, IRT Saint Exupéry benefits directly both from MDO methodologies at the cutting edge of research and deep knowledge of industrial needs and constraints. This dual competence has enabled the development of innovative MDO formulations and software platforms, as well as their application to complex industrial test cases.

AppLiCATiOn TO An indUSTriAL TeST CASeIRT Saint Exupéry is demonstrating its MDO capabilities on a high-fidelity engine pylon aero-structural optimisation test case, based on a typical Airbus aircraft design. MDO is used in an aircraft re-engine context to assess the impact of new generation engines on overall aircraft performance. These engines provide a significant improvement in terms of specific fuel consumption and are characterised by a larger pylon and nacelle. MDO is proposed as a methodology able to handle strong interactions that will occur when integrating such engines, and contributing to maximise the benefit of re-engine on overall aircraft performance. Bi-level formulation is applied to the aerodynamics and structure high-fidelity disciplines, plus the overall aircraft design lower-fidelity discipline, making it possible to take overall aircraft constraints into account. Based on the separation of a complex problem into sub-problems, the flexibility of this formulation enables us to solve this test case in stages. The demonstration of its scalability to a complex industrial system is currently in progress.

innOvATive MdO fOrMULATiOnS AdApTed TO indUSTryIRT Saint Exupéry is developing a range of innovative MDO formulations based on a bi-level decomposition of the optimisation problem, separating system-level and disciplinary-level aspects in the problem resolution. These formulations are suitable for direct industrial use as they preserve the industrial workflow set up for each discipline. These formulations have been designed to be easily extensible to increase the number of disciplines and to scale well for high-fidelity. They also offer interesting flexibility capabilities, such as the possibility to introduce coupling between disciplines at disciplinary levels in addition to the system-level, and to use multiple levels of fidelity. These capabilities are essential for meeting the challenge of computational efficiency that represents a major constraint for the application of MDO in industry.

Deformed CAD due to an engine forward displacement. © IRT Saint Exupéry

Bi-level MDO formulation applied to an engine pylon aero-structural optimisation © IRT Saint Exupéry

muLtI-dISCIpLINarY CoupLING aNaLYSIS

muLtI-dISCIpLINarY CoupLING aNaLYSIS

aerodynamic optimisation

overall aircraft design optimisation

System optimisation

Structure optimisation

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2017 ANNUAL REPORT

SAfeTy MOdeLLing fOr SySTeMS deSign IRT Saint Exupéry is working to develop Model-Based Safety Assessment methodologies to facilitate the early validation of critical systems. Our methodology focuses on ensuring consistency between system design and safety assessment during the development process. We have identified significant interaction points and exchanged data between these two perspectives. In addition, we evaluated the safety implications of local failures and their possible propagation through systems. We extended AltaRica models developed for Safety Analysis with time information, implementing tools to check the correctness of temporal safety conditions via model-checking techniques. We illustrated our method on an industrial critical system architecture, proving the scalability of our toolchain on such models, thus ensuring the effectiveness of this methodology for analysing a system and its time properties. Perspectives to extend the scope and tooling of our proposed methodologies for certification and industrial activities appear promising.

A new pArAdigM fOr AviOniCS CerTifiCATiOn Major industrial companies in the aeronautics field are involved with the RESSAC project at IRT Saint Exupéry. The objective of this project is to propose solutions to streamline avionics certification materials for development. Overarching Properties have been defined as an acceptable new means to comply certification requirements. Acceptability criteria for such compliance have been identified. The RESSAC team is evaluating this new approach on the development of a micro unmanned aerial vehicle system. The outcomes of the RESSAC project are being discussed within an international working group comprising ASD representatives, certification authorities (the Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency) and U.S. industries.

PATRICK FaraIL

Head of Systems Engineering Competence Centre

SYStemS eNGINeerINGThe Systems Engineering Competence Centre performs research work relating to pro-cesses, methods and tools to optimise and facilitate activities for system, software and hardware architects, as well as verification and validation managers, with the goal of reducing costs and development cycles. Our activities involve mainly critical, depend-able systems for which it is necessary to overcome methodology barriers in order to introduce new architectures and/or complex new functions. We must meet the needs of working together as a multidisciplinary team within a single organisation or across the extended enterprise. A non-technical goal is also to develop the skills of our industry employees regarding engineering professions. Our research results are tested via use-cases that represent the real needs of industry companies.

Overarching properties and evaluation criteria definition. © IRT Saint Exupéry

Collaboration process between system architect and safety expert © IRT Saint Exupéry

ImpLemeNtatIoNCoRReCTneSS

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Thesis title: Dynamic planning, multi-objectives and multi-criteria by a self-adaptative multi-agent system. Application to constellations of observation satellites « My thesis focused on eliminating the

technological barriers brought about by the rise in space imagery: new satellites and constellations as well as increased customer demand for this growing market. After my thesis, I joined the new entity known as Continental Intelligent Transportation Systems France as an AI researcher, Machine Learner. For me, IRT is a place that helped me build my skills in advanced technologies and create a range of contacts in academic and industrial circles. The experience I gained over the two years will be useful to me at Continental, where I’ll hope to bump into IRT again for some joint adventures! »

JonATHAn BoNNet

2017 IRT PhD & IRITCurrent position at Continental Intelligent Transportation Systems

2017 phd - inTeLLigenT SySTeMS & dATA On gOing TheSiS - digiTAL SignAL prOCeSSing

On gOing TheSiS - MULTidiSCipLinAry deSign OpTiMiSATiOn

Publication: Aerodynamic Data Predictions for Transonic Flows via a Machine-Learning-based Surrogate Model. R. uis,, J.-C. Jouhaud, P. Sagaut, - 56th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting, Kissimmee (USA, January, 2018.« Surrogate models approximate, at limited computational cost, the behavior of complex systems requiring thousands of computationally expensive simulations to explore the design space. A specific one has been developed to automatically detect

physical regimes, adapting locally the model to reproduce precise features and greatly increasing the model accuracy. »« Building Surrogate Model, based on Machine Learning algorithms, has proven to be an efficient solution (at a lower cost) to capture the bifurcations and the different physical states, which appear during the various phases of an aircraft flight. »

Publication: RZ-DPSK Optical Modulation For Free Space Optical Communication by Satellites. K. Elayoubi, A. Rissons, J. Lacan, L. Saint Antonin, M. Sotom, A. Le Kernec - OECC, no. 1, 2017.« Free-space optical communications for satellite applications are a major advantage for compensating for the lack of bandwidth in the radio spectrum and reaching a rate of 1 TB / s. »« The thesis tackles the subject’s transver-sality: photonics and telecommunications. Atmospheric Laser Link Emulation can be

used to validate scientific hypotheses about the physical layer. »

JeAn-CHRISToPHe jouHaud

Senior scientistCERFACS

PhD Advisor

RoMAIn dupuIS

3rd year PhD Student at IRT CERFACS

AnGélIque rISSoNS

Professorat ISAE-SUPAERO

PhD Advisor

KARIM eLaYouBI

3rd year PhD Student at IRT ISAE-SUPAERO

pOST - dOCTOrAL pOSiTiOn - SySTeMS engineering

On gOing TheSiS - MULTidiSCipLinAry deSign OpTiMiSATiOn

Publication: Handling consistency between safety and system models. T. Prosvirnova, E. Saez, C. Seguin, and P. Virelizier - 5th International Symposium, IMBSA 2017, Proceeding, Trento (Italy), September 11-13, 2017.« Synchronization of system development and safety assessment processes: we provide an approach

to manage the consistency between MBSA1 models and system architectures MBSE2 description during early conception phases and following the aeronautical development process standards. »« The combined use of models for system architecture description and Fault Propagation MBSA allows effective collaboration between safety and design teams. »

CHRISTel SeGuIN

Research engineer ONERA

Post-Doc Advisor

TATIAnA proSvIrNova

Post-Doctoral Position at IRT ONERA

phds & poSt-doCs CorNer In 2017, the Embedded Systems team produced 24 publications in international conferences and journals. 10 PhD students (with 3 post doctorates) were conducting research activities in the domain, with 5 different laboratories. 3 of them successfully defended their thesis in 2017.

Publication: Mixed Variable Structural Optimisation: towards an Efficient Hybrid Algorithm. P.-J. Barjhoux, Y. Diouane, S. Grihon, D. Bettebghor, J. Morlier - WCSMO12 (12th World Congress on Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimisation), Proceedings, Braunschweig (Germany), June 5-9, 2017

« Mixed structural variables optimization for large scale aircraft structures: our objective is to provide an efficient and performing algorithm allowing to choose the best size, best material and best shape for each element of an industrial structure. »

« The complexity of mixed variable structural optimization at an industrial scale is such that it is necessary to reformulate the problem as a pure continuous optimization problem. »

PIeRRe-JeAn BarjHouX

2nd year PhD Student at IRTISAE-SUPAERO

youSSeF dIouaNe

Associate Professorat ISAE-SUPAEROPhD Advisor

JoSePH morLIer

Professorat ICA

PhD Advisor

1 Model Based Safety Assesment 2 Model Based System Engineering

pUbLiCATiOnS

D O M A I N eMbeDDeD systeMs

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2017 ANNUAL REPORT

pLatFormS @IrtThe IRT Saint Exupéry has set up high-level platforms for its projects. Thanks to the good level of maturity reached, they are proposed to the service to favour the development of products.

PATRICK zAffALOnHead of platforms

StImpaCt - SImuLatIoN & teStING oF ImpaCtS oN StruCturaL materIaLS• 3 gas launchers: ø 40 mm, 60 mm, 120 mm• Impact velocity: 50-800 m/s• Projectile mass: 10 g-2 kg• 5 high speed cameras: 100,000 i/s

orGaNIC matrIX CompoSIteS

High velocity impacts © IRT Saint Exupéry

Partial discharge evaluation in aeronautical conditions

©Pa

tric

k D

umas

New ServICeS For our teCHNoLoGY pLatFormS

Painting robot © Patrick Dumas

CoatINGS automatIoN• Inkjet printing system, plasma means• Coating booth• Dedicated software to inkjet printing

SurFaCeS

Thermoplastic impregnation line © Patrick Dumas

tHermopLaStIC ImpreGNatIoN LINe & eXtruder• Width of pre-impregnated material ≤ 300 mm• Sized or unsized carbon fibre (HR, IM, HM)• Slurry powder impregnation with various

matrix (PAEK, PEI, PPS,…)

orGaNIC matrIX CompoSIteS

Extruder © Patrick Dumas

2D hysteresigraph for studying iron losses in rotating field conditions ©Patrick Dumas

HYStereSIGrapH• Single sheet tester: 60*60mm, 10,000 A/m• Rotational power-loss tester : 60*60mm,

3,000 A/m, 5 kHz (fundamental) and 2D waveform generation (independent Bx and By regulation)

eLeCtromeCHaNICaL CHaIN

Electric arcs characterisation © Patrick Dumas

eLeCtrIC arCS• Programmable high power

AC source: 62.5 kVa / 50-1,000 Hz• DC source : +/-270 V, 30 kW• High speed camera: 3,600 i/s B&W 1,024*1,024• AC/DC electronic charges

CHaraCterISatIoN

partIaL dISCHarGeS• Non-intrusive sensor 1.75 GHz, -3 dB• Vaccum chamber: P min =10 mbar

CHaraCterISatIoN

eLeCtromeCHaNICaL CHaIN

HIGH Speed eLeCtrICaL teSt BeNCH• 24,000 rpm,

25 kW

INjeCtIoN mouLded part & meLtING INFILtratIoN FurNaCe • T° max = 1,600°C• P min = 10-4 mbar

CeramIC matrIX CompoSIteS

Melting infiltration furnace © Patrick Dumas

CItadeL pLatForm - tooLBoX For FaSt prototYpING oF aI aNd BIG data SoLutIoNS• Key-hand access to cloud computing• Modular Python library for AI applications,

machine learning• Crowdsourcing for datasets

INteLLIGeNt SYStemS & data

SpIro - a reSearCH pLatForm to mature mdo metHodoLoGIeS• User-friendly implementation

of MDO formulations• Interfaces with industrial disciplinary

optimisation workflow• State-of-the-art optimisation

and post-processing toolboxes

muLtIdISCIpLINarY deSIGN optImISatIoN

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

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1 French government Programme “Investissements d’Avenir (Investments for the Future Programme)2 the French employers’ organisation for industrial companies in the metallurgy sector

Smes @Irt The year 2017 marked the end of the generation one projects and the beginning of stage two projects. The teams in the three Domains and b u s i n e s s d e v e l o p m e n t launched 12 projects totalling approximately € 55 million. A number of initiatives based

on feasibility studies also started up. This feasibility study mechanism makes it possible to commit industrial resources as well as public money (PIA1) to define new projects with technical or organisational uncertainties.

2017 has been a year of consolidation for SMEs. A dozen companies joined the IRT Saint Exupéry, while 20 others, having expressed their entire satisfaction with the results of the stage one projects, have re-committed to one or more new activities. To date, the IRT includes 59 SMEs that have been involved on 83 occasions in various projects. A satisfaction survey, followed by a workshop per field, was also used to propose an SME action plan in three areas:• Upgrading current offers to improve SME accessibility,• Proposing specific offers dedicated to SMEs,• Expanding the field of actors by theme.This plan, which was approved by the board of trustees, will begin rolling out in 2018.

The SME Additive Manufacturing Pack became reality in 2017 as a result of the cooperation between the IRT Saint Exupéry, the Occitanie Region, Madeeli, Aerospace Valley and UIMM2 Occitanie. This initiative aims to help and support SMEs – together with all other types of company – making the switch to additive manufacturing.

• What is additive manufacturing? Is it worth my while?• How can I test the technology on my products?• If it is worthwhile, how can I incorporate this new technology into my manufacturing?

The offer for accessing the IRT Saint Exupéry additive manufacturing platform was set up for prototyping operations, prototype testing and characterisation. The first users of the pack were up to the challenge.

Arcam Q20+ machine (EBM) © Patrick Dumas

metaL addItIve maNuFaCturING • 2 technologies: Electron Beam Melting (EBM)

& Laser Metal Deposition (LMD)• Hot isostatic press: 200 MPa - T° > 1,400°C• Heat treatment ovens and furnaces

adapted to Ti, Ni, Al alloys• Characterisation & analysis means:metallography lab

with microscopes (MEB, inverted optics, confocal, stereo), tensile & fatigue test devices (+/-100 kN) withT° >1,000°C

metaLLIC materIaLS & proCeSSeS

jACqUeS-AnTOine darrICau

Head of SME promotion and pack

a keY INItIatIve For Smes IN 2017: tHe LauNCH oF tHe Sme addItIve LaYer maNuFaCturING paCk

part

NerS

eNGINeerING CoNSuLtING FIrmS

INduStrIaLS

Irt SaINt eXupÉrY

uImm2 oCCItaNIe aeroSpaCe vaLLeY

madeeLI

oCCItaNIe reGIoN oCCItaNIe dIreCCte

technical & economic

study

technical & economic validation

technological optimisation

prototypes technical testings

technical pre-study

market needs pros & cons

How to proceed?

Financial support

Inform & guide project set-up support

Stategic study - make or buy ? Industrialisation Technological transfer Production investment

Access to exhibitions & events links with other sectors

training

INForme evaLuate deSIGN SeLLSmes produCe

JeAn-MARC HeLLer

Head of Business development, SMEs Relationships & Communication

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

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2017 ANNUAL REPORT

écoles doctorales (ed) : CLeSCO : Comportement, Langage, éducation, Socialisation, Cognition ; edAA : école doctorale Aéronautique Astronautique ; eeATS : electronique, electrotechnique, Automatique & Traitement du Signal (Univ grenoble-Alpes) ; geeT : génie électrique, électronique, Télécommunications ; Mat Lyon : Matériaux (Univ. Lyon) ; Megep : Mécanique, énergétique, génie Civil et procédés ; MiTT : Mathématiques, informatique, Télécommunications de Toulouse ; Ondes : Ondes et Matières (Univ. paris-Saclay) ; pSiMe : physique, Sciences de l’ingénieur, Matériaux, énergie (normandie Universités) ; SdM : Sciences de la Matière ; SiMMeA : Sciences

et ingénierie en Matériaux, Mécanique, énergétique et Aéronautique (poitiers) ; Spi bx : Sciences physiques et de l’ingénieur (Univ. bordeaux) ; STS : Sciences, Technologie, Santé (Univ. picardie)

phd StudeNtS @IrtAll IRT Saint Exupéry PhD benefit from its specific private-public environment. In particular their academic and industrial advisors ensure the highest scientific standards in parallel with the development of their awareness to the needs of industry, providing opportunities to expand their professional network.

beRTRAnD GIrardScientific Director

end 2017 SiTUATiOn

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

24

aCademICS @IrtAcademic partners work alongside the IRT Saint Exupéry in three key areas: supervising doctoral and post-doctoral students; providing expert researchers; and setting up shared platforms. Henceforth it will be possible to launch new resourcing initiatives thanks to the STAE Foundation and its network of 40 laboratories, which are now under the umbrella of the IRT Saint Exupéry.

FoCuS oN tHe FouNdatIoN SCIeNCeS et teCHNoLoGIeS pour L’aÉroNautIQue et L’eSpaCe (Stae)The STAE Foundation has been running an RTRA1, consisting of 40 laboratories in the Toulouse Region, since 2007. The aim is to help develop fundamental research, with risk taking and expertise in the different technologies that fall within STAE’s scope: aeronautics, embedded systems, space and the Earth system. STAE is built on the multidisciplinary nature of its network of laboratories in the fields of

information and communication sciences, engineering science, and planet and universe sciences, as well as the matter/material and humanities and the social sciences.

In May 2017, the STAE Scientific Cooperation Foundation (SCF) became a foundation hosted by the IRT Saint Exupéry SCF.

the 2017-2020 roadmap sets out the objectives, namely:• To continue supporting teams and laboratories by funding

basic research activities; • To develop the specific initiatives needed to interface effectively

with partners within the aeronautical, space and embedded systems ecosystem.

The involvement of university laboratories is illustrated by the cluster of 41 PhD students, to which 8 post-doctoral students may be added, especially in the field of embedded systems. With the end of the first generation of projects, the inaugural class of doctoral students have completed their course at IRT Saint Exupéry. The students showed great verve and total commitment during this implementation phase, especially when using new equipment. The first nine dissertations were completed on time (taking an average of 37 months), and employment contracts were awarded prior to the vivas in most cases, with students finding a variety of openings in the IRT Saint Exupéry ecosystem. Out of the first seven students, two are joining major companies, three are in intermediate-size firms, and one each in higher education and at IRT Saint Exupéry. While the laboratories on the Toulouse and Bordeaux sites, together with their immediate environments (85% and 7% respectively), were heavily involved in the first generation of projects, the new generation is shifting towards the national (Grenoble, Caen, Saclay and Arras) and international (Montreal) scenes while maintaining a strong local presence.

FRAnçoIS verNadat

STAE Director

1 Thematic Network for Advanced Research

PhD students41

Post-doctoral students

8

joINING major CompaNIeS

HIGHer eduCatIoN

Irt SaINt eXupÉrY

joINING INtermedIate-SIze FIrmS

stuDents

• One call for projects (€3M)• Two calls for working groups (work and facilitation groups financed over two

years with an average budget of €40K) scheduled for 2018 and 2019 (€700K);• springboard initiatives (short duration, funded to the level of €40K to €70K)

for a bottleneck breakthrough or feasibility study, launched throughout the period 2018-2020 (€800K).

STAe calls for tender

review since 2007

• Ageing of metallic materials• Toulouse theoretical irradiation centre• Plasma propulsion for Space application• Formal enginnering for embedded systems

Active working groups relevant for irT activities are for instance

€18,5M

initiAtiVes FinAnceD to tHe tune oF

incluDing

62

PRojects34woRking

gRouPs

28

cAlls FoR tenDeRs

6

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

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2017 ANNUAL REPORT

Summer SCHooL oN NaNo-eLeCtroNIC teCHNoLoGIeS aNd devICeSThe summer school on “Nano-electronic Technologies and Devices – from basic principles to highly-reliable applications” was organised by the IRT Saint Exupéry in partnership with the Laplace laboratory. The project was selected by the IEEE1 as part of an international call for tenders. The school was held from July 10 to 14 with the support of LAAS-CNRS. Nearly 50 participants from seven different countries took part, including 17 speakers with international reputations. After four days of intense conferences, participants enjoyed a visit to the Cité de l’Espace, guided by a major space expert from ISAE-SUPAERO. This successful event received the "Toulouse ESOF 2018" label, the largest interdisciplinary meeting on the science and the innovation in Europe.

CoNtrIButIoN to traINING aCtIvItIeS For aCademIC partNerS During the 2016-2017 academic year IRT Saint Exupéry employees delivered over 800 hours of training in 40 modules for the benefit of university, engineering schools and technicians students. Visits to test platforms were organised for ICAM-Toulouse and INSA-Rennes. In addition, the IRT Saint Exupéry is taking part in several working groups of the “Occitanie - Careers and Skills Campus for Aeronautics and Space”.

IN-HouSe SCIeNtIFIC aNd teCHNICaL traINING aNd promotIoN oN pLatFormSThe IRT Saint Exupéry organised 24 training modules in 2017 – totalling nearly 300 hours of teaching – in support of its collaborators, PhD students and industrial project partners. In addition, the IRT Saint Exupéry hosted 41 interns and 12 work-study trainees on its premises during the 2016-2017 academic year.

aeroSpaCe INduStrY phd aCCuLturatIoN (aIda)

The AIDA program is designed to introduce IRT Saint Exupéry PhD students to the world of industry – aeronautics, space and embedded systems – as well as information about potential careers for scientists in the sector. Two visits were organised in 2017: one to Continental for 24 PhD students and post-docs, and another to Airbus for 31 PhD students and post-docs. In both cases, the IRT Saint Exupéry participants were highly enthusiastic about the quality of the welcome they received and the wealth of activities presented.

PATRICK martINez

Training Development Manager

traINING aCtIvItIeS @IrtIn 2017, the IRT Saint Exupéry developed its training activities for its internal needs and doctoral students, as well as training activities for the benefit of its academic partners or in cooperation in the field of educational engineering.

Visit to the Cité de l’espace ©IRT Saint Exupéry

1 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Visit of Continental during the Aida Day ©Continental Automotive

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

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ISAbelle CaLvez

Human Resource Manager

aLumNIOur research projects aim to gather the best of academic & industrial know-how. In this respect, IRT Saint Exupery teams, which are its first asset, are a melting-pot of employees & staff on secondment from partners. Our human resources policy is to develop skills, mutual enrichment being created by sharing expertise & experiences. Our ambition is that each person involved in IRT success builds up an important step in his/her career path. The people on secondment usually join us for a 3 year period. They bring their skills and develop them within our multi-cultural environment, before going back to their employers to disseminate their know-how & pursue their career. Below five examples of career path from people who ended up their secondment in 2017.

After completing a Cifre thesis at Renault and Laplace, I was hired by Liebherr Aerospace to continue studying

partial discharges at IRT Saint Exupéry. I learned a great deal about high voltage issues in aeronautics and also became more autonomous. I am now coming back to electromechanics applied to product development.

ThibAUT biLLArdElectrical Insulation Expert, Liebherr Aerospace

I managed the technical validation of a component assembly line for Thales Alenia Space in Italy, then

joined IRT Saint Exupéry as Nano and Double &Bump project manager. I have gained a better understanding of how a company operates while in the process of being set up and have gained experience in project management with a very rewarding human dimension.

phiLippe MOnfrAixProject Manager for microwave frequency products, Thales Alenia Space

I was in charge of institutional relations at Safran (formerly Herakles), then spent three years at IRT Saint

Exupéry, where I directed the setting up of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine site (HR, projects, buildings). The efficiency of the IRT model was demonstrated to the full here (“inside” collaboration) and future projects will grow in number thanks to a favourable ecosystem.

xAvier AUbArdDirector of the Arts & Métiers Campus at Bordeaux-Talence

I joined IRT Saint Exupéry in 2014 as technical manager for modelling and co-design process. This helped

broaden my outlook in my area of expertise, share issues from different sectors of activity and business cultures, and integrate openness into innovations. I also really liked the applied side of the study.

eMiLie rOULAndEmbedded Software Project Manager, ACTIA

After managing the materials, structures and system installation portfolio as Airframe Architect at Airbus

Commercial, I took over responsibility of the IRT Saint Exupéry Materials Domain at the beginning of the adventure in 2013 for three and a half years. This improved my understanding of the industrial fabric, academic research and the financial aspects with a different point of view.

deLphine CArrOnnierHead of A350 derivative structures, Airbus Commercial

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eveNtSFeB. 1-2, BordeauX

mea (more eLeCtrICaL aIrCraFt)Following the European conference held in Toulouse in 2015 (more than 100 focused presentations), IRT Saint Exupéry joined forces with industry and research representatives to contribute to this latest edition in Bordeaux, and shared ideas and solutions relating to technological developments as well as future concepts associated with more electrical aircraft.

Sept. 4-8, aNGerS

emC europe 2017 The IRT Saint Exupéry is bronze sponsor of EMC Europe 2017, the largest and leading International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility in Europe. André Durier, robustness project manager at IRT Saint Exupéry, was the chairman of the Automative EMC Session where 6 oral presentations from IRT Saint Exupéry researchers were selected.

marCH 15, touLouSe aeroSpaCe

StImpaCt INauGuratIoN

In the face of strict regulatory requirements for aircraft and helicopters regarding the risks of impacts, manufacturers are coming up with specially adapted designs and using stronger materials. The Clément Ader Institute, along with two of its parent institutions, ISAE-SUPAERO and University of Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Airbus and the IRT Saint Exupéry decided to join forces, bringing together their equipment and skills to form the STIMPACT platform at the Innovation Campus of Toulouse Aerospace. The platform can simulate and test out high-speed impacts, and will be equipped to manage the full range of potential scenarios for aeronautics.

Framework agreement signature: D. Guedra-Degeorges (AGI, Airbus), O. Lesbre (ISAE-SUPAERO), A. Sirat (IRT Saint Exupéry), J.-P. Vinel (UT3 – Paul Sabatier) et G. Casamatta (IRT Saint Exupéry). © Paul Roquecave pour ISAE-SUPAERO.

S. Maison-Le Poec (Airbus), P. Olivier (Institut Clément Ader), L. Barrière (IRT Saint Exupéry), J.-F. Ferrero (Institut Clément Ader/UT3 Paul Sabatier), Y. Gourinat (Institut Clément Ader/ISAE-SUPAERO) et A. Sirat (IRT Saint Exupéry). © Paul Roquecave pour ISAE-SUPAERO.

juNe 19-23, parIS-Le BourGet

52Nd INterNatIoNaL parIS aIr SHowThe IRT Saint Exupéry was present at the Paris Air Show using the joint A e ro s p a c e Va l l e y Occitanie/Nouvelle-Aquitaine presentation area. Many successful results were presented from the projects in the stage one (2014-2016) and the proposed stage two projects (2017-2019) are building on these successes. An interactive kiosk in the booth staffed by Madeeli, the Occitanie regional agency for economic development, export and innovation, was showcasing multifunctional thermoplastic composite materials as well as the more electrical aircraft activities, illustrated by holograms and videos, Earth observation and metal additive manufacturing. Emmanuel Delabarre, coordinator for the 1st inter-IRT agreement “FIT - Additive Manufacturing”, presented the road map for the period 2016-2022 between the 4 IRTs involved: IRT Jules Verne, M2P, IRT Saint Exupéry and SystemX.

Visit of the Occitanie region delegation: Madeeli presents the interactive kiosk to the President C. Delga in presence of A. Sirat. © Comsci / IRT Saint Exupéry

juLY 7, touLouSe

2Nd phd’S daYThe IRT Saint Exupéry’s second PhDs’ day attracted around 150 participants. About a quarter of those taking part were academic or industrial IRT members. IRT Saint Exupéry PhD students presented their work using a variety of communication techniques: 20 technical presentations; 10 poster presentations preceded by a 1 slide/1 minute flash introduction; 5 large-audience presentations of “the 3 minute thesis” during which the “actors” demonstrated their theatrical skills. During the buffet lunch, special tables were organised at which several experts from industrial member companies shared their experience of R&D industrial careers with PhD students and post-docs.

© IRT Saint Exupéry

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Nov. 21-22, touLouSe-LaBèGe

1St aeroSpaCe addItIve maNuFaCturING SummIt

The first additive manufacturing event d e d i c a t e d t o aerospace & defence o r g a n i s e d b y Aerospace Valley in partnership with Madeeli, was the opportunity for Ariel Sirat to give a lecture

on “IRTs, a structuring network for Additive Manufacturing in France?” In front of a large audience, the IRT Saint Exupéry team presented its research activities on metal alloys and associated transformation processes for high value parts with its end-to-end high-level technology platform on additive manufacturing using a variety of communication methods - through a booth, a video and with BtoB meetings.

oCt. 18-19, touLouSe-LaBèGe

deCIeLeC emBedded SYStemSThe IRT Saint Exupéry was present at this business congress devoted to connected & embedded systems, power electronics and energy systems management. R. Sutra-Orus animated a round table on the high temperature perspectives, needs (level of temperature, power level, functions, actors) and potential collaborative works within the IRT Saint Exupéry booth as part of the High Temperature Day.

Sept. 25-28, BordeauX

28tH eSreF 2017This European symposium, dedicated to the reliability of electronic components and the analysis of the physics of failure mechanisms, was an opportunity for the IRT Saint Exupéry to run two workshops. One on “Photonic devices and systems”, co-hosted by L.

Béchou (IMS / Univ. Bordeaux) and A. Bensoussan (IRT Saint Exupéry / Thales Alenia Space). The other on “wide band gap components and systems”, jointly organised by A. Durier (IRT Saint Exupéry / Continental), M. Meneghini, (Univ. Padova, Italy) and L. Theolier (IMS / Univ. Bordeaux).

2016-2017

SCIeNtIFIC SemINarSThe IRT Saint Exupéry invited 6 renowned scientific and technology research leaders to present scientific issues or strategy in technological fields or innovation: Yves Bréchet (High Commissioner for Atomic Energy) on materials science, Christian Joachim (CEMES) on single molecule-machines, Didier Roux (Collège de France) on basic research and innovation and Alain Tropis (Stelia Aerospace) on aerostructures. With Gérard Berry (Collège de France) the audience learned how to chase Bugs in Embedded Systems and Circuits in a seminar jointly organised with CIMI Labex, whereas Dushan Boroyevich (CPES, Virginia Tech, USA) explained how to design high-power-density electronics for transportation applications. The videos of all these seminars are available on the IRT Saint Exupéry’s YouTube channel.

Nov. 28-30, touLouSe

3rd BIG data From SpaCe (BIdS’17)The IRT Saint Exupéry was one of the partners for BiDS’17 jointly organised by ESA, the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, and the European Union Satellite Centre (SatCen), and hosted by CNES. During the exhibition session and at its booth, the IRT Saint Exupéry’s Intelligent Systems & Data Competence Centre demonstrated 5 examples of applications already transferred into industrial use.

© IRT Saint Exupéry

Visit of the Occitanie region delegation with G. Casamatta, Y. Barbaux (Aerospace Valley), A. Sirat and N. Pellefigue (Occitanie Region).© ComSci / IRT Saint Exupéry

oCt. 4-25, BrauNSCHweIG, GermaNY

1St europeaN workSHop “mdo For INduStrIaL appLICatIoNS IN aeroNautICS – CHaLLeNGeS aNd eXpeCtatIoNS”This European workshop, co-organised by DLR1, IRT Saint Exupéry and ONERA gathered 110 people from European industry, research institutes and universities. This workshop was the opportunity for the MDO community to share industrial needs and scientific progress in the field. Ongoing developments on MDO platforms were presented (EU AGILE platform, KADMOS software, SPIRO/GEMS IRT Saint Exupéry platform). This workshop was the first of a planned workshop series that will be organised by DLR, IRT Saint Exupéry and ONERA, the ambition being to establish a European MDO community to enhance collaboration on MDO. The next workshop will be organised by IRT Saint Exupéry in spring 2019.

MDO for Industrial Applications in Aeronautics Workshop © ComSci / IRT Saint Exupéry

1 German Aerospace Centre

© IRT Saint Exupéry

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memBerS & partNerS

FouNderS

CRÉATION CARRÉ NOIRAOÛT 2005

LOGOTYPE TONS MONOCHROME

294CLOGOTYPE COMPLET

(SYMBOLE ET TYPOGRAPHIE)

puBLIC INStItutIoNS : Arts et Métiers ParisTech · bordeaux InP nouvelle-Aquitaine · InP Toulouse · InP-enIT · InRIA · InSA lyon · InSA ToulouSe · ISAe-SuPAeRo · MIneS Albi-Carmaux · oneRA · Artois university · bordeaux university · bretagne Sud university · Picardie Jules Verne university · Toulouse Jean Jaurès university · university Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier.

LaBoratorIeS : CeMeS · CIRIMAT · Clle · CnRM · CRISMAT · G2elab · I2M · IeTR · ICMCb · IMRCP · IMS · ICA · IMb · IMbT · Pprime · IRIT · lAAS CnRS · lAPlACe · lCTS · lGP · loMC · lRCS · lSee · lTen · MATeIS · SATIe · SIMAP

prIvate reSearCH : CeRFACS · ICAM · TeSA

CompaNIeS : AKKA Technologies · AlTRAn · ArianeGroup · ARKeMA · Aubert & Duval · CMI Industry · ConTInenTAl · CS systèmes d’information · DAHeR · eSI · Hutchinson · IVA InSulATIonS · lATeCoeRe · lISI Aerospace · nIDeC leRoy-SoMeR · oeRlIKon · RADIAll · SeRMA · SII · SoGeTI High Tech · STelIA · SynoPSIS · TeleSPAZIo · Thales Alenia Space · TIMeT

SmeS : 3A · ACXyS · ADACoRe · Assystem · aPSI3D · APSyS · Argosim · ASTC · AviaComp · AXyAl · beAM · Calyos · CapAero · ChiasTek · ClIX Industries · CoMAT · ellidiss Technologies · ePSIlon Alcen · eSTeRel Technologies · eSTeVe · eXoVA · FIGeAC Aero · FuSIA · GIT · GreenSocs · HIReX engineering · InnoVeoX · InVenTeC · IRePA lASeR · KeonyS · KRono-SAFe · lAuAK · l’electrolyse · MAPAeRo · MACAPRoTeC Industries · nAWA Technologies · neXIo · oMeGA Systemes · Poly-SHAPe · PRISMADD · PRoDeM · Reuniwatt · SAMAReS engineering · SDTeCH MICRo · SimSoft Industry · SoFTeAM Cadextan · Space Codesign europe · Space Codesign Systems · SquoRInG · STeel electronique · STTS · STyX Technologies · SyRlInKS · SySTeRel · TeamCast · TeCHFoRM · TFe eleCTRonICS · TomoAdour · Viveris

NetworkS & CLuSterS : STAe Toulouse · Aquitaine Science Transfert · Toulouse Tech Transfer · Aerospace Valley · Astech · Alpha RlH · SAFe Clusters · bAAS · GIFAS · GIPI · ToMPASSe

LoCaL autHorItIeS

2017 ANNUAL REPORT

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ingenuity, creativity and curiosity “your task is not to foresee the future,

but to enable it.”

commitment, sharing, sense of responsibility

“to be a man actually means to be responsible, and feel that you are building the world

by laying your foundation.“

orientation towards experimentation and action

“in real life there is no solution. Active forces do exist but you need to create

them and solutions will follow”

Antoine de saint-exupéry

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in Toulouse Montaudran, near 1933.

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Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Henri Guillau-met, on board Lieutenant-de-Vaisseau-Par-is, preparing a transatlantic flight in Biscarrosse, around 1939.

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As a conclusion, IRT Saint Exupéry would like to dedicate these achievements to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, to whom it owes its name, and most importantly the values on which it is built up.

toulouse site B612 Building - 5 rue Tarfaya 31400 Toulouse (France)

bordeaux site Arts et Métiers-Campus de Bordeaux-Talence Esplanade des Arts et Métiers 33405 Talence (France)

sophia Antipolis site INRIA - 2004 route des lucioles BP 93 - O6902 Sophia Antipolis Cedex (France)

Tel. +33 (0) 5 61 00 67 50 Email: contact@irt-saintexupery.com

Graphic Design n Studio Pastre Pavillon noir

Photographies Patrick Dumas

Rewriting, translation Idlingua Commtext

Printing Lahournère, Toulouse

January 2018

Publication director: Gilbert Casamatta

Editor: Ariel Sirat

Realisation: Morgane Toumazet

Co-realisation : Anne Mauffret, comsci

Others contributors: Calixte Champetier, Cédric Abadie, Laurent Albert, Gérard Bernhart, Isabelle Calvez, Mathieu Chevalier, Jacques-Antoine Darricau, Jacques Decroix, Jean-Marie Des, André Durier, Patrick Farail, Laurent Ferres, Grégory Flandin, Anne Gazaix, Bertrand Girard, Jean-Marc Heller, Sophie Lacoste, Pierre Lespade, Stéphane Mahdi, Patrick Martinez, Gautier Mecuson, Simon Perusin, Samuel Pin, Aurore Risacher, Sébastien Serpaud, Régine Sutra Orus, François Vernadat, Ludovic Ybanez, Patrick Zaffalon, Moustafa Zerarka

With

kin

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antoine de Saint-exupéry’s values

5tH Irt Forum-Nov. 28, parISThe fifth IRT Forum organised by the FIT, the French Institutes Association, saw more than 300 industrial

and academic partners of the eight IRTs meet under the banner of the economic impact, the academic excellence and the international recognition. In 2018, IRT Saint Exupéry will organised the 6th edition.

➊ Opening by Louis Schweitzer, French General Investment Commissioner

➋ Round table on “The IRT and Academic actors: a collective intelligence” introduced by Gilbert Casamatta

➌ Thierry Lebey, Laplace laboratory director, at the round table on academics

➍ Closing by Philippe Baptiste, Cabinet Director of the French Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation

➎ FIT representatives

©FIT Association Photos: Gil Lefauconnier/Association FIT

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2017 ANNUAL REPORT

toulouse site B612 Building - 5 rue Tarfaya

31400 Toulouse (France)

bordeaux site Arts et Métiers-Campus de Bordeaux-Talence Esplanade des Arts et Métiers 33405 Talence (France)

sophia Antipolis site INRIA - 2004 route des lucioles BP 93 - O6902 Sophia Antipolis Cedex (France)

Tel. +33 (0) 5 61 00 67 50 Email: contact@irt-saintexupery.com

@irtSaintexwww.irt-saintexupery.com

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