Quality Engineering Career News by UQSI

GKN Aerospace

On a number of fronts, engineers at GKN Aerospace are pushing forward the boundaries of current technology – achieving results now and opening new avenues for tomorrow in the drive to develop ever quieter, more fuel-efficient and lower maintenance aircraft.

The Company is in the final stage of developing one piece acoustic engine and inlet liners which have already demonstrated 4db noise level reductions and promise to be 40percent lighter than current liners. This honeycomb technology is ready to go into production in its current form with further development already underway, as Phil Grainger, Senior Technical Director and Chief Technologist at GKN Aerospace, explains:

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Associated Press

HARTFORD, Conn. –

An analyst cut her 2009 earnings estimates Wednesday for Barnes Group Inc., a day after the aerospace and industrial-components manufacturer withdrew its guidance for the year because of the recession and uncertainty in transportation markets.

Analyst Yvonne M. Varano of Jefferies & Co. cut her estimate to 80 cents per share from $1.24 per share.

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WASHINGTON, June 10 (UPI) — The U.S. space agency has awarded a $200 million contract to Jacobs Technology Inc. of Tullahoma, Tenn., for aerospace testing at the Ames Research Center.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration two-year contract has three one-year options and begins July 1. The company will provide support for aerospace tests and facilities maintenance and operations at the Moffett Field, Calif., NASA facility.

The Ames center supports a wide variety of testing requirements for NASA and other government agencies, including the Department of Defense, Department of Energy and Department of Homeland Security. Ames researchers also provide testing services for industry and other non-government entities, NASA said.

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“Greener Aviation” Technologies and Alternative Fuels Head the List

RESTON, Va., June 1 — The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has released its first annual list of top emerging aerospace technologies.

Developed by AIAA’s Emerging Technologies Committee (ETC), the list comprises the following:

1. “Greener Aviation” Technologies – including emission reduction and noise reduction technologies as used in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Continuous Low Emissions, Energy and Noise (CLEEN) program, and the European Environmentally Friendly Engine (EFE) program and “Clean Sky” Joint Technology Initiative.
2. Alternative Fuels – including biofuels, as promoted by the FAA’s Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI), and the recent FAA grant to the X Prize Foundation to spur development of renewable aviation fuels and technologies.
3. High Speed Flight Technologies – such as supersonic and hypersonic aerodynamics, sonic boom reduction technology, and thermal management aids.
4. Efficient Propulsion Technologies – including open rotors and geared turbofans, such as those used in the European DREAM (valiDation Radical Engine Architecture systeMs) program.
5. Active Flow Technologies – such as plasma actuators.
6. Advanced Materials – such as nanotechnology and composites.
7. Active Structures – such as shape memory alloys, morphing, and flapping.
8. Health Management – such as monitoring, prognostics, and self-healing.
9. Remote Sensing Technologies – including unmanned aerial vehicles and satellites such as those used in NASA’s Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) program.
10. Advanced Space Propulsion Technologies – including plasma-based propulsion such as the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket, and solar sail technologies.

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The Boeing Co.’s largest competitor, the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co., surpassed Boeing in annual revenue in 2008, according to a Deloitte study on the aerospace industry published earlier this month. EADS and Boeing logos

Though European companies grew faster than U.S. firms, the U.S. firms had higher operating margins, the report said. European companies are having “difficulty in cutting labor costs and rationalizing facilities for the industry in countries where there is higher government intervention and job protection schemes,” wrote Tom Captain, an aerospace and defense consultant at Deloitte LLP.

The study points out that EADS edged out Boeing for the title of world’s largest aerospace and defense firm. But EADS’ title may be short lived after the recession-induced aviation slump and costs related to its A400M military transport project take their toll. (Learn more from WSJ’s Matthew Curtin.)

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By SCOTT MORRISON

Concerned a brain drain could hurt its long-term ability to compete, Google Inc. is tackling the problem with its typical tool: an algorithm.

The Internet search giant recently began crunching data from employee reviews and promotion and pay histories in a mathematical formula Google says can identify which of its 20,000 employees are most likely to quit.

Google officials are reluctant to share details of the formula, which is still being tested. The inputs include information from surveys and peer reviews, and Google says the algorithm already has identified employees who felt underused, a key complaint among those who contemplate leaving.

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