Novel buoyancy aids for emergency water landings and engine fires: Successful research by the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) in cooperation with Airbus Helicopters
The goal of the EvoS-BraWa (Evolutionary Safety for Braking and Water Landing) project, launched in 2022, was to equip helicopters with emergency flotation systems to handle engine fires and water landings in accordance with updated regulations. A team from the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE), in collaboration with Airbus Helicopters, undertook the research and made significant progress. The engineers succeeded in developing novel flotation devices for equipping helicopters with emergency flotation systems. The rights to this invention and the resulting patent have now been sold by the university to Airbus Helicopters.
As part of this research project, engineers at the Institute for Sustainable and Autonomous Maritime Systems (INAM) at the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) investigated the buoyancy stability of a helicopter. INAM, specializing in fluid-structure interactions in a maritime context, was able to develop novel floats for the emergency flotation system under the direction of Prof. Bettar O. el Moctar.
This innovation represents a significant advancement in helicopter safety technology and demonstrates the potential of collaboration between academia and industry. The newly developed floats offer improved stability and safety during emergency water landings, considerably expanding the operational capabilities of helicopters in critical situations.
Source: www.portal.nmwp.de
