INEGI is a Research and Technology Organization founded in 1986 as a non-profit private association among what is now the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management of FEUP. Recognized as of public utility, INEGI is an active agent in the development and consolidation of a competitive model
based on knowledge and on high technological product and process innovation. INEGI is primarily dedicated to industry-driven activities focused on increasing the competitiveness of the national industry through Research and Development (R&D), Technology Transfer, Consulting Services, and Advanced Training, in the fields of engineering design, materials, production technology, energy and environment, and industrial management. It gathers differentiated skills and capacities in these areas, wide experience in the management of collaborative projects with companies, and a clear orientation toward applied technological innovation, at both product-, process- and service levels.
Role in HERA
INEGI will participate in the following tasks, based on its strong background knowledge and
experience, namely:
- T2.1: Top Level Aircraft Requirements - INEGI will lead the detailed mapping of state-of-the-art advanced materials and manufacturing process technologies relevant to the design of hydrogen storage tanks for the future aircrafts.
It must be noted that INEGI has been involved in and coordinating several national and European projects focused on aircraft structures, because of the work on composites processing, where INEGI stands out as a national and international reference. Among its main recent activities stands out the Cle -caPAbilities for innovative Structural and functional testing of AeROstructures (http://passaro.inegi.up.pt/). Moreover, INEGI is highly experienced in driving both technology road mapping and market-oriented assessment studies used to guide decision-making processes in this R&I field, including spin-in of relevant technologies between different sectors, mainly within the Transport and in the Space & Defence areas. INEGI’s role in the H2020 project ACCTIVATE-PAn-European Clusters for Technology Transfer and new VAlue chains (https://acttivate.eu/) or in ESA’s Technology Development Programmes are here evident examples.
- T7.1: Aircraft digital system integration - INEGI will apply further advanced computational models assisting the model-based systems engineering of the HERA concept. This work will particularly focus on the optimization of composite structures considering their manufacturing conditions.
INEGI’s team gathers wide and sound experience in structural and dynamic simulation, optimization, composite failure modelling, and particularly focusing on the design and virtual
testing and certification of aircraft structures. Their advances in computational models for the prediction of inelastic deformation and fracture of polymer composite materials not only had a major impact on the scientific community, as confirmed by being highly cited, but there were also successfully transferred to the industry and services, such as the regular research contracts with Airbus (e.g., Finite Fracture Mechanics based models, for quick sizing and optimization of aircraft composite structures, and the Continuum Damage Models, for detailed sizing of complex composite structural details). Moreover, such models have implemented have been implemented in commercial Finite Element codes (e.g., LS-DYNA Material 262) and are being used worldwide. The models developed by INEGI’s researchers enable the reduction of both recurring and non-recurring costs in the design, certification, and operation of the composite structures used in the aeronautical and automotive industries.