CIADI increases focus on interdisciplinary research
The Concordia Institute of Aerospace Design & Innovation (CIADI) has demonstrated its leadership by providing its industry partners with qualified employees since 2001. CIADI recently expanded its mandate and increased its research contribution to the field of aerospace, using interdisciplinary and interfaculty approaches.
Projects of CIADI's 60 affiliated researchers provide solutions to challenges facing the aerospace industry, helping to make air transportation faster, easier and cleaner. Some CIADI researchers describe the positive impact of their work on air transportation.
Air-Transport Engineering and Aviation Management
Ali Akgunduz’s research interests include revenue management, air traffic flow management, aircraft fuel consumption optimization, airport capacity management and application of simulation on transportation. Akgunduz focuses on planes speed selection during the total journey to reduce fuel consumption and optimize flight time while targeting the elimination of collisions in the air. By ensuring flights arrive at their scheduled times (not early or late), use as little fuel as possible and don’t affect the flight paths of other planes, his research helps control costs related to fuel-consumption and airport fines.
Akgunduz is associate dean, Academic Programs and Undergraduate Activities in the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science and an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. Prior to joining Concordia University, Akgunduz worked as a research and development analyst in Revenue Management at United Airlines in Chicago.
Modelling and Simulation
Wahid Ghaly’s research focus is on multidisciplinary analysis, design and optimization of gas turbine engines. This involves developing aerodynamic design and optimization methods for turbine and compressor stages, the integration of the developed design methods into the engine design system, and optimization of the design process to eliminate any bottle necks or delays.
Ghaly’s research illustrates the interdisciplinary nature of CIADI since his work involves several mechanical engineering as well as industrial engineering disciplines. Ghaly is a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.
Other research in this area focuses on power plant simulation, manufacturing simulation, structural simulation using virtual reality, computer aided design, finite element method and other tools, computational fluid dynamics simulation for aerodynamic loads prediction, icing and ice protection, fuel spray atomization, flight simulation and validation including simulated testing etc.
Space and Autonomous Systems
Krzysztof Skonieczny’s research program involves the study of space robots and how they interact with terrain: through driving, gripping, sampling, and digging. These areas of research will help maintain Canada’s global leadership in space robotics. As robotic space exploration targets more and more extreme terrains on the Moon, Mars, and asteroids, an accurate understanding of how robots can interact with these terrains improves chances of success. Advanced rovers able to drive on steeper sandy slopes would open exploration to a significant number of new craters and mountains. Efficient planning of robot routes can get more out of power-starved space missions.
This research lies at the interface between electrical/computer engineering and mechanical engineering, because it develops control and computation based on newly developed models of mechanical rover-terrain interactions.
Skonieczny is an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Structures, Materials and Manufacturing
Ali Dolatabadi’s main research topic is the use of superhydrophobic and icephobic coatings to prevent the build-up of ice on the wings of aircraft. He is involved in two projects on the topics with the Consortium de recherche et d’innovation en aérospaciale du Québec (CRIAQ).
Dolatabadi’s research teams have developed numerical tools to increase the durability of the materials on an aircraft that are impacted by icing in the air. Their research also involves actively working on the development of durable superhydrophobic coatings that repel water from the surface of these parts delaying the icing process.
This research theme focuses on structural design development and certification, manufacturing methods including additive manufacturing, automated fiber placement, out-of-autoclave processing, high speed machining etc. and new materials applications including nano-materials, new metallic alloys, thermal spray and surface engineering, hazardous materials avoidance, computational materials design etc.
Dolatabadi is graduate and PhD program director and professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.