Concordia researchers talk greener aerospace technology and COVID-19
A couple of trucks pull up beside the airplane, their hoses turn on, and a steady flurry of toxins fill the air. Winter is coming and, with it, the ritual of airplane de-icing returns. Is there a better, more sustainable way to address seasonal challenges in aviation?
“Coatings make it possible to protect components not only from high temperature, wear and corrosion but also to provide surfaces with improved characteristics,” says Christian Moreau, professor and coatings expert in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Aerospace Engineering at the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science.
“Safer and more efficient airplanes can be built by using new icephobic surfaces to reduce or eliminate ice accumulation on airplane wings.”
On November 5, Moreau will be sharing more on this topic and his teams’ recent work as part of Ingéniérie innovante pour réduire l’empreinte environnementale de l’aérospatial, at the 33rd Entretiens Jacques Cartier virtual conference.
COVID-19’s impact
Moreau will be joined at the conference by Nadia Bhuiyan, professor of mechanical, industrial and aerospace engineering and Concordia’s vice-provost of partnerships and experiential learning. Bhuiyan is also Moreau’s colleague at the Concordia Institute of Aerospace Design & Innovation (CIADI).
She will lead a discussion on the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on aviation and aerospace and what the future holds.
“The pandemic has hit the aviation and aerospace sectors very hard,” Bhuiyan says. “The plunge in air traffic is significant, over the short, medium and long terms, and the ripple effect touches original equipment manufacturers, suppliers, airline companies and airports, among others in the air transport system. The recovery will be long and difficult but the focus should not deviate from leaner and greener advancements.”
A strategic home run
The annual conference brings together innovative researchers in the Francophonie from across Quebec and from Ottawa and France to discuss the latest environmental advancements.
Concordia’s involvement this year is aligned with CIADI’s newly minted 2020-2025 strategic directions. Its mission is to globally promote and strengthen aerospace research and education at Concordia through a coordinated cross-faculty platform. The researchers say that Entretiens Jacques Cartier is a natural fit as it highlights CIADI’s expertise and plugs the university into the global aerospace ecosystem.
On November 5, attend the virtual Ingéniérie innovante pour réduire l’empreinte environmentale de l’aérospatial conference, part of the 33rd Entretiens Jacques Cartier. The 2020 event takes place online. Register now.
Learn more about the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science.
