Total Technology Readiness Level: Accelerating Technology Readiness for Aircraft Design

Abstract

View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2021-2454.vid Accelerating breakthrough technologies and architectures faster and more seamlessly into aircraft design and production is at the next frontier of aircraft design optimization. New technologies bump into many implementation challenges hindering or halting introduction, and new breakthrough technologies can often be considered large business risk. New aircraft or vehicle design looks to a Technology Readiness Level 6 signal that new technologies are ready to be considered for application. Industry experience has been that technology readiness, TRL 6, while necessary, is not fully sufficient to assess potential for application onto a platform. Over the last three decades, this shortcoming has led to the development of Integration Readiness Level (IRL) and Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL). Additionally, in 2006, System Readiness Level (SRL) methods were proposed to fill the gap between TRL and IRL. In this study, three joint research technology use cases - riblets, bug phobic coatings and active flow control provide the case for the Total Technology Readiness Level methodology proposed herein to integrate the traditional Readiness Levels and other key flexible factors called -ilities such as Affordability and Certifiability, that when identified in early development, can become game changers for technology transition. Collaboration partnership between the technologist and vehicle designer during early development is essential to accelerate successful technology readiness and transition. Learning to “design under constraint” in a more agile manner by jointly identifying specific real-world hurdles in a given application enables technologists and designers to utilize all levers to increase the transition rate of technologies to implementation on products in the market.

Topics & Concepts