Keynote: The Role of FEA Simulations in Electrifying Aviation

In this keynote talk, Mustafa Baris Topçuoglu discusses aerospace company GKN Fokker Elmo's research and customer-focused approach to electrical wiring interconnection system (EWIS) solutions for the electrification of future aviation. GKN Fokker Elmo aims to become a sustainable partner in the Clean Sky initiative by offering comprehensive finite element analysis (FEA) services for certification, design, optimization, and safety within the urban air mobility (UAM) and hybrid aviation markets.

Topçuoglu opens the talk with a look at the aviation industry's current and forecasted emission problem. This is followed by an introduction to GKN Fokker Elmo's roadmap to zero-emission flight, which includes an exploration of the potential lower and zero emission opportunities in the industry. From there, Topçuoglu addresses new safety, design, and certification concerns specific to electric aviation and discusses how these challenges necessitate significant changes in failure mechanisms, protection systems, certification regulations, and design considerations. Next, he talks about how the COMSOL Multiphysics^® FEA software can be used as a solution. He concludes with a detailed magnetohydrodynamic analysis example of an electrical arc.

Mustafa Baris Topçuoglu graduated from Middle East Technical University and Kocaeli University with a background in FEA, power electronics, and electrical motors. He completed his thesis on the design of eddy current brakes for electric trucks.