Building tomorrow’s sky together

What motivated you to join this scheme at ISAE-SUPAERO?

I’ve always wanted to get closer to academia and its research, and pass on what I’ve learned in industry. The pause in aeronautical activities during the pandemic and the French government’s recovery plan, which focuses on sustainable development, gave me this opportunity.

What project did you work on?

My secondment concerned the mechanical behaviour of composite materials in a harsh environment and their behaviour under thermomechanical stress derived from the use of liquid hydrogen as a fuel stored at cryogenic temperatures.

The aim was to propose a numerical model for analysing and predicting the behaviour of the material up to failure under static load, taking into account the requirements in terms of thermal cycling, permeability, damage tolerance and possible ageing due to direct contact with hydrogen.

We have developed a mesoscopic Finite Element (FE) model of the behaviour of a carbon fibre laminate, taking into account the effect of cooling and mechanical loading in the formation of microcracks. These microcracks create leak paths through the material that increase the permeability to hydrogen gas under pressure.

What have you gained from this collaboration in scientific and human terms?

On a human level, the whole team at the Department of Mechanics of Structures and Materials (DMSM), and especially my tutors, Laurent Michel and Yves Gourinat, gave me a very warm welcome. Despite working conditions that are still difficult in 2021, my integration into their team was complete from day one and the work was carried out in a friendly atmosphere. I was also able to help teach group tutorials for the engineering course and supervise internships and integration projects linked to hydrogen on the Specialised Master’s programme. The contact with the students has given me a great deal on a personal level. These collaborations have also enabled me to forge links with the other industrialists on site, thanks to the same recovery plan.

From a scientific point of view, I learnt an enormous amount about how to approach a problem without being driven by the need for immediate results, which is sometimes too prevalent in industry. I was also able to acquire skills in damage modelling and simulation that are not always available on a day-to-day basis in a design office whose main task is to design concrete products.

How will your collaboration with the Institute continue?

Unfortunately, the loan will come to an end at the end of the maximum two-year period stipulated by the French National Research Agency (ANR). However, the scientific and teaching collaboration will continue.

The subject of decarbonisation and hydrogen-powered aircraft is more topical than ever, and Airbus still needs to unlock the existing scientific barriers to the development of a lightweight fuel tank in line with the requirements derived from its use in the aeronautical field. I will also be continuing my collaboration with ISAE-SUPAERO as a part-time lecturer in this field.

More generally, what do you think of this collaboration between Airbus and ISAE-SUPAERO?

Research into the use of hydrogen in aeronautics is only just beginning. The arrival of specific laboratory equipment for tests in a cryogenic environment at the Institut Clément Ader from next year will enable us to apply and make progress on the characterisation and modelling of phenomena linked to the cryogenic use of composite materials. This secondment has enabled me to forge very important links with the researchers, teacher-researchers and staff at the DMSM and the ICA. I hope that, as in the film Casablanca, this will be just “the beginning of a beautiful friendship”.