Since the advent of airplanes, air travel has been a mode of transportation desired by many and feared by some, but it’s still often the only way to get where you need to in a reasonable amount of time. While it’s safe to say that air travel has significantly changed since the first commercial flight in 1914, it’s just as fair to assume the aerospace industry has no plans of becoming stagnate.
Brazilian aerospace conglomerate Embraer recently proved it has its sights set on the future—and gained a spot for itself in flight history. The company’s latest jet, the E190-E2, took flight with ANSYS software onboard, making it the only aircraft to receive on-time certification simultaneously by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Brazilian Civil Aviation Agency (Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil – ANAC).
“Embraer has always been on the cutting edge of aviation, consistently delivering next-generation aircraft that surpass performance and fuel-efficiency expectations. ANSYS technology eases the certification process and speeds these innovative jets to market,” said Eric Bantegnie, vice president and general manager, systems business unit, ANSYS. “Across industries, from aviation to automotive, ANSYS solutions empower customers to qualify for increasingly strict certifications faster—resulting in significant cost and time savings.”
ANSYS aerospace design software can be used for a range of aircraft systems simulation, including aerodynamics, environmental control systems simulation, and onboard hydraulic, pneumatic and electronic systems. It also offers embedded software for safety aspects such as bird strike, lightning or icing simulations. The Embraer E190-E2’s flight control system was built using ANSYS to develop and simulate embedded software and generate the embedded code used to control the primary flight control system.
“Embraer relies on ANSYS for fast and accurate software production,” said Pedro Nunes, Embraer E190-E2 flight controls software team leader. “ANSYS has been part of the core of our software production tool chain for years and has been used successfully in several projects.”
The partnership between ANSYS and Embraer has helped produce one of the most efficient single-aisle aircraft on the market. According to Embraer, the E190-E2 is 17.3 percent more fuel efficient than the current-generation E190 and can be considered the most environmentally friendly aircraft in its class, with the lowest levels of external noise and emissions.
Interested in more innovative aerospace news? Check out Singapore Airshow 2018—The Aircraft.