Fields of Research
Research at ILR is divided into four areas: flight physics, aircraft design, systems analysis and space flight. Research at the ILR focuses on aircraft design in combination with the integration of new technologies and their evaluation. The sustainability of new configurations is also analyzed by means of system analysis in a temporal dimension through life cycle investigations and spatially through integration into air traffic and simulation of aircraft movements. In the fields of flight physics and space technology, the ILR primarily investigates the vortex dynamics of aircraft and carrier systems and the associated acoustics.
Most of the research work is carried out together with cooperation partners. All research work is based on systems engineering or system thinking, which includes dependencies and interaction with superordinate and subordinate system levels.
Thinking in the System
The success of a new technology or a process depends crucially on its ability to be integrated into the higher system levels and its impact on lower system levels. Here, integrability is understood as comprehensive proof of various system aspects: function, safety, compliance with regulations and approval requirements, economic sense, ecological compatibility and social acceptance. The superordinate system level thus defines guard rails in the design space within which a market success is possible for a technology or process. Space probes, satellites and aircraft are durable goods. The operating phase often exceeds 25 years. In order to take account of the temporal variance, new technologies and processes are evaluated with the help of scenario technology even in changed future system environments and thus possible developments are identified which may be a prerequisite for market success.