The Mechanical Engineering Department at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) recently signed a revolutionary five-year contract with the French aerospace company, Airbus.

This partnership agreement signed between Airbus, the country’s National Aerospace Centre of Excellence (NACoE), CPUT and the University of Stellenbosch, highlights the country’s need for aerospace research and technology development.

The partnership is endorsed by the Department of Trade and Industry and will focus mainly on human resources development, including skills training and academic research. The partnership will also seek to support the government’s strategy to transform the country’s aerospace industry into a global competitor of niche services and technologies. Dr Oscar Philander, lecturer and smart materials researcher in the Mechanical Engineering is very enthusiastic and excited about the agreement. Airbus visited all the tertiary institutions last year.

Dr Philander presented them with a demonstration of the smart materials research they were doing at the time and was awarded the opportunity to be part of this very unconventional project.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering is in the process of doing research in the field of aero-morphing. This includes the use of smart materials to create more lightweight aircrafts and save natural resources and the environment in the process.

“The research we are busy with is anything but conventional. This is the future of aerospace travel and we are very proud to be part of it,” he said.

Dr Philander explained their research is concentrating on a tool that will enable the wings of an aircraft to move in accordance with the pressure from other air forces whilst at flight. He also reiterated the difference between the respective research projects the CPUT and the University of Stellenbosch are involved in.

“The research done at the University of Stellenbosch involves a more advanced version of the autonomous flight systems currently mounted in aircrafts,” he said.

Autonomous flight systems are what enable pilots to walk around within the aircraft while in flight.

“The research done at the two institutions are of utmost importance to the realisation of the aerospace goals set, but the two institutions work independently as the research they are doing is so different,” he said.

Airbus and NACoE also pledged to assist 30 post-graduate students to work on aerospace related topics.

According to Dr Philander two Masters students and one Doctoral student from each institution will be part of this initiative over the next five years.

“We are very excited to have our students taking part in such an excellent project. It will expose them to a world beyond what they have been used to so far,” he said.

By Revona Kees

Written by CPUT News
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The CPUT Satellite Programme recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus about presenting technical seminars on the university campus.

The Satellite Programme’s partnership with Airbus dates back to 2009 when the programme was first established with government support through the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

French South African Institute of Technology Director Prof Robert van Zyl explained under that first MoU, Airbus Defence and Space (then EADS Astrium) presented technical seminars by their senior engineers during the F’Sati Space Industry Seminar series.

The most recently signed MoU will facilitate the continuation of these industry seminars. The two parties wanted to rework their agreement to mention they would work together in the frame of the CPUT Space engineering and CubeSat programmes. The agreement sets out the terms under which the two parties will co-operate to perform activities for the education and training of the next generation of South African space engineers, promote the Satellite engineering programme and support the setting up and implementation of the South African Space mission.

“The seminars have been very popular, attracting participants from all spheres of the industry, namely academic, industry, government, and not only from South Africa, but the region as well,” said Van Zyl.

The Satellite Programme has since its establishment matured into an internationally recognised and nationally strategic centre that develops skills vital to the national and regional space industries. CPUT’s second nano-satellite ZACube-2 is due to be launched into outer space on 25 December.

“Africa is also at an exciting junction of its space programme, having adopted the African Space Policy and Strategies. Formalising partnerships with a global leader in the space industry such as Airbus strengthens our ability to provide our students with an international perspective on the space industry and exposes our space industry to global technology trends,” said Van Zyl.

He thanked Airbus for their continued commitment to F’Sati and CPUT specifically and the industry at large. “We also want to take this opportunity to thank DST and its agencies for their unwavering support.”

Written by Theresa Smith
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