COVER STORY
Digital twins were used in the development of the turbine blades for the UltraFan engine demonstrator
DIGITAL TWINS DATA-FIRST
Ben Wilkinson explains how a data-driven approach to digital twins can revolutionise maintenance and repair operations and extend time-on-wing for aerospace engines
T
ime-on-wing (TOW) is a measure of the operational reliability of an engine or aircraft system. The higher
the TOW of an aircraft engine the better, particularly for airline operators for whom keeping an aircraft fl eet operational is crucial not only for their passengers but also for minimising costly and timely maintenance and repair (MRO) operations. Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace has
an extensive history in the aviation industry, having developed and supplied its aircraft engines and systems to the sector for decades. Improving TOW of its engines is an integral focus for the business, prompting a complete overhaul of its business model in the 1990s. At Manufacturing and Engineering Week 2023 in June, Ben Wilkinson – Head of Digital Technology at Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace – explained how the company pivoted its approach to MRO in order to maximise TOW of
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its engines, and how implementing innovative digital twin technology is aiding the company in this endeavour.
THE INTRODUCTION OF TOTAL CARE Back in the 1990s, Rolls-Royce’s business model was based on the sale and maintenance of its aircraft engines; the airlines paid for the engine and then also paid Rolls-Royce to fi x it when it broke. However, this relationship was not the most synergistic one, Wilkinson admitted, and so the company started looking at how they could transform this arrangement to align the outcomes for both itself and its airline customers. “We developed a new contract
The UltraFan demonstrator off ers a step change in engine effi ciency improvement
type called Total Care, which at the time was transformational,” he said. “Total Care essentially transferred risk. So before, if one of the engines broke the airlines carried the risk and would incur downtime while the engine was repaired, and would have to pay us to fi x it. With Total Care, we take on this risk and cover the cost of maintenance, meaning the airlines
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