SABRE stands for Shape Adaptive Blades for Rotorcraft Efficiency and aims to develop ground-breaking new helicopter blade morphing technologies which will reduce helicopter fuel burn, CO2 and NOx emissions by a projected 5-10%, while also reducing noise emissions. This €6million rotorcraft blade engineering project is funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
SABRE will help Europe to achieve its ambitious aviation emissions goals while also sharpening its competitive edge in the rapidly growing helicopter market. It has support from leading industry figures, Airbus Helicopters and Leonardo Helicopters.
There are 6 different research concepts to be explored in SABRE, which are targeted at morphing the primary rotor design parameters:
Active Camber
Fish Bone Active Camber (FishBAC) – Bristol
Translation Induced Camber (TRIC) – TU Delft
Active Twist
Inertially Driven Twist – Swansea
Shape Memory Alloy Driven Twist – CIRA
Chord Extension – DLR
Active Tendons (Variable blade dynamic properties) – Bristol
Passive Energy Balancing will be explored as a means of reducing the actuation requirements of the various concepts.
For more information and links to all SABRE publications, please click on the link below.
Please find contact details for the SABRE team below:
Department of Aerospace Engineering
Queen’s Building
University of Bristol
University Walk
BS8 1TR
United Kingdom