Aviation Engineering International Conference at INRTU
On June 26-28, INRTU hosted the XVII International Conference on Aviation Engineering focusing on technological advancements in Russia's domestic aircraft industry. The forum brings together scientists, experts from universities, and representatives of aviation manufacturing enterprises from Irkutsk, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Perm, Ulan-Ude, and Komsomolsk-on-Amur. International attendees included universities from China and Belarus.
The conference is supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, the Russian Engineering Union, and the Irkutsk Aviation Plant – a branch of PJSC Yakovlev. Forum partners include PJSC Yakovlev, Nova Engineering Company, and Innovative Technologies and Materials LLC.
Participants were welcomed by INRTU Rector Mikhail Korniakov. In his speech, he emphasized Irkutsk's unique place in aviation history and development. This legacy is underscored by historical milestones. In 1910, engineer S. Tsapenko from Cheremkhovo obtained a French patent for aircraft design and improvements. That same year, engineer Gorlikov from Kutulik earned certification to operate his own airship.
«Today, the region's aviation industry thrives thanks to the Irkutsk Aviation Plant. The enterprise manufactures modern Sukhoi Su-30 aircraft and is gearing up for serial production of the Yakovlev MC-21 airliner – tooling development for which our university contributed to. Through our collaboration with the plant, we've already secured over 20 patents.
It's encouraging that the conference has drawn significant interest from both domestic and international attendees. I wish you productive work, and may this forum lay the groundwork for future partnership projects,» said Mikhail Korniakov at the opening ceremony.
Saint-Petersburg State Marine Technical University (SPbSMTU) Rector Gleb Turichin thanked the organizers for the opportunity to share expertise:
«The Irkutsk conference is arguably the only one in Russia focused on aviation technologies. I'm confident discussions here will spark ideas for advancing the digital aviation industry.»
Gleb Turichin continued the event with a plenary report on the development and implementation prospects for large-scale additive manufacturing of metal components. He detailed the direct laser deposition technology pioneered at SPbSMTU, highlighting its advantages: high productivity, the ability to create parts with graded material properties, and the fabrication of large-scale items.
The speaker presented the upgraded ILIST series direct laser deposition systems alongside specialized large-scale additive manufacturing equipment capable of combining powder and arc deposition techniques within a single production cycle.
Andrei Pashkov, Director of the School of Aircraft Construction, Mechanical Engineering and Transport, outlined INRTU's digital manufacturing projects focused on developing large-scale, high-precision, and unique aviation components. He emphasized that this work falls under the national "Priority 2030" Program.
In connection with the launch of serial production of the MC-21 aircraft, INRTU has implemented two comprehensive projects under Resolution No.218 of the Government of the Russian Federation. Over 30 patents and certificates were obtained during the project execution.
One priority for Polytech researchers is developing equipment for high-precision shaping of aviation structural elements. Commissioned by an aviation enterprise, the university created an automated system for shaping fuselage skin and frame components of aircraft. The new equipment boosts productivity in several aircraft part manufacturing processes while ensuring high precision and product lifespan. In 2024, the system successfully passed trials and is ready for implementation.
Irkutsk Polytech specialists also developed the unique UFP-1 unit for shaping and straightening large-scale wing and fuselage parts for the main heavy military transport aircraft Il-76MD-90A. This equipment is already used at several United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) enterprises.
A report on domestic software applications in aviation and industry was delivered by Andrey Podshivalov, General Director of Nova Engineering LLC (Yekaterinburg). He stated that the company collaborates with major Russian corporations including PJSC UEC, UAC, and JSC Russian Helicopters. The organization specializes in software development, production process modeling, virtual testing, and complex product design.
Andrey Podshivalov emphasized training specialists capable of working with Russian engineering software, highlighting the urgency of developing workforce potential in this field. The speaker also presented successful projects completed in cooperation with The Ural Advanced Engineering School (UAES).
"Participating in the Irkutsk conference has become a good tradition for us. This year we brought a virtual reality demonstration – modern Russian-developed technology. It's available for viewing in the conference hall foyer," concluded Andrey Podshivalov.
The plenary session program included reports by Kristina Klantsova, Head of the Research and Development Institute for Technical Support of Projects at PJSC Yakovlev; Sergey Gusev, Deputy Director General of ITECMA LLC; as well as INRTU research laboratories heads Andrey Savilov and Yury Ivanov.
The first day concluded with a tour of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant.
On June 27, participants worked within the forum sections: «Aircraft Engineering and Operation of Aviation Equipment», «Materials Science and Additive Technologies», «Mechanical Engineering», and «Machine dynamics».
On the final day, a trip to Listvyanka was organized with visits to the Baikal Museum of SB RAS and the Large Solar Vacuum Telescope of the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics SB RAS.
