Woodward, Inc.

Design and control of electromechanical or hydraulic actuators for moving aircraft components like wing tips, control surfaces, or landing gear, often focusing on efficiency, redundancy, or specific operational profiles.

Methods and components for converting power into mechanical motion to drive pump mechanisms, encompassing electric motors, hydraulic actuators, and specialized motion converters like ball screws or solenoids.

Mechanisms and control systems for precisely moving valve elements, often involving electric motors, cams, solenoids, or pneumatic/hydraulic pilots, to achieve desired flow or position.

Combustor and fuel supply system designs that enable operation with multiple fuel types (e.g., conventional, ammonia, hydrogen) or optimize fuel-air mixing for improved efficiency, reduced emissions, or specific power cycles.

Innovations in the design, materials, and maintenance of seals, valves, and related components to improve durability, reduce leakage, and enable specific pump functions like high-pressure operation or automated seal replacement.

Mechanisms that convert rotational input (typically from an electric motor) into precise linear output motion, often employing screw-nut assemblies, ball screws, or cam-follower systems for various applications.

Innovations in the construction, integration, and operational verification of flow measurement devices, including methods for calibration, fault detection, and structural integrity monitoring.

Systems and methods for real-time or periodic assessment of turbine engine health, including detection of wear, damage, unbalance, or deterioration, to enable predictive maintenance and extend operational life.

Technologies for measuring the flow rate, level, or composition of mixtures containing multiple fluid phases (e.g., liquid-liquid, liquid-gas, liquid-solid suspensions), often employing specialized sensing principles to differentiate components.

Systems and methods for ensuring robust and reliable aircraft control, often involving multiple control computers, adaptive control laws, or sophisticated pilot input interfaces, especially in the presence of failures or environmental disturbances.

Integration of electric machines, energy storage, and power transfer systems with gas turbine engines to enable hybrid operation, electric starting, or auxiliary power generation, improving efficiency or operational flexibility.

Incorporating sensors and processing capabilities directly into valve systems to monitor operational state, detect malfunctions, measure flow parameters, or verify proper installation.

Valves specifically designed for managing fluid power in hydraulic or pneumatic systems, including components for pressure regulation, flow direction, and system centering.

Techniques utilizing various physical principles (e.g., radar, capacitance, ultrasound, thermal, optical, force) to accurately determine the fill level or presence of substances in containers, often under challenging conditions.

Support systems for gas turbine engines, including specialized pumps, cleaning methods for engine components, mobile power generation units, and specific structural components like joints and fasteners.

Methods and systems for identifying anomalies, failures, or impending issues within electric motors or their associated drive and power management circuits, often by monitoring electrical or operational parameters.

Techniques for determining the rotor position, speed, or other operational parameters of an electric motor without dedicated physical sensors, often relying on back-EMF, current, or voltage measurements.

Integration of electric motors, power generation, and distribution systems for propelling aircraft, including components for coupling motors to propellers and managing electrical power.

Specialized valve designs for domestic and commercial applications involving water distribution, temperature control, and air conditioning, often focusing on integration, materials, and specific flow characteristics.

Strategies and circuits for optimizing the supply and consumption of electrical power for motors, including current limiting, regenerative energy handling, battery integration, and managing power quality.

Novel configurations and materials for gears and drivetrain components, including specialized profiles, self-aligning features, damping elements, and complex gear train arrangements like planetary, cycloidal, or strain wave gearing.

Innovations in aircraft airframe design, material usage, and aerodynamic surfaces to improve performance characteristics such as weight, rigidity, short take-off/landing capabilities, or stall resistance.

Methods and circuits for controlling the power electronic converters (inverters, bridges) that supply current and voltage to electric motors, including switching strategies, voltage command generation, and multi-phase configurations.

Valves engineered to automatically open or close based on pressure differentials, preventing over-pressurization, controlling flow direction, or suppressing backflow in fluid systems.