FARNBOROUGH, England, July 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boeing (NYSE:
BA) and its partners have completed construction and will soon begin
structural testing of a full-scale 787 Dreamliner composite wing box as
part of the certification process of the all-new jetliner.
The test piece measures approximately 17 feet front spar to rear spar
and 50 feet from airplane centerline to the tip of the composite structure.
It is 4 feet deep at the thickest section. It will weigh 55,000 pounds,
including a great deal of test-only hardware and instrumentation. It was
designed and built by a joint team of Boeing, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
and Fuji Heavy Industries.
While it is full-scale, the piece represents a portion of the wing
section, beginning at about the center of the airplane and stopping at
approximately two-thirds of the span of the wing.
"In addition to determining the strength of the structure, the tests we
are running will help us to verify the analytical methods we have used to
calculate the loads that the structure will have to carry," said Mike Bair,
vice president and general manager of the 787 program for Boeing. "This is
how we work through ensuring that the structure performs exactly as we
predict during the design effort.
"We start by testing small coupons and elements to characterize the
material system; we proceed to testing small and medium size articles of
configured structure; and then proceed to full-scale testing."
Boeing will conduct structural tests on two full-scale 787 airframes as
part of its validation and certification process. Those test programs, like
the testing being run on the half-span wing box, will demonstrate the
performance of the structure through multiple lifetimes of normal
operational loads and test the structure to the point of breaking.
"We analyze the wing for how much load the structure can bear and when
and where it will break," Bair said. "The failure loads are equivalent to
more than 150 percent of the maximum load we ever expect these wings to see
in service, even in the event of an extreme emergency."
In addition to testing the strength of the wing, Boeing will use the
test structure to validate the repair methods that have been developed for
the materials being used on the 787.
The upper and lower surface panels and the spars of the wing are made
entirely of the same composite material being used on the fuselage. The
wing ribs are monolithic aluminum structures, each machined from a single
piece of aluminum plate.
"Because the design is all-new, we feel it is important to get early
test results," said Bair. "This test article will help us to refine our
final designs and ensure we minimize the chance for surprises during the
full-scale testing."
Structure representing the engine nacelle fittings and the main landing
gear fittings, as well as other attachments, have also been added to the
structure to allow testing of the joints of these structural elements.
It took approximately 18 months to build the test fixture and all of
the associated structure. Testing begins in August.
SOURCE Boeing
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Related links:
http://www.boeing.com/
CONTACT:
U.K. - Yvonne Leach, +1-206-854-5027, or U.S.
- Lori Gunter +1-425-717-0571, both of Boeing
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