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Airbus A380 test wing breaks just below ultimate load target
Flight International ^ | 16 February 2006 | MAX KINGSLEY-JONES

Posted on 02/16/2006 2:01:08 PM PST by A.A. Cunningham

Airbus A380 test wing breaks just below ultimate load target

The wing of the Airbus A380 static test specimen suffered a structural failure below the ultimate load target during trials in Toulouse earlier this week, but Airbus is confident that it will not need to modify production aircraft.

The airframer has been running load trials on a full scale A380 static test specimen in Toulouse since late 2004 (pictured below). After completing “limit load” tests (ie the maximum loads likely to experienced by the aircraft during normal service), progressively greater loads have been applied to the specimen towards the required 1.5 times the limit load. Engineers develop finite element models (FEM) to calculate the load requirements.

“The failure occurred last Tuesday between 1.45 and 1.5 times the limit load at a point between the inboard and outboard engines,” says Airbus executive vice president engineering Alain Garcia. “This is within 3% of the 1.5 target, which shows the accuracy of the FEM.” He adds that the ultimate load trial is an “extremely severe test during which a wing deflection of 7.4m (24.3ft) was recorded”.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) says that the maximum loading conditions are defined in the A380 certification basis. “The aircraft structure is analysed and tested to demonstrate that the structure can withstand the maximum loads, including a factor of safety of 1.5. This process is ongoing and will be completed before type certification.”

However Garcia says that the failure of the wing below the 1.5 target will require “essentially no modifications” to production aircraft: “This static test airframe has the first set of wings built, and we have refined the structural design for subsequent aircraft due to increased weights etc. We will use this calibration of the FEM to prove the adequacy of the structure on production aircraft.”

EASA says that it is aware of the structural failure but "cannot make a statement about the specific failure as it has not been officially briefed by Airbus on what the cause was, and the certification process is ongoing".

Garcia says that the FEM calculations had already established that the A380’s wing had “no margin at ultimate load. We had a weight saving programme and ‘played the game’ to achieve ultimate load.” However in earlier briefings, Airbus structural engineers had stated that it planned to carry out “a residual strength and margin research test” in 2006 after completing ultimate load trials.

The results gleaned from the static testing will be extrapolated for the future aircraft developments over the next 40 to 50 years says Garcia. “It is normal to refine and strengthen the structure of new heavier or longer range variants,” he says.

MAX KINGSLEY-JONES / LONDON


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: 380; a380; airbus
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To: Bender2

Oui!


61 posted on 02/16/2006 2:51:15 PM PST by Frank_Discussion (May the wings of Liberty never lose a feather!)
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To: Howie66
What is the french word for "OPPS!!"?

Merd! (like sheeeeet)

62 posted on 02/16/2006 2:51:28 PM PST by Leo Carpathian (ffffFReeeePeee!)
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To: MineralMan
"One Pugeot was more than enough for me to understand French engineering excellence."

The difference between Heaven and Hell:

IN HEAVEN:
The police are British, the cooks are French, the engineers are German, the lovers are Italian, and the managers are Swiss.

IN HELL:
The police are German, the cooks are British, the engineers are French, the lovers are Swiss, and the Italians are running the place.

63 posted on 02/16/2006 2:51:29 PM PST by No Truce With Kings (The opinions expressed are mine! Mine! MINE! All Mine!)
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To: Frank_Discussion

First the wine.....now this......it must suck to be french. Blahahahahahah


64 posted on 02/16/2006 2:51:36 PM PST by Gator113
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To: sitetest
Where is the suprise? The French built an aircraft carrier that was too short for its jets to take off of....now they have built an airliner that is too big to land at a huge percentage of existing airports.

The French - true to form; SNAFU'ed

65 posted on 02/16/2006 2:52:24 PM PST by HardStarboard
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To: Petronski

> Nineteen seconds.
> I hate you.

Actually, you were beat by 17 *minutes*.


66 posted on 02/16/2006 2:53:21 PM PST by orionblamblam (A furore Normannorum libra nos, Domine)
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To: SkyDancer

"At the Boeing plant in Everett they have a 767 that they never were able to break the wing. We saw it during a tour. The whole fuselage twisted but the wing never broke ..."

Do they do any sort of shear test on wings? Or is shear not an issue wuth these constructions?


67 posted on 02/16/2006 2:54:46 PM PST by TalBlack (I WON'T suffer the journalizing or editorializing of people who are afraid of the enemies of freedom)
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To: Gator113

Aye.


68 posted on 02/16/2006 2:54:48 PM PST by Frank_Discussion (May the wings of Liberty never lose a feather!)
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To: HardStarboard

You're Right!! LOL!!!


69 posted on 02/16/2006 2:55:20 PM PST by Frank_Discussion (May the wings of Liberty never lose a feather!)
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To: CdMGuy

Yes, it would. This was one of the "publicized" reasons for increased weight as the Air Force had validated the designs to date.


70 posted on 02/16/2006 2:55:35 PM PST by jettester (I got paid to break 'em - not fly 'em)
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To: A.A. Cunningham

Whatever happened to 2X safety factors?


71 posted on 02/16/2006 2:56:46 PM PST by UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide (Give Them Liberty Or Give Them Death! - IT'S ISLAM, STUPID! - Islam Delenda Est! - Rumble thee forth)
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To: Max in Utah

All the MILSPEC stamp did was bump up the dang price from $2.50 per fryer to over $40 a piece!!!


72 posted on 02/16/2006 2:57:38 PM PST by jettester (I got paid to break 'em - not fly 'em)
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To: Frank_Discussion

My idea of a nice 380

Sorry, just had to do it!!

73 posted on 02/16/2006 2:59:19 PM PST by China Clipper
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To: Leo Carpathian; Frank_Discussion; Allegra; peacebaby
Re: What is the french word for "OPPS!!"?

Le mot français pour des opps est des oops! Et s'il y a plus de questions stupides comme ce, il sera la fin d'une amitié beautful! Comprenez...

Merde!

Maintenant, haut rond les suspects habituels!

74 posted on 02/16/2006 3:00:55 PM PST by Bender2 (Redid my FR Homepage just for ya'll... Now, Vote Republican and vote often!)
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To: A.A. Cunningham
Would it not be a routine procedure to take a critical element (like the wing) to the breaking point in tests? I'm no engineer, but I think I would want to know what the real limit is, and there's only one way to find out.
75 posted on 02/16/2006 3:00:57 PM PST by hinckley buzzard
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To: China Clipper

OT, but what does one of those babies cost? I'm looking at a CCW, but don't want to lug the Browning Hi-Power all the time.


76 posted on 02/16/2006 3:01:19 PM PST by Frank_Discussion (May the wings of Liberty never lose a feather!)
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To: A.A. Cunningham

They're called AIRBUST for a reason...
For you English majors in the forum -- AIRBURST.

Semper Fi


77 posted on 02/16/2006 3:04:09 PM PST by river rat (You may turn the other cheek, but I prefer to look into my enemy's vacant dead eyes.)
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To: HardStarboard
I've heard quite a few versions covering trains, Concords, etc. that I am not sure where it came from. But, I bet there is a "real story" somewhere in how the joke came into being, if you know what I mean.

The best joke I ever pulled was when my team was having a lunch party at a local Italian restaurant. I had prearranged to have my high-speed videos of some recent bird-strikes we had done shown on the big screens (the place was a sports bar hangout). Needless to say, the Chicken Parmesan buffet went uneaten and the cook was forever pissed at me!!!
78 posted on 02/16/2006 3:05:53 PM PST by jettester (I got paid to break 'em - not fly 'em)
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To: SF Republican

I used to break helicopters for a living at KAMAN Aerospace, 11 years

we broke real live full size stuff


79 posted on 02/16/2006 3:07:31 PM PST by RaceBannon ((Prov 28:1 KJV) The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.)
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To: China Clipper
My preferred 380
80 posted on 02/16/2006 3:14:27 PM PST by BubbaTheRocketScientist (We're from the town with the Super Bowl Team, we cheer the Pittsburgh Steelers!)
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