Update on problems joining 787 fuselage sections

Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | June 12, 2007 | James Wallace

[skeptoid]

Boeing told me Monday that workers have finally joined the nose section of the 787 to the forward fuselage, but a spokeswoman admitted the two composite fuselage barrels were not a seamless fit and the solution proved "challenging.''

The Everett factory source who I previously quoted in this blog as saying there were unexpected problems in trying to join fuselage sections told me that loads had to be applied by engineers to finally connect the forward and nose sections. This required that some internal structure installed before the sections arrived in Everett be removed to make the massive one-piece composite barrels less rigid, the source said.

This also added to the growing work load that Boeing faces in order to meet the July 8 rollout date.

Boeing engineers calculated the amount of hydraulic load that could be safely applied to the structures to force the sections to fit, the source said.

[skeptoid]

It sounds like they used hydraulic power to conform (tweak?) the sections to fit.

Still on sched for 7-8-07 rollout.

[steve8714]

“Assembled in USA of globally sourced parts.” Good luck.

[skeptoid]

Ping-ing

[Joe 6-pack]

[corkoman]

Not that I question the capability of the Boeing engineers but they are attaching sections of the airframe together this week in anticipation of a "roll-out" in 3.5 weeks?

That seems a bit ambitious, no?

I think of a roll-out as the band playing and the hanger doors open up and they tow the big beauty out onto the tarmac, lots of balloons and photos, and pols, and celebs, and then they take the big puppy out to the runway and do some fly-bys.

If his is the case I really hope they can glue those sections together real good.

[Inquisitive1]

but a spokeswoman admitted the two composite fuselage barrels were not a seamless fit and the solution proved "challenging."

That's a word we used a lot at GE:
Translation: Do it on the cheap.

[Moonman62]

If it doesn’t fit, force it. If it breaks, it needed fixing anyway.

[Last Dakotan]

“Assembled in USA of globally sourced parts.”

Think GM.

[PAR35]

They did use design software from the same company that made the software used to design the 380 wiring harnesses, didn’t they?

[bill1952]

Force sections to fit? Why not just jam them together and beat to fit?

Christ, I wouldn’t buy a car built that way.

[skeptoid]

I think ‘rollout’ means the band and the doors opening and maybe even a broken bottle, but they aren’t going to fly until autumn.

[skeptoid]

‘rollout’

How did that happen?

[Leisler]

Normal. New materials, new processes, new workers doing new things. A, single, half inch ‘bulge’, on of one side of one single section.

[Yo-Yo]

I think of a roll-out as the band playing and the hanger doors open up and they tow the big beauty out onto the tarmac, lots of balloons and photos, and pols, and celebs, and then they take the big puppy out to the runway and do some fly-bys.

Nope. They tow the big beauty out onto the termac, lots of balloons and photos, with long-winded speeches by execs, then they roll it back into the hanger again for destructive testing.

[LIConFem]

Dang'd metric system!!

;o)

[6ppc]

An old friend of mine who worked on cranes at US Steel used to say:

If it doesn't fit, use a hammer. If it still doesn't fit use a bigger hammer.

[sionnsar]

They did use design software from the same company that made the software used to design the 380 wiring harnesses, didn’t they?

Yes, but they used the same version globally. Different Airbus groups used different versions.

[Red Badger]

Insert “TAB A” in “SLOT B”..............

[llevrok]

if this doesn't work, call an engineer

[Rutles4Ever]

hmmm. Think I’ll pass on flying in that thing until they get that little problem fixed.