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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
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![](http://www.flightinternational.com/assets/getAsset.aspx?ItemID=11513)
Photos © Airbus
Airbus has been running load trials on a full scale A380 static test specimen in Toulouse since late 2004
![](http://www.flightinternational.com/assets/getAsset.aspx?ItemID=11514)
Photos © Airbus
To: A.A. Cunningham
No margin, eh? Stoopid froggies.
2
posted on
02/16/2006 2:02:18 PM PST
by
Frank_Discussion
(May the wings of Liberty never lose a feather!)
To: A.A. Cunningham
Boeing is deeply saddened.
3
posted on
02/16/2006 2:02:54 PM PST
by
neodad
(Why does every cartoon article refer to the "Prophet" Muhammed?)
To: neodad
4
posted on
02/16/2006 2:03:25 PM PST
by
Frank_Discussion
(May the wings of Liberty never lose a feather!)
To: Frank_Discussion
To be fair, yes there is margin - 47%. They just didn't get to the planned 50%. Doesn't mean I'll fly one tho, but that's an economic decision.
5
posted on
02/16/2006 2:03:52 PM PST
by
farlander
To: A.A. Cunningham
As a proud American I gotta love it.
6
posted on
02/16/2006 2:04:07 PM PST
by
Joe Boucher
(an enemy of islam)
To: A.A. Cunningham
Airbus is confident that it will not need to modify production aircraft.Their motto:
"Airbus--Nope, nothin' wrong here!"
To: A.A. Cunningham
Is this where they actually bend a wing until it breaks? or just a model? I think I remember them actually testing/breaking a 747 and the video is really cool.
To: neodad
there was a show about the 747 on Disovery once. In it, they showed the wing load testing. They flexed the wing like the A-380 pic shows. When it had reached it's breaking point, it exploded at the break. On the tube, it sounded like small arms fire. It had to be a LOT louder in the testing area. I'd prefer a Boeing product whenever possible.
9
posted on
02/16/2006 2:08:14 PM PST
by
NCC-1701
(RADICAL ISLAM IS A CULT. IT MUST BE ELIMINATED.)
To: A.A. Cunningham
Did anyone see the results of their ground test evacuating 600 people in 90 seconds? I have trouble believing that's possible.
10
posted on
02/16/2006 2:08:35 PM PST
by
RoadTest
("- - a popular government cannot flourish without virtue in the people." - Richard Henry Lee, 1786)
To: farlander
"Garcia says that the FEM calculations had already established that the A380s 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."
They were going for Ultimate Load. They admit to not having margin in achieving that load, and they missed it. Their design was not adequate to survive *static* load test, dynamic testing will be worse.
11
posted on
02/16/2006 2:08:46 PM PST
by
Frank_Discussion
(May the wings of Liberty never lose a feather!)
To: SF Republican
"Is this where they actually bend a wing until it breaks? or just a model? I think I remember them actually testing/breaking a 747 and the video is really cool."
Did you ever see the one where they fired a frozen goose at the cockpit at 200 MPH? Now THAT was cool.
12
posted on
02/16/2006 2:09:24 PM PST
by
dljordan
To: Darkwolf377
extremely severe test during which a wing deflection of 7.4m (24.3ft) was recorded. You mean to tell me that the wing tip has a 24 ft. up or down travel? WOW
13
posted on
02/16/2006 2:09:41 PM PST
by
phil1750
(Love like you've never been hurt;Dance like nobody's watching;PRAY like it's your last prayer)
To: Frank_Discussion
Add fatigue over a few thousand hours....poof!
Mike
14
posted on
02/16/2006 2:10:42 PM PST
by
MichaelP
("Opportunities multiply as they are seized." Sun Tzu)
To: Frank_Discussion
My understanding was that the ultimate load was 1.5x the maximum use load. To me that is a 50% margin of safety in every day use.
But yea, in either case, it does look bad. Fortunately they're not likely to sell many of those monsters anyway. The 7E7's got their butts kicked.
To: A.A. Cunningham
The airframer has been running load trials on a full scale A380 static test specimen in Toulouse since late 2004 I guess the bolt that hold the wing together were toulouse.
16
posted on
02/16/2006 2:11:37 PM PST
by
My2Cents
("The essence of American journalism is vulgarity divested of truth." -- Winston Churchill)
To: Frank_Discussion
When we we're testing the C-17's wing, a similar occurred but at a slightly lower value. Structural mods included beef-ups on both forward and aft spars and a reduction in the chem-milling of the skins around the failure area. All in all, these kind of fixes are relatively easy to implement unless you have many of the parts in the production cycle already.
The real proof in the pudding is when they (and if) they do a full scale fatigue test under flight loads to find out if the wing and wing root connections will withstand the stress. My guess is that there will be some future beefing up to do - they just won't admit it publicly.
17
posted on
02/16/2006 2:12:05 PM PST
by
jettester
(I got paid to break 'em - not fly 'em)
To: A.A. Cunningham; Paleo Conservative
Airbus ping!
BTW: Are you the same Cunningham who posts on the Catholic threads?
18
posted on
02/16/2006 2:13:24 PM PST
by
Clemenza
(I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked...)
To: A.A. Cunningham
I know a guy who breaks airplane wings for a living. He says it's a great deal of fun....
19
posted on
02/16/2006 2:14:13 PM PST
by
r9etb
To: dljordan
Actually, we typically shoot a four pound (MILSPEC) dead chicken at over 400 kts at the target....
20
posted on
02/16/2006 2:14:38 PM PST
by
jettester
(I got paid to break 'em - not fly 'em)
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