Flight International – 11 June 2019

fiightglobal.com 11-17 June 2019 | Flight International | 41

PARIS

Wing of tomorrow

ing is substantially more expensive and re-
quires longer cycle times than traditional alu-
minium aerostructures. Also, output cannot
be easily scaled up – a serious impediment to
rising narrowbody production.
Partridge’s brief is to develop a production
approach that will reduce the manufacturing
cost for a composite single-aisle wing to
match that of the metal wing on today’s A321.
Additionally, the system will need to support
output of 60 aircraft per month within two
years of a programme launch – “the critical bit
of the target”, she notes – and be capable of
reaching rate 100 at a later stage.

GREATER AUTOMATION
The project concentrates on three main areas:
component manufacturing process improve-
ments, developing new assembly approaches
with greater automation, and integrating the
wing and its internal systems in what Partridge
terms a “more modular” way than today.
An overall target is to reduce process steps,
manual labour and part count. Structures tradi-
tionally assembled from individual metal parts
will be built as integrated units in order to sim-
plify wing assembly and reduce usage of fasten-
ers. Inside the wing, Airbus intends to reduce
system complexity and to integrate, as much as

possible, equipment before final wing assem-

bly. Under the future design, it will not be nec-

essary for production staff to climb into fuel

tanks during wing integration, Partridge says.

The first of the three full-scale demonstra-

tors due to be assembled in 2020 will be used

for structural tests to validate new composite

manufacturing techniques. The programme

participants are exploring multiple approaches

to increase productivity of carbonfibre process-

es, including dry-fibre deposition with later

resin infusion and out-of-autoclave curing.

“Wherever possible we are looking at more

than one technology option,” says Partridge.

“By looking at more than one technology and

using the demonstrators to understand those

options, we will be able to [make trade-offs]

and offer mature technologies as options to

the business.”

The second demonstrator will be a fully in-

tegrated wing to validate the system integra-

tion approach, while the third is to be manu-

factured at production-rate conditions in

order to “really understand the rate capabili-

ties of the technologies we have chosen”, Par-

tridge says.

Airbus has determined the shape and ar-

chitecture of the demonstrator wing and the

project has passed the critical design review

stage. Now the team is in the process of manu-

facturing tooling and preparing the produc-

tion of the demonstrators. Airbus is targeting

early 2022 for completion of the Wing of To-

morrow programme.

“The objective of the programme is to get

the business ready for the launch of a next-

generation single-aisle-type product,” says

Partridge. Acknowledging the A320 family’s

existential importance for Airbus, she says:

“Managing the transition from the A320 fami-

ly to a new single-aisle product will be critical

to the business... We have to get it right. We

have to ramp up very quickly, and in order to

do that we need to ensure that technologies

meet our cycle time and cost targets.”

MINIMISING RISK

Russ Dunn, chief technology officer and head

of strategy at UK aerostructures specialist

GKN Aerospace, says that providing mature

processes and minimising production risks

are central to the project. GKN manufactures

the carbonfibre wing spar for the A400M mili-

tary airlifter, and rear spar and trailing edge

assembly for the A350. The supplier is target-

ing a similar work package on any future sin-

gle-aisle programme, and is a partner in the

Wing of Tomorrow effort, alongside other sup-

pliers and research institutes.

Dunn says that in the past, suppliers made

bids for work packages and then developed

the required technologies. “Today that ap-

proach won’t work. The customer needs to be

really confident that you have control of the

process. This is the reason why big technolo-

gy programmes are so important,” he says.

Simulation has become a central tool to de-

velop and, crucially, further explore manufac-

turing techniques to make improvements.

Dunn says that detailed simulation has ena-

bled manufacturers to “really understand the

opportunities in the process”. While carbonfi-

bre has been used in aerospace for decades,

during most of that time, manufacturing pro-

cesses were developed through physical ex-

ploration – learning by doing.

It is only in recent years that simulation

Airbus

P Pigeyre/Master films/Airbus

“There will be more pressure

on all of us to provide more

efficient light products”

Russ Dunn

Chief technology officer, GKN Aerospace

Carbonfibre wing gives

A350 aerodynamic

advantage

Airbus is targeting early 2022 for the Wing of Tomorrow programme’s completion

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