A PERFECT - Orient Aviation

COMPONENTSThe Hamburg connectionSpecialising in carbon fibre compositesBy Charles Andersonin HamburgAcoupleof diagrams on thewalls of the Airbus plantin Stade near Hamburg inGermany provide a tellingperspective on the sheer sizeof the vertical tailplanes (VTP) that are puttogether there for the A380.Stade turns out VTPs for all models ofthe Airbus range. It also manufactures pressurebulkheads for many of the company’splanes. Drawings of the latter, for the giantA380, widebody A340 and single-aisleA310 are looped together,in actual size, to show thedifference in their dimensions.But they can’t do thatwhen it comes the tailplane.The super-jumbo’s VTP, at14 metres (46.2 feet) high,is too big. It has to be representedto scale. Even then itdwarfs the others. Its overallsurface of 120 squaremetres makes it five timesas large as the A320, withmore than twice the lengthand twice the height. Eventhe A340, with a 53 squaremetre surface, looks punyby comparison.When mounted onthe fuselage, the top of this mammoth componentreaches up more than 24 metres fromthe ground. Standing at the highest level ofthe final assembly station at the Stade productionline, where an VTP is lifted uprightfor its last fittings and checks, is not advisablefor anyone with vertigo.The A380’s tailplane weighs in at 3,500kgs, more than seven times heavier than theA320’s tailplane. But it would have been alot more, some 20% more in fact, if it hadbeen made of advanced aluminium metalsrather than the Stade speciality, carbon fibrereinforced plastic (CFRP).The German plant, set in one of Europe’slargest fruit-growing areas, began usingAn A380 high pressure bulkhead on the move in the Hamburg plantthis lightweight, tough composite more than20 years ago, on the A310’s rudder. NowStade produces many of the CFRP componentsused on Airbus planes and has extensiveresearch facilities dedicated to furtherdeveloping its applications.That weight saving has an obvious significancefor the super-jumbo – some 22%of the overall plane is made from this particularcomposite, including the VTP, highpressure bulkhead and some flaps. It is alsopresent in the centre wing box and the upperdeck floor beams. But CFRP, a blend ofalternate layers of epoxy resin and carbonfibres both basically derived from petroleum,already had proved its effectivenesslong before the A380’s days.Its usage shaved some 800 kilogramsoff an A319’s overall weight, allowing onelow-cost carrier to add an extra eight seats.Using CFRP for the horizontal tailplanefixture of the A340-500/600 nearly halvedthe weight of that particular component.Even the veteran A300 benefited when itsVTP was switched from metal to CFRP. A22% reduction saves 800 tonnes of fuel inan aircraft’s life cycle.There is no metal in the components thatare now shipped from Stade, unless youcount items like rivets. But even its staunchsupporters in this Airbus centre dedicatedto its use recognise the limitations broughtabout by difficulty of repair. Metal sectionsare much easier to patch over when a fuselageis knocked by, say, a food truck. SoCFRP has so far been reserved for out-ofreachareas where damage is unlikely.It is expensive as well with material costsoften moving close to manufacturing costs,instead of trailing well behind as is the casewith many components. But at six times thestrength, and a sixth of the weight of steel,its efficiency and cost-effectiveness make itworthwhile, especially when its corrosionfreerecord is taken into account.Outside the aviation industry, it has beenadopted by railway and carmanufacturers. The largestof northern Europe’s offshorewindmills use CFRPfor their giant wings becauseof its lightness and strength.The A380’s huge verticaltailplane, which wasalso designed in Hamburg,takes shape along a 450-metre production line thatstarts with just the rawmaterials and ends with acompleted product.As the tailplane proceedsalong the line, itpasses those being madefor others in the Airbusrange. The contrast isstriking, as too are the differencesin the size of the pressure bulkheads.An upturned version of the A380’sbulkhead has been suggested for use as anoval swimming pool - as if anyone couldafford it.Final assembly is in Toulouse, so oncecompleted the tailplane it is loaded on toa truck, put on a barge on the river Elbe,transferred to Airbus’s Hamburg plantwhere the customer’s paint is applied andthen flown by the giant Beluga transportplane to France.That, of course, is not the last Germanysees of the giant tailplane it makes fromscratch. It will return, on a completed A380,for cabin fitting and delivery procedures.JUNE – AUGUST 2005 ORIENT AVIATION / A380 Quarterly Update 21