Boeing Completes Destructive Testing on 787 Dreamliner Wing Box
SEATTLE, Nov. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) completed
destructive testing today on a full-scale composite wing box of the 787
Dreamliner, the first all-composite wing box ever built for a Boeing
commercial airplane. This test is part of the certification process for the
all-new jetliner.
"Successful completion of the wing box destruction test marks a major step
forward in highlighting the innovation on the 787," said Mark Jenks, vice
president of 787 Development. "In addition to determining the strength of the
structure, the test helps us verify the analytical methods we have used to
calculate the loads the structure will have to carry."
The wing box is a cantilevered beam that carries the wing to the fuselage
and supports leading- and trailing-edge devices, control surfaces, engines and
landing gear. The test piece represents a portion of the wing section that
begins at about the center of the airplane and stops at approximately one-half
of the span of the wing -- approximately 50 feet (15.2 meters). The piece
measures approximately 18 feet (5.5 meters) at its widest point.
The upper and lower surface panels and the spars of the wing are made
entirely of the same composite material being used on the fuselage. The wing
ribs are monolithic aluminum structures, each machined from a single piece of
aluminum plate.
To meet certification requirements, the wings must withstand loads up to
1.5 times, or 150 percent, of the highest aerodynamic load that the jet could
ever be expected to see in the entire lifetime of the 787 fleet.
The test wing box weighs 55,000 pounds, including a great deal of test-
only hardware and instrumentation. It was designed and built by a joint team
of Boeing, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Fuji Heavy Industries.
Structural testing will continue on two full-scale 787 airframes as part
of the certification process for the airplane. Those tests will further
demonstrate the performance of the structure through multiple lifetimes of
normal operational loads and test the structure beyond the points expected to
be seen in service.
