Since ground vibration testing is a necessary step in an aircraft’s certification for flightworthiness, any time that can be shaved off the testing process can yield significant savings for the manufacturer. As a result, aerospace manufacturers are highly motivated to streamline the testing process.
Case in point, Airbus announced that it was able to complete ground vibration testing on the A350-1000 in only two days. In comparison, testing for the A350-900 takes nine days, and previous Airbus jetliners have required over a month.
To achieve this reduction, Airbus capitalized on its success in reducing the testing time for the A350-900, of which the A350-1000 is a derivative. Building on the knowledge gained through its previous testing efforts, the company assembled a multifunctional team to shorten and simplify the testing process.
“We brought together people from different domains,” explained Nicolas Lastère, a flight physics engineer in the Loads and Aeroelastics department at Airbus Commercial Aircraft. “The feedback and our results are a clear demonstration that different functions can work well together.”
This is not the first time the A350-1000 has benefited from the company’s experience with the A350-900. In November of last year, the A350-1000 completed its first of three test flights, all taking place in less than a year thanks to Airbus’ experience with the original A350-900 test campaign.
Based on the streamlined ground vibration testing’s success for the A350-1000, the method will now also be used for the A330neo–which is scheduled to perform its initial take-off in the first half of 2017.
For more information, visit the Airbus website.