Why oh why is UK manufacturing increasingly showing quality issues on big value projects such as the A380?
Probably because we're too busy counting £'s in the city rather than worrying about real skills in manufacturing. Would not be surprised if Airbus looked elsewhere in the future.
BBC News - A380 wings to be checked for cracks, EASA says
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/art...rocess-367116/
Probably because we're too busy counting £'s in the city rather than worrying about real skills in manufacturing. Would not be surprised if Airbus looked elsewhere in the future.
BBC News - A380 wings to be checked for cracks, EASA says
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/art...rocess-367116/
Airbus traces A380 wing cracks to manufacturing process
Airbus has traced the source of the cracking in A380 wing structures to unexpected additional stresses imparted by the manufacturing process, and is confident that its original flight loading calculations for the type are accurate.
The airframer is in the process of changing the manufacturing process and has developed a fix for affected aircraft, as the European Aviation Safety Agency prepares to instruct operators to conduct precautionary inspections.
But Airbus emphasises that the cracking problem - while needing to be addressed, to avoid longer-term issues - is not a safety risk in the short- to medium-term.
The cracks were originally discovered in the rib feet of the Qantas A380 which suffered an uncontained engine failure in November 2010, and has since been under repair in Singapore.
Airbus carries out A380 wing manufacture at the UK plant in Broughton, before transferring the wings to the Toulouse final assembly line. An Airbus wing specialist on the A380 said the airframer's investigations indicated that parts were being stressed at some point during the manufacturing process, which involves drawing the wing skin over the built-up rib and spar assembly before attaching it.
Airbus has traced the source of the cracking in A380 wing structures to unexpected additional stresses imparted by the manufacturing process, and is confident that its original flight loading calculations for the type are accurate.
The airframer is in the process of changing the manufacturing process and has developed a fix for affected aircraft, as the European Aviation Safety Agency prepares to instruct operators to conduct precautionary inspections.
But Airbus emphasises that the cracking problem - while needing to be addressed, to avoid longer-term issues - is not a safety risk in the short- to medium-term.
The cracks were originally discovered in the rib feet of the Qantas A380 which suffered an uncontained engine failure in November 2010, and has since been under repair in Singapore.
Airbus carries out A380 wing manufacture at the UK plant in Broughton, before transferring the wings to the Toulouse final assembly line. An Airbus wing specialist on the A380 said the airframer's investigations indicated that parts were being stressed at some point during the manufacturing process, which involves drawing the wing skin over the built-up rib and spar assembly before attaching it.
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