Airbus readies A350 XWB airframe for static testing

Airbus’ A350 XWB static test airframe has moved to the facility where it will undergo structural design testing and validation. Courtesy, Airbus

Airbus has moved its A350 XWB static test airframe to the facility where it will undergo testing to validate the structural design.
The airframe rolled out of the A350 XWB final assembly line at Toulouse Blagnac Airport last week and was transferred to the L34 static test hall in the Lagardère industrial zone—home to the A380 final assembly line.
The airframe will be integrated into a test rig for nearly a year of evaluations, including limit load and ultimate load validations, and residual strength and margin research.
The 10,000 sq. m. L34 static test hall houses a rig incorporating 2,500 tons of steel and 240 jacks/loading lines, used to induce structural loads. Testing is recorded by about 12,000 sensors.
The static test airframe was the first to be built on the A350 XWB’s new Roger Béteille final assembly line in Toulouse that was inaugurated in October (ATW Daily News, Oct. 23). The airframe is sized to represent the A350-900 version of Airbus’ newest jetliner family, which is the intermediate aircraft of the three fuselage-length versions: the A350-800, A350-900 and A350-1000.