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Completion of the first full set of wing skins for the new
Airbus A380 'super-jumbo' this week marks a significant landmark for
Rotherham-based engineering consultants Bennett Associates.
The A380 will be the world's largest passenger aircraft when it
makes its first flight next year. It will carry 555 passengers - 140 more than
the biggest aircraft today - and will be nearly 80 metres long from nose to
tail. The main wings, which measure 45 metres along the leading edge, will be
built at a new factory opened last month at Broughton, North Wales, before being
transported to France where the complete aircraft are assembled.
The consultancy, based at Pleasley Road, Whiston, was responsible
for the top wing skin production system at the new factory, which forms and
handles panels of aluminium alloy from 5mm to 25mm thick, 23 metres to 33 metres
long and up to 2.5 metres wide. The cost was £7.7 million. As well as designing
the equipment, Bennetts also managed its manufacture and installation,
completing the project on time and under budget.
Each complete wing skin is produced in four sections, using a
process known as creep forming that results in very accurately shaped panels
with little alteration to their mechanical performance. 'Creep forming creates a
finished skin with very little inherent stress, which allows the designer to
minimise weight and achieve the required performance', explained John Wadsworth,
who managed the project for Bennetts. |
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