Successful Composite Wing Mating Achieved In
Montréal
The first phase of construction of the 600,000 sq. ft. facility
in Belfast that will house the manufacture and assembly of the
advanced composite wings for the all-new CSeries commercial
aircraft has been completed on schedule. Bombardier’s Belfast
operation is responsible for the design, manufacture and
integration of the advanced composite wings for the CSeries
aircraft, including all flight control surfaces and highlift
systems.
The first phase of the new building incorporates a production
area, a low contamination “clean room” area and an area
for tool storage. The main equipment, including a fabric cutter,
multipleaxis machine cell, pre-formers and autoclave, is currently
being installed and commissioned in preparation for production of
the CSeries aircraft wings, which is due to begin in 2011. The
facility, which is part of a $819 million investment by Bombardier
in its Northern Ireland operation, is being built to meet high
environmental standards. The building’s layout and design are
optimized for energy efficiency and minimal environmental impact.
The facility will be a Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) building, and a particular focus is being given to
waste segregation and recycling. LEED is a third-party
certification program and an internationally accepted benchmark for
the design, construction and operation of highperformance green
buildings.
“A year ago, we celebrated the start of construction of
this brand new facility, and ... the first phase of this major
investment – the largest ever in Northern Ireland – is
now complete,” said Michael Ryan, Vice President and General
Manager, Bombardier Aerospace Belfast. “We are also
progressing with the composite wing development and test program as
planned, and look forward to starting production of the
CSeries aircraft wing early next year.”
CSeries Wing Testing
As part of the wing research and development program,
Bombardier’s Belfast operation has developed an innovative
Resin Transfer Infusion (RTI) technology to manufacture the large
onepiece wing skins and structural spars for the wing torque box.
It has manufactured and assembled a pre-production demonstrator
wing, which has been successfully tested to ultimate load,
replicating 150 per cent of the most severe forces the wing is ever
likely to experience in service.
Several local Northern Ireland companies have been engaged in
the production of the demonstrator wing, in addition to the local
firms involved in the design, construction and equipping of the new
wing facility. Northern Ireland engineering and manufacturing
companies will also have an opportunity to bid for work packages on
the wing production in the coming months. Meanwhile, a delegation
of small- and medium-sized engineering enterprises from
Northern Ireland took part in business-to-business meetings in
Washington this week with some of Bombardier’s US suppliers.
The event was hosted by Invest Northern Ireland. “Not only is
the CSeries aircraft wing program enabling us to further develop
and build on our composites capabilities, it is also providing
significant spin-offs and benefits to the wider economy,”
added Mr. Ryan.
Composite Wing Sample Joined to Wing Box The CSeries aircraft
product development team at Bombardier’s St-Laurent
manufacturing facility in Montréal has reported a successful
test mating of an advanced composite wing portion to a
composite wing box. "The test joining of the outer wing portion to
the centre wing box is a significant milestone during the detail
design phase of the CSeries aircraft program," said Benjamin Boehm,
Vice President, Programs, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. "The test
represents the manufacturing requirements for the aircraft long
before we begin production, and we are very encouraged by the
demonstrator development work and results achieved by our Belfast
and St-Laurent facilities.”
CS100 Artist's Rendering
Since the CSeries aircraft program was announced at the
Farnborough Airshow in 2008, Bombardier has recorded firm orders
from Deutsche Lufthansa, Lease Corporation International and
Republic Airways for a total of 33 CS100 and 57 CS300 aircraft.
Options have been placed on a total of 90 additional CSeries
aircraft.