AGEFORM - Ageformable panels for commercial aircraft
Overview
Background & policy context:
The challenge of future materials for airframe applications is to further improve the cost–weight balance when compared with current flying solutions. The ageform process allows cost effective and efficient forming of fuselage and wing products. The use of creep forming during aging avoids a lot of manual or, step-by-step, mechanical forming. Ageforming is also an alternative for shot peen forming, which is labour intensive and has quite a strong impact on the environment due to the generation of dust and noise.
Thanks to the Ageform project, the age- or creepform process could be enlarged to damage tolerant dimensioned airframe parts as bottom wing skin or fuselage skin applications. New aluminum alloys had to be developed in order to be adaptable to the ageform process.
Objectives:
This project aimed at
- reduction of aircraft procurement costs, with the target of contributing to the reduction of production costs by 35% and development time by 15 to 30%;
- improvement of the efficiency and performance of aircraft, by reducing fuel consumption of 20%.
This project intended to develop and validate intelligent, cost-effective and flexible manufacturing methodologies in support of advanced airframe assembly concepts by introducing age forming for manufacturing of structural components. These components included lower wing skin, fuselage panels, complex-shaped parts (in particular integrally stiffened panels), larger complex integral subassemblies joined by friction stir welding prior to forming . The project also exploited the properties of advanced materials through the development of age formable alloys and tempers.
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