Thursday, May 13, 2010

787 Wing Load Test

On March 28, 2010, the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a twin-engine mid-sized commercial jet which is currently scheduled to enter service in the final quarter of this year, underwent and passed a full load wing stress test at Boeing’s plant in Everett, Washington. The full-load wing stress test marks a major step in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft’s development in preparation for service. The full-load wing stress test is a standard test mandated by the FAA and all other aviation authorities for any aircraft with plans of flying commercial service. The test included the forced bending of the wings upward by 25 feet each 150% of the the maximum structural stress which the aircraft is expected to endure in ordinary operation.




The breaking point shown here was a sudden snap because of the composite materials, unlike traditional sheet metal aluminum which will break much slower than the plastic composites. Both these materials will break at certain point, depending on the structural integrity.