When A350 began assembly yesterday, the released photos from Airbus allowed for the first time a side-by-side comparison between the first two majority composite jetliners. On the left is ZA001 from May 2007, then a largely unfinished 787 and on the right is the A350 static test airframe. Most notably the overall architectural differences between Boeing’s monolithic barrel and Airbus’s hybrid composite and aluminum-lithium panel design are clearly illustrated with the A350’s different material color compared to that of the 787.
Another photo, or rather an excerpt of a photo, that deserves a note is a part of the A350’s design that has gone undiscussed by Airbus and previously unseen is the aluminum-lithium side-of-body rib for the aircraft’s center wing box. Shaped in an isogrid pattern rather than the spar and stiffener design used on the A380, the A350’s rib 1 design is intended to reduce weight and assembly time as it is a single machined part rather than a collect of web, spar caps and stiffeners fastened together. It’s a first for an Airbus commercial aircraft.
This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.
This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.