Boeing Checks 787 Dreamliners on Delamination

[marmar]

(Bloomberg) Boeing Co. (BA) ordered inspections of 787 Dreamliners after finding signs of delamination on the fuselage of the first passenger jetliner built chiefly of carbon-fiber composites.

There is no “short-term safety concern” from the fault, which was caused by an incorrect assembly in a support structure within the plane’s aft fuselage, Scott Lefeber, a spokesman, said yesterday in a statement. All Nippon Airways Co., the only operator of the 787, said it will continue flying the aircraft.

“We have this condition well-defined and we are making progress on the repair plan,” Lefeber said. Chicago-based Boeing declined to say how many jets showed signs of delamination, a term for the separation that can occur in a composite material when its layers crack and lose strength.

The new checks add to the challenges in boosting output of the twin-engine 787, which entered service in 2011 after more than three years of delays. The Dreamliner’s two deliveries in January were half a plane less than the current monthly production rate, which is due to reach 10 by the end of 2013. ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-05/boeing-orders-inspections-of-787-dreamliner-fleet-on-fuselage-delamination.html

[Owlet]

1. next headline: "Dreamliner Dissolves in Mid-Air"

That's what they get for dissing Wichita. Karma bites.

[Dreamer Tatum]

2. Good to know that aeronautical engineering boils down to "karma."

[Snake Alchemist]

3. Who gets? The passengers on that flight? nt

[Safetykitten]

4. It's "well defined". That's a relief.

[Blue_Tires]

5. Just another bug to work out

Guess they'll fix it on the line...Better to find it now rather than much later

[marmar]

7. Delamination of composite materials sounds like more than just another bug, though.

nt

[eppur_se_muova]

6. That was quick. nt

[Populist_Prole]

8. Sound like a classic case of technology "push" when it should be "pull"

Granted, composites are great and have been used for decades in aviation, but it's very unforgiving of flaws or long term sustainability from after even minor damage.