EPFL expert unlocks secrets of Dreamliner

As world governments look at reducing their carbon emissions following a global deal on carbon emissions at Copenhagen’s UN summit, many airlines are looking at ways of cutting CO2, and costs.

Boeing claims its 787 Dreamliner, which took to the sky for the first time this week on its maiden test flight, offers a fuel efficient alternative to conventional aircraft because it is 20 per cent lighter and therefore consumes less fuel.

Experts say it possesses greater range than existing airliners of similar size and, despite only having two engines, is capable of travelling comparable distances as the 747 using the same amount of fuel.

The Dreamliner's structure, of a carbon-based composite, is lighter than aluminium, the current material used for most airliners.

The way it is built is “an enormous breakthrough”, according to composite materials expert Jan-Anders Månson and is “a totally different concept” in aeroplane building.

He told Swisster that the major materials – carbon and epoxy glue – are formed into paper-thin laminates with fibres in one direction and glue the other.

Up to 30 of these sheets are then layered together in different directions to optimise strength, he explained. As a result he said the structure is “absolutely safe” in terms of robustness.

The manufacturing giant has worked on the research and development of the 787 for the past two decades and before flying the Dreamliner for the first time on Tuesday, had built three other fully-sized prototypes of the same model that never flew but were used just for testing in what is said to be the world’s largest hangar.

Månson is a professor at the EPFL but also worked five years at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he carried out research alongside Boeing on developing composite materials for the Dreamliner. These were tested for stress points, bending and in some cases the planes were dropped to assess strength and resistance.

Månson explained that composites behave differently to aluminium. “If you bend aluminium you can see the dent, but with composites you normally don’t see a smudge on the outside," he said.

As a result it will be important to introduce new inspection methods to detect any cracks in the material, he stressed. Ultrasonic monitoring – essentially an x-ray machine – is currently used for similar assessments on the Alinghi boat.

So far over 50 airlines have placed orders for 840 of Boeing’s twin-engine Dreamliners, whose three models are set to seat between 210 and 330 passengers. The manufacturer claims the aircraft is much quieter at almost half the usual 85 decibels of take off volume.

Lightweight wings and fuselage also mean the aircraft requires less runway to become airborne. The manufacturing process allegedly involves fewer hazardous materials and produces less waste.

To rival Boeing aircraft, Airbus has also unveiled its A350, a light plane which the manufacturer claims will be even more fuel-efficient than the 787 and is fashioned from similar composites. Airbus plans to offer the first flight for passengers as of 2013.

The Dreamliner is set to be ready in 2012, but at 30 months behind schedule, some customers may yet cancel their  orders.