IABG is presenting its testing and simulation expertise at Europe’s largest aerospace show

The approval process for new aircraft involves extensive qualification and functional testing. Fatigue tests are a central component in the run up to type approval. Preparatory work for the start of the <link http: www.iabg.en aktuelles-termine aktuelles details news systemdienst external-link-new-window externen link in neuem>fatigue test on the Airbus A380 at the recently constructed test hangar in Dresden is almost complete. Starting in September, IABG and its subcontractor IMA will simulate 47,500 flights of this prototype aircraft over a period of 26 months. All stress and loads that can arise during the service life of the aircraft over a period of 25 years will be reproduced during the test using the latest measurement, control and feedback control systems. The loads are generated using 182 hydraulic cylinders, which places a significantly higher demand on the testing technology in comparison with the previous tests successfully carried out by IABG on all the earlier Airbus specimen aircraft. A 1:50 scale model gives visitors to the aerospace show an idea of the complexity of this fatigue test.

The model of the IABG space centre shows the qualification tests that launch vehicles, satellites and other space-flight systems must undergo before they are sent into orbit. Shock and vibration tests are used to simulate the vibrations that the payload, its subsystems and components are subjected to at lift-off. The effects of the acoustic stresses placed on the payloads when the rocket is launched can be reproduced in the acoustic test facility at the Space Test Centre. The most important aim of these tests is to assess the effect of possible damage to the structures in terms of their operability while in space. Another primary focus of the qualification of space systems is the simulation of the thermo-mechanical stresses that arise in space. Highly sophisticated heating and cooling systems can generate all the relevant temperature profiles and determine their effect on the structures in question. The IABG <link internal-link internen link im aktuellen>Space Test Centre enables manufacturers to implement design changes to their products prior to the commissioning of the space systems, thus guaranteeing the success of their mission.

An additional focus of IABG in the aerospace sector is the carrying out of <link internal-link internen link im aktuellen>flight testing. Aircraft are fitted with a wide variety of sensors and the data recorded during the flight is transmitted in real time to a telemetry station on the ground. The data recorded provides important information concerning the aircraft’s flight behaviour and is an essential prerequisite for aircraft repair and maintenance “diagnostics”.

The IABG stand at Le Bourget will also give visitors an overview of the latest technological developments currently being used to <link http: www.iabg.en aktuelles-termine aktuelles details news ausbau-der-s external-link-new-window externen link in neuem>simulate armed forces under deployment conditions. IABG operates a simulation centre in Ottobrunn, which is used by the Bundeswehr, in particular, as part of its transformation process. The centre is also an indispensable component used in the planning of future deployments in crisis regions. Simulation centres of this type can test how well the networked sections of the armed forces, the army, air force and navy, cooperate at command and system level. IABG is displaying a selection of its simulation models at Le Bourget.

The managing partners of IABG, Prof. Dr. Rudolf F. Schwarz and Thomas Dittler, see the company’s European orientation and its competence in the area of system services as being IABG’s strategic goals.