New Test Hangar for the Airbus A380 was opened in Dresden

Dresden – IABG, together with its partner, IMA, officially opened a new test hangar for the operational strength tests on the Airbus A380 in Dresden on Friday. The aim of these tests is to simulate the loads, which occur during its life, on the aircraft. To this end, the complete aircraft structure is integrated into a test frame and, with the help of hydraulic and pneumatic loading facilities, the service life behaviour is tested. The service life test represents the largest operational strength test conducted on a complete airframe to date. The test will begin in November 2005.

The differing flight sequences to be expected are simulated with a succession of load cycles. These can total several million. A simulated flight only last a few minutes, because it is conducted in a time-accelerated manner and only those load states are tested, which could have a damaging effect on the aircraft structure. Taxiing on a very uneven runway is simulated, as are all loads during flight. The test results provide an important contribution to the maiden flight and the certification of the A380.

Prof. Dr. Rudolf Schwarz, Chairman of the Management Board of IABG: “With the selection of Dresden as the test facility location, IABG has made its contribution to the enhancement of the technological and scientific infrastructure in the Free State of Saxony. The technology transfer, which has taken place between Ottobrunn and Dresden, has created the pre-requisites for the successful conduct of the very demanding fatigue test on the largest civil aeroplane in the world, the Airbus A380.”

Dr. Peter Schröder, Engineering Site Representative of Airbus in Germany, said in his speech: "The fatigue life test of the whole aircraft is very important for its later safe operational use and is demanded by the civil aviation authorities as a pre-requisite for its air transport certification. Airbus has decades of experience in drawing up the requirements for such a test from the widely different loads exerted during an aircraft life of more than 20 years. On the other hand, IABG and IMA have the required professionalism to conduct successfully such tests jointly with Airbus".

After Airbus Deutschland GmbH commissioned IABG in the autumn of 2002 with the conduct of the fatigue life test of the new wide-bodied aircraft, the A380, IABG has prepared, together with its sub-contactor, IMA, the construction of a new test hangar at Dresden Airport. The property developer was I&I Hallengesellschaft, a subsidiary of IABG and IMA.

The building of the hangar was supported by a subsidy from the Free State of Saxony's support programme entitled "Improvement of Regional Economic Structures". The topping-out ceremony was celebrated in April this year. The dimensions of the new test hangar have been adapted, with floor space of 4950 m2 and a height of 32 m, to meet the requirements of this huge aircraft.