MATERIALS


Composites are key to


improving wing performance. Image via Airbus


T WING OF A


nyone working within the aviation industry will be familiar with Airbus’ family of A320 narrow-


body twin-jet airliners. Since its fi rst introduction in April 1988 by Air France, the aircraft has served destinations ranging from hot desert environments to icy Antarctic landing sights, and fulfi lled route demand from low and high-density to longer-


14 www.engineerlive.com


range transcontinental services. Bruce Kirby, Wing R&T Project


Leader at Airbus, has been working for Airbus for 20 years in areas ranging from research and early development programmes up to certifi cation. In 2015, Kirby moved back into the R&D department as Head of Stress and in 2017 became one of the project leaders working on Airbus’ Wing of Tomorrow


OMORROW


Pushing the boundaries of innovation, integration and industrialisation for commercial aircraft wings


programme. The programme is addressing a myriad of challenges currently facing the aviation sector, including fulfi lling increased demands in performance and production rates for the next generation of fuel eff icient aircraft. “When we fi rst brought out the A320, we expected to only deliver around 400 of these aircraft,” says Kirby. “Today, we’ve delivered over


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