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RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
LISI AEROSPACE
PREPARES
FOR THE FUTURE
Two collaborative research projects, namely NexGED and
PERCEVAL, were established in 2011 with the help of French
public agencies and in partnership with other companies,
customers or research organizations. The objective of these
projects involving the European plants of Villefranche-
de-Rouergue and Vignoux-sur-Barangeon, is to anticipate
the upstream requirements of the engine and aircraft
applications that will be commissioned by 2015-2020.
The work conducted in 2011
by LISI AEROSPACE has led
to
11 inventions
and permitted
the filing of
62 patents
The development of composite materials,
sensitive to delamination at the edge of the
hole, have indeed led to rethink the temporary
fastening systems to reduce the contact
pressures and further control the docking efforts.
This thinking gave birth to the new CCTF series
of temporary fasteners with four concentric
clips, which specifically addresses the needs of
LISI AEROSPACE’s customers, including for the
smallest diameters (3.2 mm).
In situ
validation
of how these very small mechanisms operate
has been a complex challenge. A second
family of temporary fasteners, the CAL system,
designed for the quick, ergonomic assembly of
drilling templates, also mobilized teams at the
Vignoux-sur-Barangeon plant in 2011 for the
development and commissioning on the A380
and A350 programs.
The new STL
®
fastening
system, for critical
applications
Similarly, LISI AEROSPACE teams were particularly
busy supporting the introduction of the new
STL® fastening system on the A350 assembly
lines. Designed for the assembly of composite
structures subjected to lightning, the STL®
(SLEEVE TAPER HI-LITE™) was designed for the
most critical applications, where excellent
mechanical strength is combined with a
reliable, ergonomic installation procedure. The
start of serial production greatly mobilized the
factories of Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône, Blanc Aero
Technologies and Vignoux-sur-Barangeon for the
installation and control tools. The joint work of
the research and development, production and
on-site support teams, was required to manage
the assembly of the first wing components
for Airbus, alongside partners involved in the
production of wings. The activity on this family of
products will remain intense over part of 2012 to
prepare the production during the ramp-up and
work on optimizing the ranges.
Improving the Group’s
historic product families
The other area that supports the R&D efforts
at LISI AEROSPACE relates to improving the
division’s historic product families, which need
to be adapted to the newmarket challenges.