Lufthansa Technik (LHT) has developed a method to punctually reinforce the cabin floor of carbon-composite airframes, which should make the installation of bespoke VIP interiors more flexible on aircraft such as the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350.
The new-generation aircraft have posed a challenge for VIP interior designers, because cabin fittings – such as cupboards, tables and partition walls – could not be as freely allocated throughout the carbon fuselage than on metal aircraft.
Together with the German aerospace research centre DLR and technical university in Darmstadt, LHT has developed connectors, known as “floor panel hardpoints”, that can be glued to the aircraft’s cabin floor to avoid overloading of the standard structure.
The inserts – which fit into the palm of the hand – facilitate the flexible fixing of bespoke cabin fittings with a maximal load of up to 3,000 newtons, says LHT.
Source: Flight Daily News
