After six years of research, Airbus is to introduce friction stir welding (FSW) onto the A340-500/600 production line and aims to use the process for the yet-to-be-launched A350 widebody twinjet family.
The European manufacturer claims the process allows longitudinal fuselage skins to be joined without the need for riveted joints, which eliminates 0.9kg (1.98lb) of weight for every metre of fuselage. It also removes the need for overlapping panels, saving more weight.
Use of the technique will lead to four longitudinal fuselage panels being required for an aircraft the size of the A350 rather than eight.
Source: Flight International
