GKN Aerospace is using its Farnborough exhibit to showcase its position as a supplier of complex structures to the world's leading aircraft and engine builders.
On show is the Airbus A340-500/600 outer flap vane composite structure, the Rolls-Royce Trent 892 front fan module and the Eurofighter cockpit canopy and windshield.
The A340-500/600 wing represents an entirely new design, requiring the 11m outer flap to be produced as a single structure made from carbon fibre reinforced plastic. The titanium front fan module for the Rolls-Royce Trent 892 is designed and made at GKN Aerospace's plant in California. Measuring around 3m in diameter, the front fan module is one of the main structures used to attach the engine onto the wing.
Eurofighter's cockpit canopy is the largest produced for a fighter aircraft, measuring 2.7m long for the twin-seat variant. The single-seater version is 10cm shorter.
The first 'production' canopy was delivered in March.
Source: Flight Daily News
