At this week’s JEC World 2024 composite materials technology show, Daher and its Dutch subsidiary KVE are exhibiting a full-scale torsion box demonstrator for aircraft, produced using welded thermoplastics.

Describing the two-meter structure as a “step towards the wings of the future”, Daher’s R&D director Dominique Bailly, who also heads the company’s Shap’in aerostructures innovation center in Nantes, France, said: “This full-scale component represents the torsion box for the horizontal stabilizer on Daher-built TBM aircraft.

“This demonstrator implements a set of cutting-edge processes for manufacturing the aerostructure’s elements, as well as for its assembly that was performed utilizing KVE’s exclusive induction welding process.”

Welding – which eliminates the need for metal rivets traditionally used in assembling aerostructures – is of real benefit in terms of mass, production rates and cost, as well as for recycling, adds Bailly.

In addition to weight reduction, the elimination of fastening elements saves time during production and assembly – an immediate economic advantage – while welding’s “dust-free” assembly, along with the recyclability of welded subframe assemblies, are aligned with the aeronautical sector’s sustainability goals.

The demonstrator will now undergo a series of tests with the goal of reaching certification by 2027.
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