Video courtesy of Boeing
Boeing has begun fatigue testing on the structural airframe of the 787 Dreamliner at their Everett, Wash., test site, the company said in a statement.
Fatigue testing involves placing the 787 test airframe into a test rig that simulates multiple lifecycles to test how the airplane responds over time.
“Unlike static tests, where loads are applied to the airplane structure to simulate both normal operation and extreme flight conditions, fatigue testing is a much longer process that simulates up to three times the number of flight cycles an airplane is likely to experience during a lifetime of service,” said Jim Ogonowski, structures vice president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
According to Boeing, the structural test program already has validated the strength of the airframe, but fatigue testing looks at long-term continued, as part of the process to achieve U.S. Federal Aviation Administration certification.
The first Dreamliner is expected to be delivered in the first quarter of next year.
