|
|
|
 VIP interview
Rudolf Schwarz
Rudolf Schwarz is Executive Director and Chairman of the Industrieanlagen-Betreibergesellschaft (Industrial Facilities Holding Corporation, IABG), which is based in Ottobrunn, near Munich. In his view, competitive advantage comes from a combination of head and hand.
FLUG REVUE: Professor Schwarz, the IABG is the leading test and qualification provider for the aviation industry in Europe. Is that sufficient for you to lean back in satisfaction?
Prof. Schwarz: Not at all. Competitive and cost pressure in Europe is getting stronger all the time and we need to stretch ourselves to the limit. But we do have many years' experience, competencies and outstanding technical facilities which enable us to hold our own in this ever tighter market.
FR: These days, test operation is increasingly determined by computer simulation. Does that mean that in the long-term the test engineer will be replaced by the software specialist?
Prof. Schwarz: The trend might end when it becomes possible, for example, to conduct a computer demonstration of the fatigue strength of a design on the basis of stochastic fracture mechanics, with representation of the accumulated damage in a appropriate to the material concerned. The test engineer would definitely still be needed, but the experimental effort could be significantly reduced. But at this point in time this is just a theory which requires further research and development over many, many years. What can be achieved before that, however, is the increasing linking of experimental and computer processes, initially for the purpose of further optimising the test run. We began work on this back in 1996 within the framework of the national aerospace research programme, so that we can already say today that computer assistance is absolutely essential if test methods are to be optimised, i.e. we determine the optimum test parameters in advance through numerical simulation of the test sequence with the aid of structural models from the manufacturer.
FR: But such procedures are very cost intensive. How do you hold your own against the competition here?
Prof. Schwarz: We actually have to be able to successfully offer the tests on the market with our salary and cost structure. Here we are in competition with European companies, some of which are state-managed, some of them with hourly rates in the region of €40 and a cost structures that we cannot keep up with. What we are seeking to do, on the other hand, is to cut our costs with our high technology so that we can produce high quality with a quick throughput. Up to now this has paid off. But the smaller the aircraft to be tested is, the less the effect.
However, we are looking for opportunities to optimise our methods further and, for example, to record and examine damage online. It is also conceivable that we could divide up testing of the entire airframe in such a way that cost-intensive testing is confined to subsystems and the transfer to the aircraft as a whole is represented in the computer.
FR: But to gain acceptance for computer-aided simulation, is it not necessary, at least for a certain time, to operate both methods in parallel?
Prof. Schwarz: That will definitely be necessary, and of course that will mean higher costs initially. Testing is too expensive for us to allow it to be run “on the side”. We must therefore view the testing as the task that the customer wants to have done, and at the same time we are happy to link up the other side, the computational work. In this way we promote an adequate number of comparison options and the building up of trust and protect the optimisations through traceable results.
FR: Do you also work with scientific institutions on this?
Prof. Schwarz: Specifically, yes. For example we are in contact with certain university institutes which accompany us along this path, but we also have to pay them to do so. Nevertheless, it would be foolish not to use this opportunity given that we know about these capabilities. Thus, for example, there are people who specialise in operating strength who are already working with us on our research.
FR: One of the goals of the aerospace industry is to introduce the “black fuselage” for commercial aircraft. How are you prepared for running tests on such components?
Prof. Schwarz: We have always been interested in the latest materials and construction methods, if only to see what effects they have on the test procedure. What test philosophy stands behind it and how far must it be modified? We have followed a consistent development route from the start. I still remember well that on the Tornado only the main landing gear door was constructed out of composite materials, whereas today on the Eurofighter complete wing structures and parts of the fuselage structure are made from composite materials. We are currently testing a substructure from the vertical tail surface of the A380 which contains elements of several different materials. Moreover, we are stepping up our efforts as regards the detection of damage and on-board monitoring systems, especially for composite components.
FR: The IABG recently won the contract for fatigue testing of the A400M. When and where will you start work on this?
Prof. Schwarz: In fact, a contract for the testing was recently signed, after some extremely difficult negotiations. Thus, for example, it was suggested that testing should be carried out in the company's own plant, e.g. in Spain. But we submitted a very good proposal and we are now in the middle of preparations. We plan to build an A400M hall right next to the A380 hall in Dresden, which will meet the requirements of that aircraft and certain civil aircraft successor types. At the same time, once the A380 tests are over, we could perform the A350 tests in the big hall.
The Dresden site was chosen not simply because that was what the customer wanted, but also because a lot of support is available there, for example in relation to the approval process. This means that in the spring of 2007 we will start the building work, with a view to the aircraft arriving in November so that the tests can then be carried out according to plan.
Matthias Gründer was asking the questions
From page 18 of FLUG REVUE 1/2007
|
|
|
|
|