Futuristic aircraft part from Boeing Research & Technology undergoes structural testing at NASA

Dec. 18, 2014
WASHINGTON, 18 Dec. 2014. Scientists and engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., are testing part of a futuristic hybrid wing body aircraft constructed of carbon-fiber material.

WASHINGTON, 18 Dec. 2014. Scientists and engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., are testing part of a futuristic hybrid wing body aircraft constructed of carbon-fiber material.

The large test article, representing the uniquely shaped fuselage cross-section, is made out of a low-weight, damage-tolerant, stitched composite structural concept called Pultruded Rod Stitched Efficient Unitized Structure (PRSEUS).

Langley's Combined Loads Test System will subject the revolutionary carbon-fiber architecture test article to conditions that simulate loads typically encountered in flight.

Structural testing at Langley is one of eight, large-scale integrated technology demonstrations designed to further the goals of NASA's Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) project to reduce aircraft fuel consumption, noise levels, and emissions through revolutionary design and manufacture of tomorrow's aircraft.

The hybrid wing body structural technology test article was built for NASA by Boeing Research & Technology in Huntington Beach, Calif., and assembled in Long Beach, Calif. NASA engineers worked with The Boeing Company and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to develop the PRSEUS structural concept.

About the Author

Courtney E. Howard | Chief Editor, Intelligent Aerospace

Courtney enjoys writing about all things high-tech in PennWell’s burgeoning Aerospace and Defense Group, which encompasses Intelligent Aerospace and Military & Aerospace Electronics. She’s also a self-proclaimed social-media maven, mil-aero nerd, and avid avionics and space geek. Connect with Courtney at [email protected], @coho on Twitter, on LinkedIn, and on Google+.

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Military Aerospace, create an account today!