Airbus grows Wing of Tomorrow scope to include open-fan studies

Airbus will in the coming weeks begin work on a new scaled wing demonstrator under a project backed by the UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute. While still part of the broader Wing of Tomorrow programme for its Next-Generation Single-Aisle (NGSA), the new project will explore the integration and manufacturing challenges around an open-rotor engine, says Sue Partridge, head of Wing of Tomorrow. Airbus has yet to select an engine supplier for the NGSA but is working closely with CFM International on the integration of its RISE open-rotor demonstrator ahead of flight tests aboard an A380 later this decade. Partridge says it is vital to “anticipate” the effects of the open-rotor installation, in particular its large fan diameter. Airbus, she says, has already “launched the next phase of exploration” to understand the open-fan technology. “We need to understand how we manage the vibration, noise and the aerodynamic flow over the wing,” she told FlightGlobal at the Airbus Summit in Toulouse on 24 March. To ensure sufficient ground clearance for the fan, the wing will need to gull slightly towards the engine mount, she says, which in turn affects how the wing is made. “From an industrialisation point of view there are different challenges to manage,” says Partridge.<br/>