Thierry Dubois is a freelance writer specializing in helicopters, business aviation and aerospace technology. He earned a degree in fluid dynamics from an engineering school in Toulouse, France in the mid-1990s. At an unexpected crossroads, he found his first job in journalism. In 1997, he started working for French aerospace weekly Air &amp; Cosmos in Paris. This lasted until 2000, when he moved south to Lyons. He then became a freelancer, working for various aerospace publications and has been part of the AIN team since late 2000. In addition to writing about business aviation, Thierry shares responsibility for the rotorcraft section. He also is a regular on-site writer for AIN’s daily editions at international airshows such as the Paris, Farnborough, Dubai and Singapore shows, as well as at EBACE in Geneva.
In 2007, he won the Honeywell award for “Best systems or technology submission” at the Aerospace journalist of the year awards. In 2013, he won an Aerospace Media Award for the "Best Safety, Training &amp; Simulation Submission."
In other activities, Thierry moderates international conferences on aviation technology topics. Thierry is married and has three children, who seem to begin enjoying the mountains–as their parents do.

Writer

Thierry Dubois

EADS Innovation Works is reviewing options for the materials Airbus could use on an airplane to replace the A320neo in 2022. The competition between metal and composites remains intense, prompting EADS IW boss Yann Barbaux to advise against betting on a full-composite airplane, now designated the A30X.


Speaking at a conference organized by the French Air and Space Academy in Paris, Barbaux explained that weight savings come at a less acceptable cost for a medium-haul airplane than on long-haul aircraft such as the A350. Removing a kilogram from an airframe saves more fuel on a long-distance flight, he added. Aluminum alloys, therefore, could prove more suitable than composites for the A30X’s thin parts, such as the fuselage. Thicker parts such as wings would more readily lend themselves to pricier, but lighter carbon-fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP).


In alloys, aluminum-magnesium-scandium has emerged as one candidate. “No copper means no corrosion,” Barbaux said. Challenges include scandium’s price and limited global availability.


In CFRP, thermoplastics (as opposed to thermosets) make good candidates for the nose section, and the EADS IW-sponsored Technocampus research center in Nantes, France, has built a double-curvature demonstrator of the part. The benefits, expected to offset higher costs, include damage tolerance, easier manufacturing, weldability and environmental friendliness.


New processes could help save weight, too. For example, additive layer manufacturing (ALM, sometimes oversimplified as 3-D printing) might ease the production of parts with complex shapes and could prove appropriate for pieces of equipment and parts such as air ducts. “Integrating [component] functions, which cuts the part count, and topology optimization can provide important weight and cost savings,” Barbaux told AIN. Optimizing topology–the study of the properties of geometric forms that don’t change under transformations such as stretching or bending–involves creating a part whose anatomy better takes into account the actual loads the part endures.


Large-scale production using ALM remains infeasible, however, although researchers estimate that could change in five to 10 years. Even by then, they don’t think ALM advances will allow for its use in primary structures.


In assembly, friction-stir welding (FSW) might replace riveting. Airbus has started using FSW on the A400M military transport for floor panels, Barbaux said. The process can save 0.7 kilograms per meter (0.47 pound/foot) of junction line. On the A30X, FSW could become an attractive option, especially for “rib one” in the fuselage-wing mating area.

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