Chantelle Benjamin
27 June 2008
Johannesburg — AIRBUS, the world's biggest aircraft maker, has announced a partnership with SA's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and two universities to develop a natural-fibre material for aircraft interiors and so revolutionise this area of design.
CSIR proved the potential of these fibres in the automo tive sector, and hopes to extend it to the airline sector, which has stringent, often uncompromising design and safety criteria, while providing substantial intellectual income for SA.
It would boost income for local farmers of products such as hemp, flax and kenaf, which can be used for the material.
The material would not only be more eco-friendly but would help to reduce aircraft weight and so fuel consumption, Remy Moreau, head of Airbus's project and partnership: business development division, said at its head office in Toulouse.
The project also looks at ways of improving aircraft safety, using bioresins and nanotechnology to reduce the flammability of the material and the amount of smoke produced in case of fire.
Axel Krein, Airbus senior vice-president of research and technology, said the group was constantly under pressure from airlines to improve products.
"One of our primary objectives is to support the continual drive to address the parallel challenges of reducing aircraft weight, improving fuel efficiency and minimising our products impact on climate change," Krein said.
"This includes our aim of developing a fully recyclable aircraft cabin interior.
"In our quest, we are searching for fire-retardant, strong flexible, biodegradable and lightweight cabin materials, which will help us to meet those challenges head on."
The research will be headed by the CSIR's materials science and manufacturing unit's fibre and technology group in Port Elizabeth with the assistance of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University's science facility and the University of Cape Town's Centre for Research in Computational and Applied Mechanics.
Krein said that the crops, which are grown extensively in SA, particularly Eastern Cape, was attractive to Airbus because it was low density, biodegradable, carbon-dioxide neutral and inexpensive.
Prof Rajesh Anandjiwala, a chief researcher at CSIR Materials Science and Manufacturing, said: "We are hoping that our scientific research will ultimately lead to the increased industrial utilisation of nature fibres, providing vital socioeconomic benefits both for the Eastern Cape's large subsistence farming community and or organised agriculture."
This is a latest in a series of research and technology projects Airbus had committed to undertake with South African partners in terms of its agreements with the science and technology and trade and industry departments.
Airbus has delivered more than 5000 aircraft to more than 370 customers since 1974 and operators worldwide, and it has design and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK and Spain, as well as subsidiaries in the US, China, Japan and the Middle East.
South African Airways (SAA) has outlined a plan to upgrade its fleet, and is likely to open up competition between rivals Boeing and Airbus.
However, with most of SAA long-haul fleet being Airbus, the airline might prefer to go with the manufacturer because of the commonalities between any new aircraft and their existing fleet.
If they have an all-Airbus fleet, it will cut its costs in training programmes and maintenance.
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