Case Study: Airbus saves €3 million in certification with MSC Software Adams

Adams Simulation Saves €3 Million by Replacing Physical Testing in Aircraft Certification

Airbus needed to certify that its flight control surfaces would remain free from jamming, excessive friction, disconnection, or damage as aircraft structures deflected in flight. To meet the EASA CS-25 section 683(b) requirement, it had traditionally relied on large, expensive physical test rigs, which delayed certification and limited the number of load cases that could be tested. Airbus used MSC Software’s Adams multibody simulation to look for a faster way to prove compliance.

MSC Software helped Airbus replace the physical A350-1000 wing bending test with simulation of deflection effects on the flight controls. The approach correlated with the physical tests and convinced EASA that functional testing could be replaced with simulation, saving Airbus about €3 million and 4 months on the A350 certification process. Most of the savings came from eliminating the need to build test fixtures.

Airbus

Michael Vetter

Project Leader Multi-Body Simulation