Report: Carbon fiber delamination discovered on some 787 Dreamliners

Aerospace news group Flightglobal reported on Feb. 5 that The Boeing Co. (Everett, Wash., USA) has initiated inspection and repair of its 787 fleet after structural stiffeners were found to be improperly joined to the composite skin in the aft sections of the aircraft, causing parts of the aircraft's carbon fiber structure to delaminate.

The report says that at least three airframes were affected: Airplane 56, for All Nippon Airways, where the problem was first discovered, and Airplanes 57 and 58, the first two aircraft for Qatar Airways.

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The stiffeners, or longerons, that run along the length of the aircraft are delaminating around the rear opening of the Section 48 section above and below the cutout known as the "bird's mouth" that holds the horizontal stabiliser. According to the report, Boeing says the issue is a "straightforward repair" and poses no "short-term safety concern."

Boeing is conducting inspections on the already built 787s and those waiting to be assembled, at least 50 airframes, in Everett and its North Charleston, S.C., USA, facilities.

The report says the problem, identified around Jan. 24, was traced to assembly of the aft fuselage by Boeing South Carolina, Formerly Vought Aircraft Industries, where Sections 47 and 48 are fabricated and assembled before being delivered to final assembly lines in North Charleston or Everett.

Shims are used to fill gaps between longerons and the fuselage skin when natural variations in the fit of parts exists.

Click here for original Flightglobal report.