Daher CFRTP wing rib survives ultimate load without failure in structural bench test
SNAPSHOT: The infrared-welded, 64-ply thermoplastic rib withstood combined 25-tonne compression and 25-tonne shear loads at Cetim's test facility, validating a critical loading case representative of a single-aisle wing.
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Source (All Images) | Daher
Daher (Nantes, France) has completed a critical structural validation of its welded carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) wing rib demonstrator, with testing at the Cetim (Saint-Étienne, France) facility confirming the part survived beyond ultimate load without failure under combined loading conditions representative of a single-aisle aircraft wing.
According to Daher, the rib was subjected simultaneously to 25 tonnes of compression and 25 tonnes of shear on a test bench co-designed with Daher and built by Cetim specifically for the program. The result validates the team’s ability to design welded thermoplastic composite (TPC) structural components to aircraft-grade load requirements — a meaningful step toward application on future single-aisle programs.
The rib is manufactured from Victrex (Cleveleys, U.K.) AE 250 UD tape and produced using two patented processes: Daher’s Direct Stamping process, which eliminates the consolidation step between layup and stamping to reduce cycle time and cost, and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology’s (LIST, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg) infrared welding process, which assembles two L-shaped CFRTP elements into a finished T-shaped rib without mechanical fasteners. The rib reaches up to 64 plies (12 millimeters) in thickness to meet the structural demands of highly loaded wing positions.
The program is a CORAC project funded by the DGAC (French Civil Aviation Authority) and carried out in collaboration with Victrex, LIST, AniForm Engineering B.V. (Enschede, Netherlands) and Cetim. Daher notes that ongoing analyses from the test campaign will be used to identify further mass and cost optimization opportunities ahead of potential application on next-generation single-aisle aircraft.
The Highly Loaded Thermoplastic Wing Rib demonstrator, launched in 2021, was recognized with a 2026 JEC Composites Innovation Award in the Aerospace – Parts category — one of 11 winners announced at JEC World 2026 in Paris. CW has previously covered the program’s manufacturing innovations in detail, including how direct stamping and infrared welding enable the 64-ply rib. Published results from that program show the welded rib design delivers a 22% weight reduction versus aluminum, 15% lower assembly costs and 25% shorter production cycles compared with bolted assemblies, along with an estimated 12.5-tonne CO₂ reduction per rib over the lifetime of a single-aisle aircraft.
Read more at Daher’s LinkedIn post.
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