Boeing’s new 787 series – also known as “Dreamliner” – is to the American aircraft manufacturer what the super jumbo A380 is to its European competitor Airbus: a project of vital importance for the future. The first U.S. “Dreamliner” prototype was recently introduced to the public for the first time in Seattle. This was also an important event for the two Schaeffler Group subsidiaries, FAG Aerospace GmbH & Co KG in Schweinfurt/Germany as well as FAG Aerospace Inc. in Stratford (Ontario/Canada). After all, both engine types approved for the new long-haul airliner rely on FAG Aerospace’s rolling bearing expertise. Longterm supply contracts were concluded with the customers for both projects which will ensure that FAG Aerospace is a major supplier.

The entire airplane is designed to consume as little energy as possible. “We had to develop a completely new design for the main shaft and gearbox bearings,” states Franz-Josef Ebert, Head of Sales and Product Development at FAG Aerospace. This is due to the bearings’ high integration level. For instance, functions and adjacent components as well as vibration damping mechanisms and housing parts were integrated. Furthermore, the bearing systems use highly heat-resistant special steels exclusively. The size of the bearings as well as their complex geometry also represented a challenge for production. “When developing the bearing systems, our primary goal was to achieve low weight and high performance capability together with high reliability. That was a particular challenge for our engineers and for the production at our two manufacturing sites in Schweinfurt and Stratford,” says Ebert.

The Boeing 787 “Dreamliner” is a true child of its time. It has been conceived as a fuel saving model and consumes 20 percent less fuel than comparable airplane generations – thanks to improved aerodynamics, better operating systems and more lightweight materials. And, of course, also thanks to the new GEnx engine from General Electric and the Trent 1000 engine from Rolls-Royce. Naturally the engine bearing supports play a vital role in both of these engines.

FAG became involved in the development of the engine bearing concepts as early as 2005. The first prototype bearings were manufactured in 2006 and supplied to the respective customers General Electric and Rolls-Royce. Results of the first engine test runs, which took place in the fall of 2006, were extremely positive. The civil aviation authorities’ approval process for both engines will have been concluded by the end of 2007. First test flights for the “Dreamliner” are scheduled to take place within the next few months and in the summer of 2008 the first machines will be delivered to the airline companies.

Series production of the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine bearings will start in Schweinfurt, while the bearings for the General Electric GEnx will initially be manufactured in Stratford and in Schweinfurt additionally as from 2009 – an important element for securing the future of FAG Aerospace, worth several million euros. For the Boeing 787 is a real big seller even today: More than 600 machines were ordered even before the first presentation. This is one of the most successful launches in the history of civil aviation – and bearings from FAG Aerospace are involved in every single machine.

The Boeing 787 “Dreamliner” is a medium-sized long-haul airliner. Depending on its cabin furnishings, the first version (delivery as from 2008) will seat 210 to 250 passengers. Its cruising range will be up to 15,200 kilometers. As from 2010, a stretched variant for up to 290 passengers as well as a short-haul version with a maximum range of 5,650 kilometers for 330 passengers is planned to be launched onto the market.

The Schaeffler Group develops and manufactures special bearing supports for the aviation industry under its two brands FAG and Barden. Nearly all modern passen-ger airliners incorporate FAG bearing technology. In addition, the company is a development partner of and a supplier to the world’s leading helicopter manufactures and aerospace consortiums.

Courtesy of Schaeffler