Introduction

The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide body, four-turbine engine jet airliner
manufactured by European manufacturer Airbus. It is the world’s largest passenger
airliner, and the airports at which it operates have upgraded facilities to accommodate it.
It was initially named Airbus A3XX and designed to challenge Boeing’s monopoly in the
large-aircraft market. The A380 made its first flight on 27 April 2005 and entered
commercial service on 25 October 2007 with Singapore Airlines. An improved version,
the A380plus, is under development.
The A380’s upper deck extends along the entire length of the fuselage, with a width
equivalent to a wide-body aircraft. This gives the A380-800’s cabin 550 square metres
(5920 sq ft) of usable floor space, 40% more than the next largest airliner, the Boeing
747-8, and provides seating for 525 people in a typical three-class configuration or up to
853 in an all-economy class configuration. The A380-800 has a design range of 8,500
nautical miles (15,700 km), serving the second and fourth longest non-stop scheduled
flights in the world (as of November 2017), and a cruising speed of Mach 0.85 (about
900km/h, 560 mph or 490 kt at cruising altitude).
As of December 2017, Airbus had received 317 firm orders and delivered 222 aircraft,
Emirates is the biggest A380 customer with 162 ordered of which 101 have been
delivered.
The A380 was designed with passengers in mind. Its improved aerodynamics,
advanced flight control technology and commonality with all Airbus fly-by-wire airliners
deliver a smooth, stable flight from takeoff to landing. Additionally, its innovative cockpit
provides increased situational awareness for pilots – furthering traveller’s comfort aloft.
With the latest technology, passengers will enjoy the most environmentally-friendly
widebody jetliner in the skies today. Composite materials account for 25 per cent of the
A380's structural weight, resulting in an aircraft that efficiently meets the aviation
industry's commitment to minimize greenhouse gas emissions – producing only 75
grams of CO2 per passenger kilometer. The A380 also reduces noise emissions with
modern engines and its state-of-the-art aerodynamic design, ensuring the aircraft able
to operate at even the most noise-sensitive destinations.
Inside the cabin, relax and enjoy a peaceful environment with acoustic treatment and
noise dampening technologies that provide an environment up to three-times quieter
than the competition. At your seat, take advantage of the in-flight entertainment system
with larger screens for all classes and which allows the passenger to stay connected,
watch movies, listen to music or play games on demand.
Aircraft Structural Principle and Design
Structural design criteria of A380 highlight the “drivers” for structural design and material
selection as explained below:
Aluminium materials loaded in tension are sensitive to the level of load and the type of
variation of the load level. For this reason crack growth rate as well as residual strength
(when the crack has developed) guides the selection of an appropriate alternative
material candidate for Airbus aluminium structures.
Compression loading requires yield strength and, in combination with stability, stiffness
plays an important role. In cases where the structure is prone to damage (e.g. foreign
object damage), the design requires damage-tolerant material characteristics.
Corrosion prevention is another important criterion to be considered for the selection of
materials & processes, especially in the bilge area of the fuselage, which may be
exposed to aggressive agents resulting from different sources.

In order to minimize the unladen weight, the Airbus A380 structures incorporate a range
of new materials, as used on the A318 and A340 families of aircraft.
Carbon fiber-reinforced plastic is used for the central box of the wings, the horizontal
stabilizers (which are the same size as the Airbus A310 wing), the fin, the rear fuselage
section and for ceiling beams.
A new material, Glare, which is highly resistant to fatigue, is used in the construction of
the panels for the upper fuselage. The aluminum and fiberglass layers of Glare do not
allow propagation of cracks. It is much lighter than conventional materials and
represents a weight saving of about 500kg in construction. Impact resistant
thermoplastics are used on the wing leading edge. The aircraft has 16 wing spoilers
supplied by Patria of Finland.
The A380 incorporates two rather than three Eaton Corporation hydraulic systems, with
an increased hydraulic pressure of 5,000 pounds per square inch instead of a standard
3,000psi.
The A380 is a member of the Airbus Flight Operational Commonality family with similar
flight decks and operating procedures across the A320, A330 and A340 aircraft,
providing easy crew transition training, cross crew qualification and mixed fleet flying.
Thales Avionics developed and supplies the eight high-format, high-resolution,
150mm×200mm (6in×8in) liquid crystal displays and the digital head-up display (HUD).
Honeywell, US, provides the next-generation flight management system, which has
increased data handling speed and a graphical user interface with pop-up menus and
cursor control, rather than a text-based interface. Honeywell also supplies the satellite
communication system. Goodrich supplies air data systems.
Rockwell Collins supplies communications systems including VHF and HF radios and
multimode receivers. Northrop Grumman provides the LTN-101E inertial navigation
system. Smiths Industries provides the video management unit which includes the
display from cockpit door and cabin surveillance systems. L-3 Aviation Recorders of
Florida provides flight data and cockpit voice recorders.

Fuselage
Fuselage Nose design is driven by Drag, pilot visibility, Fuselage Width and Cabin
Acoustic consideration. (Flow is wholly subsonic over nose at M = 0.85, and free of
shock waves up to M=0.88.). Rear fuselage design is driven by considerations of cabin
volume and the minimum interference integration of Fin and Tailplane.
Constraints
 Windshield definition for Pilot visibility
 Volume required for fitting Systems
 Minimization of drag
Rear Fuselage
 Reduced length against A340 with only minor drag penalty
 Tailoring to control rear-fuselage/HTP/VTP interaction
Tail and Control Surface
Horizontal Tail Plane (HTP)
 Size reduction from 220 to 205 m2
 Increased root thickness for weight saving without drag penalty
 Improved tail stall capability

Vertical Tail Plane (VTP)

 Size reduction from 140 to 122 m2
 Increased root thickness for weight saving without drag penalty