Thor (aircraft)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thor
Airbus Thor at the ILA 2016.jpg
Airbus Thor at ILA 2016
Type: Test vehicle
Manufacturer:

airbus

First flight:

November 2015

Thor ( T est of H igh-tech O bjectives in R eality) is an unmanned aircraft of the European manufacturer Airbus . It is the first self-launching aircraft that was manufactured almost entirely with a 3D printer .

purpose

Thor is an unmanned test vehicle designed to test the possible uses of 3D printed materials in aviation technology. Weight and cost advantages are expected from the use of this technology. 3D-printed parts are already being used in aircraft, for example in the Boeing 777 or the Airbus 350 . However, Thor is the first self-launching aircraft that, with the exception of the electric motors, propellers, landing gear and controls, was manufactured entirely from parts produced with a 3D printer.

The device was presented to the public for the first time at the ILA Berlin 2016 .

construction

The aircraft consists of around 60 individual parts made of polyamide, manufactured with a 3D printer . The print took a total of seven weeks. Various design principles were tested in the construction of the aircraft. For a fuselage section, for example, the shell and the underlying support structure ("Iso-Grid") were printed together, other components were created in separate work steps and were then glued. The wall thicknesses are between 0.1 and 0.7 millimeters. The device weighs approx. 21 kg, 5 kg of which are non-printed parts.

Outwardly, the aircraft resembles a transport aircraft, it is a high-wing aircraft with a T-tail unit . The wings and the vertical tail are slightly swept. The landing gear with nose wheel is not retractable, the main landing gear is mounted on the fuselage.

Technical specifications

Parameter Data
crew unmanned
length 3.70 m
span 3.50 m
Hull diameter 0.45 m
Empty mass 21 kg
Engines 2 electric motors with 1.5 kW each

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ www.handelsblatt.com: An airplane to print out, dated June 3, 2016, accessed on July 2, 2016
  2. ↑ www.spiegel.de: Thor - airplane from the 3D printer, from June 12, 2016, accessed on July 2, 2016
  3. ↑ www.spiegel.de: Thor - airplane from the 3D printer, from June 12, 2016, accessed on July 2, 2016
  4. ↑ Thor at www.ila-berlin.de, accessed on July 2, 2016
  5. ↑ Information board at the ILA 2016