A bulkhead strut is a structural part of an aircraft whose main purpose is to increase local stiffness. In the wing-engine mount, for example, there are multiple struts, which serve to locally increase the rigidity of the joint to ensure the safety of the assembly.
Bulkheads come in a variety of materials and there are dozens of bulkheads in a plane.
Where to produce titanium bulkheads?
At Makino we have a lot of experience producing these components in titanium on machines such as:
T2 – Large 5-axis horizontal machining centre
T1 – Large 5-axis horizontal machining centre
a81nx – 4 axis horizontal machining centre
a500Z – 5 axis horizontal machining centre
For these bulkheads the key aspect of the machining process is to be able to balance the cutting conditions with the tool life. Currently, we are trying to exceed 100 minutes of tool life in titanium.
Where to produce aluminium bulkheads?
With aluminium we have more experience in large components, normally one-piece components for smaller aircraft. These components have been produced in aluminium on machines such as:
A7 – Large 5-axis horizontal machining centre
MAG3.EX – Large 5-axis horizontal machining centre
MAG3 – Large 5-axis horizontal machining centre
Here, the challenge is the amount of material to be removed and controlling deformation. The process is critical for obtaining parts with the required tolerance and without the bending produced by heavy roughing.
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