The list of the world's largest aircraft includes such giants as the An-225 and Airbus A380, Boeing 747 and An-22, ANT-20 and Airbus A340-600. All of them at one time became leaders in length or passenger capacity.
Huge An-225 inside The listed aircraft were created in different countries of the world, some of them are transport and cargo, some are created only for transporting passengers. The need for high-capacity aircraft is growing from year to year, which is associated with people’s desire to travel, get to know new countries, and discover new continents.

Hughes H-4 Hercules

Today, the aircraft with the largest wingspan is the Hughes H-4 Hercules. It was built in 1947 from wood. It was assumed that it would be capable of transporting at least seven hundred and fifty troops with full equipment.
Hughes H-4 Hercules has the largest wingspan. The height of this wooden giant is twenty-four meters, length is sixty-six meters and forty-five centimeters, with a wingspan of ninety-eight meters. Today the Hughes H-4 Hercules is located in Oregon and is a museum exhibit.

An-225

There is only one An-225 aircraft in the world. Its second name is “Mriya”. In the eighties, it was created in Ukraine for air transportation and is a cargo aircraft. Its maximum take-off weight is six hundred and forty tons.
Super- plane Mriya exists in a single copy. The dimensions of the Mriya are also striking. With a height of twenty-four meters, ten centimeters and a length of seventy-three meters, its wingspan is almost eighty-eight and a half meters. It is known that construction of a second such aircraft is underway.

Airbus A380

The leader among passenger aircraft in terms of capacity is the airliner called Airbus A380. Its creator is Airbus S.A.S. Passengers on this plane are accommodated on two decks.
The capacity of the Airbus A380 without business class can be up to 853 people. Being the largest among commercially produced airliners, this one is also the most economical in terms of fuel combustion. For a hundred kilometers of travel, fuel consumption for each passenger is only three liters.

An-124

The An-124 aircraft, also called “Ruslan”, is one of the largest cargo-lifting aircraft in the world. This giant is used as a military aircraft. The length of "Ruslan" is sixty-nine meters ten centimeters, the height is slightly more than twenty-one meters with a wingspan of seventy-three meters thirty centimeters.

The An-225 Mriya airliner, the photo of which is located below, is the heaviest aircraft in terms of payload capacity that has ever taken off. Its maximum take-off weight is 640 tons. The creation of the model was associated with the need to build an air transport system for the needs of the reusable Soviet spacecraft Buran project. It should be noted that at the moment this exists in only one copy. All this will be discussed in more detail below.

Design order

In mid-1988, the government of the Soviet Union instructed the Antonov Design Bureau to develop a project and build a new aircraft. The main requirement that was put forward to it was the ability to transport the Buran spacecraft. In addition, the aircraft was planned to be used in such a field as transport aviation, where it would transport large equipment for the oil, construction and

Predecessor

In addition to all other requirements, the designers were faced with the task of reducing the cost of the new airliner as much as possible. In addition, it was necessary to reduce the construction time as much as possible. In this regard, they decided to take as a basis the design, as well as the main units and components, from another large model - the AN-124 "Ruslan". It should be noted that at that time she confidently topped the “Best Aircraft of Ukraine” rating (photo of the vessel is given below).

He made his first flight at the end of 1982. Its transport characteristics were among the best on the planet. A clear proof of this was the fact that after the appearance of Ruslan, some global space companies began to actively refine their aircraft. This also applies to the Americans, who urgently began to improve their Lockheed project - the S-5A Galaxy.

Preliminary studies showed that this heavy transport aircraft, in terms of payload capacity, was capable of transporting the components of not only the Buran system, but even the oxygen and hydrogen tanks of the Energia rocket in docked form. On the other hand, due to its single-fin tail, external transportation of long cargo became impossible.

Key changes

The designers changed the design of the wings for the Mriya. Due to the addition of additional sections in the center, their scope has increased. The design of the wing mounts on the pylons remains the same, but their number has increased to six. If the cross-sectional size of the fuselage, compared to the previous modification, remained the same, then the overall length of the body has increased. In order to reduce weight, it was decided to eliminate the cargo rear hatch with all the devices intended for loading and unloading. To access the cargo compartment, the bow of the aircraft rises. In total, it takes about ten minutes to open or close the ramp. On the Ruslan model, five separate struts with paired wheels were installed, which were the main support for the landing gear; in the An-225, their number increased to seven. The tail unit was designed with two fins to enable the transportation of cargo outside the body.

Presentation

The An-225 Mriya aircraft was presented to the Soviet public by the general designer of the Antonov Bureau, P. V. Balabuev, on November 30, 1988. At the same time, engineers rolled out the airliner from the assembly shop for the first time. A few days later, the car performed its first maneuvers at the plant’s airfield, namely runs at speeds of up to 200 km/h, turns and landing gear lifts. On February 1, 1989, at the Boryspil airport, it was first shown to foreign experts and journalists.

First takeoff

Initially, the designers planned to make its debut takeoff on December 20, 1988. However, due to bad weather conditions (strong winds and low clouds), this event was postponed. The situation was similar the next day. Despite this, after a run of 950 meters, the ship easily took off from the ground and began to gain altitude. The first flight of the airliner lasted 1 hour and 14 minutes. The main thing that the designers of the An-225 “Mriya” wanted to determine during it was the characteristics of the ship’s control system, as well as the correctness and reliability of the functioning of the on-board equipment. In addition, engineers needed to clarify the aerodynamic corrections of the car. Based on the results of the flight, they came to the conclusion that all systems and components operate in full accordance with the calculated data. On December 28, 1988, the airliner performed another check flight.

Records

A very unusual flight of the Mriya aircraft (An-225) was scheduled for March 22, 1989. The liner provided all the prerequisites for breaking several world records. Many specialists - testers, designers, technicians, engineers and pilots - took an active part in the preparation for this event. After commission weighing of the cargo, whose mass was 156.3 tons, the filler necks of the fuel tanks were sealed. Then the ship took off without any problems, and 45 minutes later it landed successfully. During this short period of time, the An-225 Mriya broke 110 world records. The previous achievement of the American Boeing 747-400 in such an indicator as maximum take-off weight was exceeded by as much as 104 tons. Feedback from experts indicated that the An-225 has a great and bright future.

Fulfillment of the main goal

Be that as it may, setting world records was far from the main goal during the construction of the new product. As noted above, the aircraft was given the goal of external transportation of the Buran space complex. The airliner made its first flight with such a cargo on its back on May 13, 1989, when it delivered it to the Baikonur cosmodrome. The crew, headed by A. Galunenko, managed to test the controllability of the ship with the Buran on board, as well as measure fuel consumption and flight speed in various conditions. Ten days after this, the plane made a direct flight along the Baikonur-Kyiv route. In this case, a distance of 2,700 kilometers was covered in 4 hours and 25 minutes. A photo of the largest aircraft on the planet with Buran on board is shown below.

First commercial flight

The An-225 made its debut commercial flight in May 1990. Then the airliner transported a special T-800 tractor (its weight was more than 100 tons) from Chelyabinsk to Yakutia. After he landed at the airfield, he was immediately surrounded by an enthusiastic crowd. It should be noted that this expedition was far from accidental. It was of great importance not so much for the national economy of the country, but rather carried the goal of testing the transport capabilities of the aircraft in such difficult conditions as in the Arctic. Based on the results, the designers conducted a number of useful studies and made valuable conclusions.

Main characteristics

One of the main advantages of the Mriya aircraft (An-225) is its technical characteristics and flight data. The airliner is equipped with six, called D-18T. The weight of each of them exceeds four tons. Their total thrust is 1377 kN, which is an unprecedented value. During takeoff, each of them develops a power of 12,500 horsepower. The wingspan of this aircraft is 88.4 meters, while the area is 905 square meters. As for the dimensions, its length and height are 84 and 18.1 meters, respectively.

The cruising speed of the An-225 is set at 850 km/h. Provided the fuel tanks are fully filled, the vessel is capable of traveling 15 thousand kilometers when empty and 4.5 thousand kilometers with a maximum load. The airliner's payload is 250 tons. At the same time, it is capable of flying at altitudes of up to 11 thousand meters. As for the requirements for the runway, its minimum length must be 3 kilometers. The vehicle's fuel consumption is almost 16 tons per hour (assuming operation at cruising speed and with a full load).

Possibilities

The aircraft is capable of non-stop intracontinental transportation of cargo weighing up to 200 tons, as well as intercontinental transportation of cargo weighing up to 150 tons. Outside on the fuselage, the aircraft can transport large-sized elements that weigh up to 200 tons. The cargo compartment of the An-225 is quite roomy. In particular, 16 universal aviation containers UAK-10 (10 tons each), 50 passenger cars or monocargoes weighing up to 200 tons (dump trucks, generators, turbines, etc.) can easily be accommodated inside the fuselage. To carry out loading and unloading, the model is equipped with a whole complex, which includes four lifting mechanisms with a lifting capacity of five tons. In addition, the ship's designers provided two winches.

Crew

The An-225 Mriya aircraft is controlled by a crew of six people. In order to facilitate access to the cockpit, the seats of the first and second pilots are equipped with a whole system of adjustments and are capable of rotating. Behind them is the workstation of a navigation and communications specialist. On the right side of the cockpit are the seats for the on-board engineers. It should be noted that there is room inside the airliner for a reserve crew. The main cabin has a total of six seats, and the auxiliary cabin has twelve seats. In order to become a crew commander of this aircraft, the pilot must have at least five years of experience in driving the An-124 “Ruslan” model.

Avionics

The avionics of the An-225 Mriya model includes an automatic flight performance control system, as well as a display with a dynamic map. At the same time, electronic monitors, which are designed for electronic control, are absent here. The nose compartment is divided into two dielectric zones. They are designed to provide protection to the ground navigation radar as well as the forward looking radar system. The altitude indicator and attitude indicator act as backup instruments here. In addition, the cockpit has a fuel lever position indicator, power plant thrust indicators, and deviation sensors for takeoff and landing devices and control surfaces.

Renaissance

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the world's largest aircraft turned out to be of no use to anyone. In 1994, its flights were stopped. Moreover, the engines and other equipment were completely removed from it for the purpose of further use in the Ruslans. Be that as it may, every year the need to resuscitate the project called “Mriya” was felt more and more: large aircraft from other leading world manufacturers were unable to cope with the tasks that only the An-225 model could do. As a result, the designers modified the aircraft to ensure it complies with existing standards in civil aviation.

May 7, 2001 is considered the second birthday of “Mriya”. It was then, after a series of runs, turns and tests, that the plane took off again. On board it was marked UR-82060, and the crew was headed by pilot A.V. Galunenko. The car spent about fifteen minutes in the air, after which it landed safely. On May 23, 2011, the ship received all the necessary certificates, including international ones. This allows it to be used for commercial transportation of goods.

Second copy

From the very beginning of the construction of the An-225 Mriya aircraft, it was planned to create two copies of it. Despite this, the second car was never completed. The reason for this was the lack of proper funding for the project. Currently it is located on the territory of the Antonov plant. Experts estimate the overall degree of its readiness at 70 percent. More specifically, the fuselage, one wing and the center section have remained from Soviet times. According to the designers, it is quite possible to complete this machine, but this requires a sum of money amounting to about 150 million US dollars. This is only possible when a customer or sponsor appears.

Some features of the Mriya aircraft

In order to ensure safety during flight, the center of gravity of this loaded airliner must be placed along its length within certain limits. In this regard, loading is carried out in accordance with the instructions. It is the responsibility of the co-pilot to ensure that this process is correct. It is impossible to use a carrier from other manufacturers to transport this vessel, so your own copy of this device is transported on board. This is a heavy transport aircraft; due to the enormous weight of the vehicle, marks from the landing gear always remain on the asphalt. Moreover, the cost of one of their tires starts at one thousand US dollars.

The use of pressed panels and the development of new alloys for the An-124 "Ruslan" and An-225 "Mriya" aircraft

In April 1973, after graduating from the Moscow Aviation Institute, I was assigned to the Kiev Mechanical Plant (I come from the village of Velikopolovetskoye, Kyiv region), where the general designer was O.K. Antonov. Since our institute was taught by outstanding specialists in the field of aviation, in particular, Eger S.M. (Deputy of Tupolev A.N. for passenger matters), then I really wanted to get into the general types department KO-7, where the foundations of future aircraft are laid. But the deputy The plant's HR director M.S. Rozhkov said: “Either go to the RIO-1 strength department, or go back to Moscow.” I had to reluctantly agree. And I was very lucky, because... I ended up in a wonderful team, where the leader was Elizaveta Avetovna Shakhatuni, O.K.’s ex-wife. Antonova, a highly qualified specialist and a wonderful Person. She always strived for new knowledge and introduced it into strength calculations, looked after young specialists, and helped in both production and everyday issues.

I ended up in a new fatigue strength brigade created 4 months ago, where there was only one leader, Bengus G.Yu., and I later became his deputy. The fact is that in 1972, an An-10 passenger plane crashed near Kharkov, and also near Kuibyshev, during the flight, the pilots heard something cracking in the area of ​​​​the central part of the wing of the An-10 plane. It was a miracle that no disaster occurred. The commission determined that the cause was fatigue failure of the wing center section. As a result, by order of the Ministry of Aviation Industry (MAP), such brigades were formed in all Experimental Design Bureaus (OKB) of the USSR. Previously, in the USSR, the service life of aircraft was determined based on the results of endurance laboratory tests of full-scale aircraft airframe samples, which were calculated only for static strength, as well as based on the results of operating the so-called leader aircraft (more flight hours and more frequent and thorough inspections).

The task of the new team was to develop methods for calculating the service life of aircraft at the design stage. Since there was little experience, we tried to make the most of the available foreign experience, and the work that was carried out in other design bureaus, in particular V.B. Loima, who worked for A.N. Tupolev, TsAGI (Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute), as well as the results of full-scale tests KMZ aircraft. Conducted fatigue tests of samples and elements of aircraft structures. The main ones were samples with a hole, for calculating regular sections, and lugs, for calculating irregular (transverse joints) sections of the structure. Based on these tests and materials, methods for calculating the wing, fuselage, tail and other complex elements of the airframe structure were developed. Later, calculations and tests began to be carried out on the crack growth rate and residual strength of samples and structural elements. This work was carried out by Malashenkov S.P. All these developments were first used in the design of the An-72 aircraft, and then the An-74. Moreover, the strength experts, out of fright, (the prosecutor’s office actually wanted to put the specialists who were responsible for the service life of the An-10 aircraft in prison, with great difficulty the management saved them) laid in such a margin of safety that they could not destroy the wing during static tests. This made it possible to ensure a maximum load capacity of 10 tons, which is more than 1.5 times higher than the requirements of the technical specifications.

I will also separately note the work performed on the selection of an alloy for complex milled parts from forgings and stampings for the An-72 and An-74 aircraft. In the USSR, low-strength (tensile strength 39 kg/mm2) AK6T1 alloy was mainly used for these purposes. Although the V93T1 alloy (48 kg/mm2) was already widely used in the An-22 aircraft, the big problems with its low service life (see below) greatly frightened strength engineers. In the USA, high-strength (56 kg/mm2) alloy 7075T6 was used for these purposes. Based on the results of many studies, it was known that the medium-strength (44 kg/mm2) alloy D16T has high fatigue life characteristics and is superior to the listed alloys, but is practically never used as a forging alloy. However, we found in the literature that in the Caravel aircraft (France), an analogue of the D16T alloy was used for these purposes. The All-Union Institute of Aviation Materials (VIAM) scared us, but not specifically with any consequences, but, in general, that this alloy is not used for forgings and stampings. Nevertheless, we produced experimental stampings at the Verkhne-Saldinsky Metallurgical Plant (VSMOZ), tested them, and E.A. Shakhatuni. It was decided to use the D16T alloy for forgings and stampings of the An-72 aircraft. I was sent to the specified plant so that I agreed on the technical conditions, where we laid down the strength slightly above the average level, because the problem of weight reduction in aircraft construction has not yet been canceled. No one at the plant wanted to subscribe to these characteristics. I ran for a whole week between the workshops and the bosses, my ears froze, but the deputy helped us a lot. chief engineer Nikitin E.M., forcing the lower classes to sign our characteristics. (Subsequently, the management of KMZ took him to our plant as the chief metallurgist).

For more than 35 years, An-72 and An-74 aircraft have been operating in difficult climatic conditions and there are no problems with parts made of D16T alloy!

At the same time, endurance tests of the full-scale airframe of the An-22 aircraft were carried out in the static testing laboratory. And cracks began to appear there very early, especially in the transverse joints of the wing. The wing of the An-22 aircraft was made: the bottom was pressed panels from D16T alloy, the top was pressed panels from V95T1 alloy, and the transverse connecting elements, the so-called combs, were from V93T1 alloy. So literally after 1000 laboratory cycles, cracks began to appear in parts made of the V93T1 alloy. And this alloy was also very widely used in the design of both the fuselage and landing gear. And it was announced that whoever found the crack would pay 50 rubles. And we climbed this wing like cockroaches, looking for cracks. But they were found by specialists from the testing department, mainly using non-destructive testing methods. Later, when there was an understanding of the reasons for the occurrence of such early cracks, we realized that not only the alloy was to blame, but also the designers and strength experts who designed it. In particular, holes with a diameter of about 250 mm were made in the wing structure for installing fuel pumps. Around these large holes were many small holes for the bolts that held the pump in place. This created the highest concentration of stress. In order to make it easier, longitudinal holes were made in the transverse joint ridge to which the wing panels were attached, which intersected with the holes of the fasteners. All of these holes were sharp edged and of poor quality. Therefore, it is not surprising that the structure began to collapse so early. For calculations, in order to increase the service life of transverse joints, M.S. Shchuchinsky. A computer program was developed that made it possible to determine the load on bolts in multi-row joints. Using this program, specialists changed the diameter and material of fasteners in order to evenly distribute the load between the bolts. Later, to ensure the service life of the An-22 aircraft wing, the transverse joints were reinforced with steel plates, and the holes for the fuel pumps were cut and enlarged, removing the holes for fasteners, which made it possible to significantly reduce the stress concentration. Fuel pumps were attached to the wing using adapter parts.

In Shakhatuni E.A. doubts arose that the level of resource characteristics of domestic alloys was the same as that of their foreign analogues, and in 1976 she instructed me to compare fatigue life. It was very difficult to do this, because... there were significant differences - our samples have a hole, theirs have side cuts; Our test frequency is 40 Hz, theirs is 33 Hz. The test modes did not always coincide: pulsating load or symmetrical cycle. Nevertheless, having sifted through a bunch of foreign sources, we were able to select some convincing results, where we showed some advantages of foreign alloys over domestic ones in terms of fatigue life. A small report was prepared, I signed it with E.A. Shakhatuni. and thought that Antonov had O.K. she will sign it herself. But Elizaveta Avetovna sent me. She agreed with secretary Maria Alexandrovna to let me through to see Oleg Konstantinovich. He was aware of these works, because Shakhatuni told him about this. And so I, a young specialist, come to Antonov with a report and a covering letter, in which this report was sent to the heads of industry institutes TsAGI, VIAM and VILS. And Shakhatuni wrote a rather harsh letter. I show all this to Antonov, and he says that the letter needs to be corrected and softened, which he does. I object because... it has already been agreed upon by Shakhatuni, to which Oleg Konstantinovich very gently and delicately tells me why the letter needs to be rewritten. I later met with Antonov several more times in different situations, and I got the impression that he emanated “warmth of the sun.” After meeting with this outstanding Scientist, Designer, Organizer and Person, I wanted to work and literally “fly”!

After sending out this report, we began a real “war” with the leadership of VIAM and VILS (All-Union Institute of Light Alloys), who said that in the USSR all the characteristics of alloys and semi-finished products from them are the same as in the USA, and we have nothing to do with them we give in. There was a particularly tough confrontation with the head of laboratory No. 3 of VIAM Fridlyander I.N. TsAGI management, represented by Deputy. Head of TsAGI for Strength Selikhov A.F. and the head of the department, A.Z. Vorobyov, although they took our side, they behaved very passively. The KMZ management raised these issues to the Ministry level. We also took as our allies the strength engineers from the Tupolev Design Bureau A.N. Over time, we at VIAM were supported by Academician S. T. Kishkin and his wife S. I. Kishkina, Doctor of Science, head of the strength testing laboratory. Later, when R.E. Shalin was appointed head of VIAM, productive joint work began. I was very lucky because... I worked with outstanding specialists in the metallurgy industry, from ordinary employees to heads of institutes, metallurgical plants and MAP. In general, at that time there were many wonderful people and outstanding specialists in the metallurgy industry with whom we collaborated: deputy. head of VILS Dobatkin V.I., head of laboratory of VILS Elagin V.I., deputy. Head of VIAM Zasypkin V.A. and many many others.

In the USSR they could not understand how foreign aircraft B-707, B-727, DS-8 and others have a service life of 80,000-100,000 flight hours, while in the USSR it is 15,000-30,000. Moreover, when the aircraft was designed Tu-154, so it was necessary to redo the wing twice already in operation, because it did not provide the required resource. Soon we had the opportunity to study the design of foreign aircraft. At Sheremetyevo near Moscow, a Japanese airline's DC-8 plane crashed, and then on the Kola Peninsula, fighters "landed" a Korean airline's B-707 plane, which got lost and ended up in USSR airspace.

At the MMZ general designer Ilyushin S.V. pieces of structures were collected and Shakhatuni sent me to select the necessary samples for research and study. They were also tested at TsAGI, in particular, for survivability (duration of crack growth and residual strength in the presence of a crack).

Based on the results of research and testing, it was determined:

In the design (tail and longitudinal structure of the fuselage) of American aircraft, the high-strength alloy 7075-T6 (analogue in the USSR of the V95T1 alloy) is more widely used, while in domestic aircraft for these structures the less durable, but more high-resource alloy D16T (analogue in the USA 2024T3) was used. ;

Widespread use of bolt-rivets and other fastening elements that were installed with tension, which significantly increased fatigue life;

Automatic riveting of wing panels with rods using automatic machines from the Dzhemkor company, which ensured high fatigue characteristics and their stability, whereas in the USSR most of this work was performed manually;

The use of hard cladding on sheets, which increased their fatigue life. In the USSR, cladding (coating for corrosion protection) was performed with pure aluminum;

Significantly higher level of structural design to ensure high fatigue life;

Higher quality of manufacturing of structural elements and careful fitting of parts in production;

A lower content of harmful impurities of iron and silicon in alloys 2024 and 7075 than in domestic alloys, which increased the survivability (duration of crack growth and residual strength in the presence of a normalized crack) of the structure;

High-strength (210 kg/mm2) steel was used in the chassis design, while we have 30KhGSNA steel with a strength of 160 kg/mm2.

The result of these studies and others subsequently became the widespread use in the design of the An-124 aircraft of tension fasteners and high-purity alloys with the indicated impurities D16ochT, V95ochT2 and V93pchT2, an increase in culture and quality in mass production, and the introduction of new technological processes, in particular, shot blasting panels and parts, etc., which made it possible to significantly increase the service life and corrosion resistance of power structures.

According to an unspoken tradition, if some kind of military transport aircraft was created in the USA, then something similar was built in the USSR: S130 - An-12, S141 - Il-76, S5A - An-124, etc. After the company in the USA Lockheed was created and the C5A aircraft took off in 1967; the USSR began to prepare an adequate response. At first it was called the “200” product, then the “400” product, and later the An-124 aircraft. I don’t know why its creation was delayed, but it greatly helped us create an outstanding aircraft, because... A huge amount of research, scientific, applied and design work was carried out, and the negative operating experience of the C5A aircraft was taken into account, in particular, early fatigue damage to the wing in operation. They tried so hard to reduce the weight of the airframe structure when creating the aircraft that they completely forgot about the resource. When they began to carry out intensive transport during the Vietnam War, they quickly discovered the appearance of cracks in the wings, and they were first forced to reduce the weight of the cargo carried, and subsequently change the wings on all aircraft to new ones with a higher service life.

In particular, the problem of choosing semi-finished products (pressed panels or rolled plates) for the manufacture of the load-bearing structure of the wing of the An-124 aircraft was acute. The fact is that abroad, for the wings of passenger aircraft, which have a huge resource, rolled plates with stringers riveted to them are used (the exception is the military transport aircraft C141 and C5A, where pressed panels are used), and in the USSR pressed panels were used more where the skin and stringer are one. This was due to the fact that in the USSR, on the initiative of the head of VILS, Academician A.F. Belov. In the early 1960s, for the production of the An-22 aircraft and taking into account the future of the industry, unique horizontal presses with a capacity of 20,000 tons for the production of pressed panels and vertical presses with a capacity of 60,000 tons for the production of large-sized stampings were developed and built. There was no such equipment anywhere in the world. At the end of the 1970s, even the French metallurgical company Pechinet bought such a vertical press from the USSR. In the wings of the An-24, An-72, An-22, Il-62, Il-76, Il-86 and others, pressed panels were widely used and therefore serial aircraft factories had the equipment and technology for their production.

In the early 1970s, the Soviet Union considered the possibility of purchasing a wide-body passenger aircraft B-747 from Boeing. A large delegation of heads of MAP, OKB and institutes flew to Everett, where these aircraft were built. They were very impressed by what they saw in production and, especially, by the automatic riveting of the wing panels, and also by the fact that the service life of this aircraft was 100,000 flight hours. Then Boeing specialists flew to the USSR with reports on the B-747 aircraft, where Elizaveta Avetovna also took part. After arriving in Kyiv, she gathered us and told us about this meeting. What struck Shakhatuni most was that the Americans wore a new suit, tie and shirt every day (these reports lasted only 3 days), since we usually had one suit for all occasions.

Also, TsAGI specialists, in particular G.I. Nesterenko, believed and showed based on the test results of structural samples that the survivability of riveted structures is higher than monolithic structures made of pressed panels, and I always agreed with this. (By the way, the B-747 plane was never bought, but the Il-86 was built instead).
Impressed by what they saw at Boeing, all industry institutes took the position that the wing of the An-124 aircraft should be made of a prefabricated structure from rolled plates! We took the position that the wing should be made from pressed panels. And then, as they say, I found a scythe on a stone. Our designers and technologists have shown that in the case of using pressed panels with a tip, it is possible to use a flange joint rather than a shear joint, which simplifies the joining of the tip and central parts of the wing and reduces labor intensity, and simplifies the sealing of the wing box. The fact that in the USSR there is no production of long (up to 30 m) rolled slabs, as in the USA. There were also other benefits shown on the posters, but I don’t remember them anymore. But we still had to prove that the durability and weight characteristics of such a wing would be no worse.

We prepared and agreed with the institutes on a large Comparative Test Program and in the summer of 1976 I flew to the Tashkent Aviation Plant, where the head of our branch was Ermokhin I.G. At this time, the Il-76 aircraft was being built here, the wing of which was made from pressed panels. I was assigned K.I. Demidov as an assistant. and we selected 10 pressed panels from D16T alloy, which differed, within tolerance, in strength and chemical composition. According to the “Program...”, the plant was supposed to produce hundreds of different samples of different sizes for testing for fatigue and survivability and send them to TsAGI, VIAM and KMZ. All this work, which was not specific to the serial plant, was then carried out by Ermokhin and Demidov. Then I went to MAP, where the KMZ management decided to accept me at the Voronezh Aviation Plant, and also coordinate and implement the Test Program. From Moscow I went to Voronezh, where the Il-86 aircraft was produced, in the design of the central part of the fuselage, rolled plates of the D16T alloy were used. I selected 3 slabs, agreed on the Program, resolved all the issues and got acquainted with the plant. At that time, in addition to the Il-86, the Tu-144 supersonic aircraft was also being built there. Excellent workshops were built, the latest machines and equipment were purchased and installed, in particular, the aircraft wing was monolithic and was made by milling rolled plates from the heat-resistant alloy AK4-1T1. I looked at all this splendor and thought, if all these funds that were invested in the creation of the Tu-144 aircraft were invested in subsonic aviation, then maybe we would reach the level of the United States? The fact is that it was a “political” project that the Soviet Union never mastered. But this is from a different area.

Thanks to the enormous efforts of Shakhatuni and the management of KMZ, funds were knocked out at MAP and special testing equipment from Schenk (USA) was purchased, on which various tests of large-sized structural samples were carried out. V.V. Muratov dealt with this issue. Less powerful equipment was also purchased and a team was organized under the leadership of G.I. Khanin, which was engaged in numerous tests of small samples. Then Elizaveta Avetovna created a fractographic research team and “knocked out” a special microscope for studying cracks. Burchenkova L.M., a highly qualified specialist in this field, was appointed head of the team. In all these matters and in terms of the level of confidence in the results obtained, in a very short time we reached the level of the TsAGI and VIAM laboratories, which were considered the best in the industry, and even more so in the USSR!

As a result of a huge amount of testing performed in 3 different laboratories of the D16T alloy, it was shown that:

Pressed panels are superior to rolled slabs in static strength by 4 kg/mm2;

Pressed panels are 1.5 times superior to rolled slabs in terms of fatigue life;

The growth rate of fatigue cracks in pressed panels is 1.5 times lower, and the fracture toughness of CS is 15% higher.

These advantages were identified only in one longitudinal direction, in which, in fact, the panels in the wing structure operate. Microstructure studies have shown that pressed panels have a non-recrystallized (fibrous) structure, while rolled plates have a recrystallized structure, which explains the resulting difference in properties (see the dissertation of A.G. Vovnyanko “Durability and crack resistance of new aluminum alloys used in the construction of aircraft airframes ", Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, 1985).

Based on the results of these studies, pressed panels were selected for the manufacture of the wing of the An-124 aircraft.

Next, there was a huge amount of work to be done by VILS and VSMOS on the development of long (30 meters) panels with a tip for the end part of the wing, large-sized profiles for spars and massive pressed strips for the central part of the wing, the technology for their production, as well as the casting of large-sized unique ingots, the creation and development equipment. It should be noted that VSMOS was the largest metallurgical plant. He made all kinds of large pressed and stamped semi-finished products for most An aircraft, so we had very close and intimate connections. The plant used electric furnaces to smelt aluminum alloys, while other plants used gas furnaces, which increased the purity of the metal. Also, all titanium blanks for aircraft, as well as semi-finished products for the manufacture of hulls of nuclear submarines, were made at this plant, not to mention blanks for blades for jet engines and much more. The People and Team were amazing, solving the most advanced problems in the aviation industry and defense industry of the USSR!

After modifications and certification work and flight tests in 1991, the aircraft received a type certificate and became designated An-124-100. After that, other airlines, Russian and foreign, began to use it. The reserves built into the design made it possible to increase the carrying capacity from 120 tons to 150, and the service life to 40,000 flight hours and 10,000 flights. Now, at the request of Volga-Dnepr Airlines, the possibility of further increasing the resource is being considered, because many years of talk about restoring serial production of this aircraft are nothing more than an imitation of activity and self-promotion.
In the 1970s, a new generation of aluminum alloys appeared abroad: 2124, 7175, 2048, 7475, 7010,7050 and technologies for manufacturing semi-finished products from them, as well as new two-stage aging modes T76 and T73 for alloys of the 7000 series. This made it possible to improve the entire complex strength and, especially, resource properties and corrosion resistance. It should be noted that in general the USA was 10-15 years ahead of the USSR in this area (see article Vovnyanko A.G., Drits A.M., “Aluminum alloys in aircraft construction - past and present”, Non-ferrous metals, No. 8, 2010).

In January 1977, the management of KMZ, at the suggestion of Shakhatuni, decided to create a group “Structural Strength of Metals”, and I was appointed head of this group. Zakharenko E.A. was already working for us, and I had to find the best guys for this job. I walked around the departments, asked, consulted, and I managed to select excellent (in every sense) young specialists: Vorontsov I.S., then later Kuznetsova V., who dealt with aluminum alloys, Grechko V.V. – titanium alloys, and Kovtuna A.P. - structural steels. Later, Elizaveta Avetovna suggested expanding the research, and we hired A.I. Nikolaychik, who worked on residual stresses in stampings and parts made from them. These specialists carried out a huge amount of research, analysis of the results obtained, analysis of foreign literature, processing of results and drawing up reports, etc. Since I spent most of my time on long business trips, the group was actually led by E.A. Shakhatuni.

In the department RIO-1 Shakhatuni E.A. A huge amount of work was organized to study foreign experience in various areas. Domestic and foreign scientific journals were subscribed. Specially appointed translator M.N. Shnaidman to the staff of the department. search work was carried out on everything new in the field of strength, service life, materials and alloys. All this was translated, analyzed and implemented. For example, during the Vietnam War, the newest tactical bomber F-111A crashed. The results of the investigation revealed that the cause was a minor manufacturing defect, which caused the crack to appear prematurely. Work in this direction began abroad, and we did not lag behind. S.P. Malashenkov conducted tests and developed calculation methods on numerous conventional and structural samples. and Semenets A.I.. Most of the works on research on structural samples ed. “400” was led by Vasilevsky E.T.

Since after a long time of working with metallurgists, studying specialized literature and foreign research, I had already begun to understand some patterns in the field of creating alloys, and was well acquainted with specialists and with the heads of institutes and metallurgical plants, the idea arose to create alloys specifically for the An-124 aircraft , fortunately I knew what characteristics were needed. However, this was the prerogative of laboratory No. 3 of VIAM, which was headed by I.N. Fridlyander. Therefore, it was necessary to bypass them. VILS had a team of like-minded friends with enormous knowledge and desire to do this work - Drits A.M., Zaikovsky V.B. and Schneider G.I. etc. We were all young and difficulties did not bother us. Shakhatuni E.A. supported us in this endeavor.

For the lower panels (working in tension in flight) of the wings of passenger and transport aircraft, medium-strength (44-48 kg/mm2) alloys were used, where the main alloying element was copper: 2024, D16 and their derivatives. These alloys have a high level of fatigue life and survivability. They have relatively low corrosion resistance. Since the level of stress in the lower wing panels is determined (with the exception of the wing tips, where the thickness is so small that it is determined structurally) only by the resource characteristics, their significant improvement increases the weight efficiency and service life of the aircraft. In the case of using pressed panels, it was also important to guarantee a non-recrystallized structure. This is facilitated by the introduction of a small amount of zirconium into the alloy. A very important characteristic for a prefabricated monolithic (11 panels in the root part) wing made of pressed panels is the duration of crack growth and residual strength in the presence of a two-span crack (one stringer is destroyed and the crack approaches two adjacent stringers). It was later determined that this wing could withstand operational loads with one panel completely destroyed. A slight reduction in alloy doping plays a role here. However, it was necessary not to significantly lose the tensile strength and, especially, the yield strength.

For the upper panels (working in flight in compression) of the wing, high-strength zinc-based coatings were used: 7075, B95. These alloys have also been widely used for fighter and bomber wings, where service life requirements are less demanding. With single-stage heat treatment T1, they have high strength, but low service life characteristics and corrosion resistance.
Two-stage aging regimes, introduced first abroad and then in the USSR, with a slight decrease in strength, somewhat increased the service life characteristics and, significantly, corrosion resistance. In the USSR, high-alloy, high-strength alloys V96 and then V96ts were developed for disposable missiles. But they were not suitable for aircraft with a long service life, and it was impossible to make large-sized ingots from them, and therefore semi-finished products. In the USA, a high-alloy, high-strength universal alloy 7050 was developed and widely introduced, which replaced alloys 7075, 7175 for all types of semi-finished products. It exceeds the indicated alloys in static strength by approximately 4-5 kg/mm2 and is used only in two-stage aging modes. We analyzed it, but it did not suit us in terms of technological properties, because... It was impossible to cast large-sized ingots of the size we needed from it. Therefore, all efforts were aimed at somewhat increasing the strength and yield limits and, significantly, the resource characteristics.

Alloy for the manufacture of forgings and stampings. As mentioned above, in the USSR there were 2 alloys AK6T1 and V93T1, which did not suit the designers, and we used the D16T alloy for the An-72 and An-74 aircraft.

The peculiarity of the B93 alloy is that iron is an alloying element in it. This allows the workpieces to be hardened in hot (80 degrees) water, which reduces the stresses and the level of residual stresses. The price is low survivability characteristics. The 7050T73 alloy, used at that time in the USA for these purposes, significantly exceeded all of the above alloys in terms of the entire range of properties.

But we also had other problems, namely, to produce long panels and massive pressed strips of forgings and stampings, it was necessary to cast large-sized ingots with a diameter of up to 1200 mm, and we physically could not go for high alloying. A special feature of transport aircraft is the high position of the wing in order to bring the fuselage closer to the ground and simplify the loading of cargo. As a result of this, it is necessary to use very massive power frames, as well as chassis mounting brackets, power lows in the area where the front struts are attached and the threshold of the rear cargo hatch. In aircraft with lower wings, such massive semi-finished products and parts made from them are not needed. This is the difference between the An-124 and the B747: in the latter there are much fewer complex stamping parts and they are significantly smaller in size.

Also, at this time it became generally known that the impurities of iron and silicon, which are present in all these alloys, significantly reduce survivability. Therefore, their content in alloys had to be reduced as much as possible. The development of new alloys is not done in one year, because... it is necessary to carry out a large complex of research and development, first in the laboratories of institutes, and then in production and the design bureau.

We had just begun to carry out this work, but we already had to decide what to use for the design and manufacture of the An-124 aircraft? Based on the knowledge obtained, the following decisions were made: lower wing panels - pressed alloy panels made of D16 alloy ochT (och - very pure); upper wing panels - pressed panels made of V95ochT2 alloy; forgings and stampings from D16ochT alloy. Also widely used in the airframe design are sheets and profiles made of high-purity aluminum alloys (HP). In the critical power structures of the airframe and landing gear, parts made of titanium alloy VT22 and high-alloy steel VNS5 are used. The sheet flooring of the cargo compartment floor is made of sheets of titanium alloy VT6. Titanium alloys are also widely used in aircraft systems, in particular air systems.

Here I have to interrupt the story about the development of new alloys, because... all efforts during this period were aimed at the production and supply of semi-finished products, as well as the manufacture of parts from them for the construction of the first An-124 aircraft for flight tests and the second aircraft for static tests.

As I already said, we used large-sized long (30 m) pressed panels with winglets and profiles for the side members for the aircraft. The longer length was chosen in order to avoid making an additional transverse joint, because this is mass and labor intensive. In Verkhnyaya Salda, where these semi-finished products were made, there was no equipment for hardening and stretching them. Such equipment was in Belaya Kalitva, Rostov region, because They planned to launch the production of long rolled slabs there. But the rolling mill, purchased abroad, stood and rusted in boxes. To deliver these panels, first to Belaya Kalitva, and then to Tashkent, where the wing was made, a special railway platform was made. And then one day the chief controller of KMZ V.N. Panin calls me. and says that we need to go to the metallurgical plant in Belaya Kalitva to see how things are going there. The three of us, including production manager O.G. Kotlyar, went there on a study tour. The first batch of panels was already there. But the workshop had just been built and the factory workers did not know which side to approach these panels from. The authorities took a ride and left for Kyiv, and they left me hostage, although I was not a metallurgist and did not understand anything about these matters. If in Verneya Salda the panels were lowered vertically during hardening, then here they were horizontal, because It is impossible to build a bathtub 31 meters deep and instantly lower a panel into it. When lowering the panel, heated to a temperature of approximately 380°, into cold water at a temperature of 20°, it twisted terribly. We probably spent a whole month until we achieved an acceptable geometry through various experiments. I won't reveal all the secrets here. Then, again, the required stretching of semi-finished products was determined experimentally in order to remove residual stresses and obtain the required geometry. Difficulties were due to the different thickness of the regular section and the ending, and therefore different degrees of deformation.

Later, the leading designer from the wing department, A.V. Kozachenko, was sent to help me. Together, it became more fun not only to work, but also to survive, because we worked 16 hours a day with a break only for sleep and without days off, because... deadlines were pressing. We moved on to the next stage - checking for the presence of defects detected by ultrasonic testing methods. And then we were horrified! The number of such defects (delaminations) inside the metal reached 3000-5000 pieces. And they were not located evenly, but in some spots, as if someone was “shooting” this panel with a shotgun. No one could guarantee that it would not fall apart on the first flight. And so the entire first batch of panels. There was nothing to do - we went to Kyiv to report to the authorities. After I reported to Balabuev P.V., he called a meeting with the general designer Antonov O.K. There were not many people there. In addition to those listed, there were chief technologist I.V. Pavlov, head of the airframe design department V.Z. Bragilevsky, head of the wing department G.P. Gindin, Kozachenko and I, and as many other people as possible. I briefly reported the problems. After which Oleg Konstantinovich posed the question - what to do and what proposals will there be? Balabuev P.V., who, as the chief designer of the An-124 aircraft, was responsible for the deadlines, suggested cutting the panels and making an additional transverse joint. Bragilevsky spoke for a long time, but I still didn’t understand what he was offering. When they gave me the floor, I said that we would try and make long panels. I still don’t understand why I said this, because... Nothing depended on me. Probably due to my youth. After which Oleg Konstantinovich took full responsibility and decided to continue working on providing high-quality long panels. In fact, quality for defects was ensured in Verkhnyaya Salda, and not in Belaya Kalitva.

We went immediately after the meeting to Belaya Kalitva. There was a huge meeting of representatives of institutes, managers from Tashkent, who were also pressed for deadlines (they were manufacturing the central and end parts of the wing), P.V. Balabuev also arrived. After the meeting, before departure, Balabuev took me aside and said, “whatever you want do it, but provide the panels for the first plane!” Kozachenko and I had to take big risks and take responsibility. We have already focused not only on the number of defects, but also on how they are located in the design of the part, because a significant amount of metal is removed during the milling process. In difficult situations, we called the designers in Kyiv and they analyzed the location of defects and their impact on strength. Over the course of several months, from October 1978 to April 1979, we provided the required number of panels for the manufacture of the first wing, although the number of defects in them sometimes reached 1000-1500 pieces. The work, responsibility and stress were so exhausting that after 3 weeks the roof began to go crazy and we went home for 2-3 days with a report and at least to see the family with one eye. After the report to Balabuev, the very next day he called and asked why you were sitting here, let’s go back. On one of these trips from Belaya Kalitva to Kyiv there was a snowstorm. But in the steppe it sweeps up all the roads and traffic stops. It took a day to get from Belaya Kalitva to Rostov, although the distance there is about 200 km. Paid truckers. I come to Kyiv, go to Shakhatuni and say that this is how it is, I had to get there, spend money and ask for compensation. And Elizaveta Avetovna says: “I didn’t send you there. Go to the one who sent you there.” I had to go to Balabuev and he wrote me out as much as 20 rubles. And so no bonuses, because... I was listed in the RIO-1 department, where there was a bonus fund for the work that the department did, and I worked for Balabuev and Shakhatuni didn’t like it. These were the pies! I don’t remember exactly, but probably about 50% of the panels were scrap. We took a significant number of substandard panels to Kyiv, where we then made samples and carried out various tests.

Only at the end of April I arrived in Kyiv, when a new problem appeared - a sink in the end (delamination inside the metal along the entire length of the end). They are again sent to Verkhnyaya Salda, and at the same time to Tashkent. It was May 11th, in Tashkent it was already plus 30°, I think it won’t be very cold in the Urals, and I flew to Sverdlovsk in a suit. I arrive there, and it’s plus 3° and it’s snowing. Frozen as hell. I had to stop by my wife’s relatives and warm myself up. By the time I got to Verkhnaya Salda, the factory workers, together with VILS, had already solved the problem - they reduced the pressing speed in the tip zone and the defect disappeared.

In the summer of 1979, a new misfortune came, this time from Tashkent. Huge blanks of parts made from forgings of alloy D16ochT after hardening began to crack. For the first aircraft, parts are made from forgings, because... Making stamps is a long process. The Ministry assembled and urgently sent there a large Commission of representatives of VIAM, VILS and MAP. From KMZ - Shakhatuni and I. We arrived there, and about 10 blank parts were already cracked. Since the forgings are very huge, for example, for power frames about 4 m in length, 0.8 m wide, 0.3 m thick and weighing up to 3 tons, it is pre-milled, leaving only a rough allowance. This is necessary so that the cooling rate is high and the part has the required strength and corrosion properties. After familiarizing ourselves with the situation, all of us members of the commission sit at a large table and think, what kind of attack is this, what should we do? At this time, more and more messages are coming: the workpiece has cracked, and another. The count has already reached 2 tens!

I saw Elizaveta Avetovna’s face turned yellow, like parchment. I was also scared, I thought that if they didn’t shoot me, they would definitely send me to Siberia, because it was KMZ that insisted that forgings and stampings be made from D16ochT alloy. P.V. Balabuev urgently arrived. He took me aside for advice on what to do. I start to “bleat”, like we need to do it like the Americans for the S5A aircraft from the V95ochT2 alloy. By that time, we, together with institutes, had already carried out work on this alloy for forgings and stampings, and it began to be used for fighter aircraft. But Peter Vasilyeva says, “No, let them (that is, VIAM) propose and answer. We've had enough! VIAM proposed the V93pchT2 alloy. Since the tensile strength of these alloys is the same (44 kg/mm2), there was no need to change the drawings. And since the B93 alloy is quenched in hot water, quenching cracks do not occur in large-sized forgings, unlike the D16 alloy, which is quenched in cold water. The Commission wrote a Decision, where Elizaveta Avetovna nevertheless insisted that there be a point, such as continuing work on the D16ochT alloy for forgings and stampings. "400". It also described the procedure for writing off these blanks and forgings, which is about 300 tons of high-quality metal, an instruction to allocate funds for the production of new forgings from the B93 alloy, and much more. And they sent me to the MAP so that I would approve this Decision with Deputy Minister Bolbot A.V.. I arrive at the MAP, go to the 6th Main Directorate, to which KMZ was directly subordinate, to the chief engineer N.M. Orlov.. Because in the Decision there was a “slippery” point on the D16 alloy, but we hoped that Bolbot A.V. will not “see” it and sign it. N.M. Orlov put me in jail. under the office of Bolbot A.V. and says: “When you see him coming, call me right away.” I was sitting under the door of my office and suddenly Anufriy Vikentievich appeared and said: “Well, why are you sitting - come in.” I took the Solution and began to quickly read. He reached this unfortunate point and said: “I do not make technical decisions, but can only give instructions to institutions.” Corrects this paragraph and signs the Decision. I, like a “beaten dog,” go to N.M. Orlov. and I get a scolding from him that I shouldn’t have gone to Bolbot, but should have called him. He himself went to Anufriy Vikentievich to leave that point in its original form, and came out with nothing. I arrived in Kyiv and went to P.V. Balabuev. and I say that I no longer want to deal with the D16 alloy for forgings and let him tell Elizaveta Avetovna about this. To which he tells me: “Go and tell me yourself. She’s a smart woman, she’ll understand.” But Elizaveta Avetovna was offended and did not speak to me for several weeks. But then we resumed our normal industrial relations and we remained “friends” as we were.

My trips to metallurgical plants and Tashkent continued to ensure the construction of the first and then the second An-124 aircraft.

In the spring of 1982, Pyotr Vasilyevich took me to a meeting at the Ministry, which was chaired by Minister I.S. Silaev. The issue of providing semi-finished products for serial production of the An-124 aircraft was considered. Serial production was launched without waiting for the results of flight tests, because... The USSR was already far behind the United States in terms of the quantity and quality of strategic military transport aircraft. We were traveling by train to NE, and I took 0.5 Armenian cognac. We had dinner and drinks. I was dumbfounded, and Balabueva P.V. at least something. In the morning he went to his apartment to get himself in order, and I went to the MAP. We met in the conference room, where various leaders began to gather - I was “hungover”, and Pyotr Vasilyevich was like a “cucumber”. Then Pyotr Vasilyevich says, “I have work to do and I went, and you report.” I fell into a stupor. The Minister, academicians, heads of institutes and heads of metallurgical plants came and Silaev asked where the speaker was. There is nothing to do, I take the posters and go hang them up. When I was preparing posters for meetings, Elizaveta Avetovna taught me: “The bosses there, she says, are elderly and have poor vision. That’s why you write little on the posters and in large letters.” That's exactly what I did. In general, stuttering and trembling with fright, I began my report. First, I showed what alloys are used abroad and that we are lagging behind in terms of characteristics. Ivan Stepanovich turned questioningly to the leaders of VIAM and VILS, to which they began to prove that this is not so and everything is the same with us. Since no one supported me, I had to move on to the second question. I reported numerous defects in semi-finished products and a large number of defects. There was nothing left to cover here and everyone agreed. The protocol stated that the institutes carried out work and improved the quality of semi-finished products in order to significantly reduce defects, and metallurgical plants increased the number of semi-finished products produced to ensure serial production of the aircraft. But I still don’t understand why Pyotr Vasilyevich set me up like that? Perhaps he didn’t want to quarrel with the heads of the institutes?

For the first time in the industry, passports were introduced for all semi-finished products of the An-124 aircraft, which contained the entire range of properties. The test results of not only VIAM, but also KMZ were used. Also, for the first time in the industry, K1S fracture toughness control was introduced at metallurgical plants for these semi-finished products.

At the same time, over the course of 2 years, VILS has carried out extensive work to study the influence of various alloying elements on the entire complex of properties. Numerous ingots were cast and strips were pressed, and forgings were forged from malleable alloys. The technology of their production, temperature conditions and aging conditions were tested. After that, samples were made and tests were carried out for strength, service life characteristics and corrosion resistance in VILS and KMZ. Zirconium was introduced into all the studied alloys as an alloying additive, because this improved the resource properties (See the article Vovnyanko A.G., Drits A.M. “The influence of composition on fatigue resistance and crack resistance of pressed semi-finished products from alloys of the Al-Cu-Mg and Al-Zn-Mg-Cu systems. Proceedings of the USSR Academy of Sciences Metals, 1984, No. 1). After a large amount of research, chemical compositions and manufacturing technologies were selected for industrial testing. A “Research Program...” was written and I went to Verkhnyaya Salda, where I agreed with the management to manufacture a pilot batch of long panels and large-sized forgings for the An-124 aircraft from new alloys. It was an amazing time!!! Then these semi-finished products arrived at KMZ, where samples were made from them and sent for testing to VILS, TsAGI and VIAM. The test results confirmed the advantages of these alloys in terms of the entire range of properties compared to the alloys used for the manufacture of critical power structures of the An-124 aircraft (see article Vovnyanko A.G., Drits A.M., Shneider G.I. “Monolithic structures and aluminum alloys with zirconium for their manufacture." Technology of light alloys. August, 1984).
Then Drits A.M. called. and said: “We will register copyright inventions for the specified alloy composition” and that VIAM specialists should also be included there. I was very indignant: “Why are they doing this? They didn’t do anything.” To which Alexander Mikhailovich, experienced in these matters, replied: “If we don’t include them in the team of authors, then we won’t introduce these alloys,” because without the approval of VIAM it was impossible to use anything on airplanes. I also went to Elizaveta Avetovna and suggested that she become one of the authors. At this she was very indignant and said: “What do I have to do with this? You’ve been studying, that’s enough.” I tried to prove to her that without her support none of this would have happened. But she didn’t talk to me any further. This is what a noble and intelligent person means! I knew bosses at KMZ who forced their subordinates to include themselves in the Author's List, otherwise they would not sign the documents. Dritsom A.M. applications were submitted and we received Copyright Certificates No. 1343857, registered 06/8/1987, No. 1362057, 08/22/1987, No. 1340198, 05/22/1987). Subsequently, these alloys received new names 1161, 1973 and 1933.

But this is not all the achievements of Elizaveta Avetovna. After the aircraft had already been put into production and static and, partially, fatigue tests had been carried out (by the way, on the initiative of E.A. Shakhatuni, on one copy of the aircraft, which no one in the world had ever succeeded in), Elizaveta Avetovna managed to introduce these new alloys into serial production of the An-124 aircraft! The lower wing panels began to be made of 1161T alloy, the upper ones - from 1973T2, stampings - from 1933T2. Subsequently, these alloys began to be widely used in all new aircraft An-225, An-70, An-148 and others.

In 1986, the developers of these alloys, including me, became laureates of the Prize of the Council of Ministers of the USSR.

In 1982, I came to Elizaveta Avetovna and said that I wanted to work on airplanes, because... I had no prospects in the strength department. Shakhatuni went to Pyotr Vasilyevich and he gave the go-ahead for my transfer to the newly created service of leading designers for the An-70 aircraft. Such an amazing and bright Person was Shakhatuni Elizaveta Avetovna!

In 1985, I was appointed head of a group of leading designers to create the An-225 aircraft. And here we immediately introduced new aluminum alloys 1161T, 1972T2 and 1993T in all power structures of the wing, fuselage and tail. This made it possible to provide a payload capacity unprecedented in the world aircraft industry - 250 tons, while ensuring the resource specified in the technical specifications. There is no doubt that in the future this resource will be significantly increased by analogy with the An-124 aircraft

In the early 1990s, Drits A.M. called. and invited me to give a report at Boeing in Moscow. Leading specialists from VIAM and VILS gathered there, and Boeing recently opened its branch on the street. Tverskoy. I reported on the widespread use of milled monolithic parts in the design of Antonov aircraft, as well as their fatigue and survivability characteristics. After some time, the head of the Boeing branch for the CIS countries, S.V. Kravchenko, came to us in Kyiv. I brought him to the first deputy general designer Kiva D.S., where he proposed to do joint research work on a monolithic all-milled pressurized frame in the forward part of the fuselage (this is where the pressurized zone ends and the locator is installed in front). These pressurized frames on all aircraft, both here and abroad, were of riveted construction. Kiva D.S. said that if Boeing pays $1 million, then KMZ agrees to carry out such work. When we left, Sergei said: “I have a budget of only 3 million dollars for the entire CIS, so this is unrealistic.” As a result, they began to work with MMZ named after. Ilyushina S.V. on the luggage rack using milled parts.

In the early 1990s, Fridlyander I.N. “managed” to re-patent alloys 1161, 1973 and 1933, introducing into the basic chemical composition impurities in hundredths of a percent, which are always present in all aluminum alloys. Naturally, he forgot about us, the developers.

What we developed and applied more than 30 years ago in the An-124 aircraft is currently used by Boeing in the designs of the latest aircraft B787 Dreamliner, B747-8, etc. Even the name of the aircraft was stolen: “Dream-Dream-Mriya” , because this name was invented by P.V. Balabuev. for the An-225 aircraft. These aircraft widely use monolithic milled parts made of aluminum alloys and, especially, titanium alloys. The fact is that mechanical processing of parts with complex geometries on modern machines with the highest milling speeds turns out to be significantly cheaper to produce than manufacturing a prefabricated structure, which involves a lot of manual labor. The number of parts, work operations, workplaces, fasteners, equipment, etc. is significantly reduced. Boeing even created a joint venture with VSMOS (now AVISMA) to produce blanks and parts from titanium alloys.

The An-225 Mriya aircraft appeared at the beginning of the collapse of the Soviet Union. Created to support the Buran space program, the gigantic machine turned out to be virtually unclaimed and stood disassembled for more than 7 years. Antonov’s “Dream”, as “Mriya” is translated from Ukrainian, was saved by its outstanding load-carrying characteristics, which turned out to be in demand at the beginning of the 21st century.

The aircraft has a service life of 45 years, so the aircraft will be in the air until December 2033.

History of creation

In the 70s of the last century, the USSR and the USA competed closely in the field of space exploration. The first long-term stations appeared, to which it was necessary to deliver cargo and personnel. The disposable launch vehicles used were expensive, so the idea of ​​​​creating reusable spacecraft arose. The development program for such aircraft was created first in the USA and then in the USSR.

The Soviet program included the production of spacecraft components at several enterprises. The final assembly of the reusable spacecraft, called Buran, and the Energia launch vehicle was planned at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

The Buran flight program included landing at various airfields located on the territory of the USSR. The return delivery of the shuttle to Baikonur turned into a complex transport problem.

It was then that a proposal arose to use a large transport aircraft to deliver components and return the spacecraft to the launch pad. In the early 80s, a new idea was born to ensure takeoff from a horizontal launch pad, which could be a transport aircraft.

The plane acted as the first launch stage, and on the outer part a space shuttle was installed with a separate propulsion and fuel system.

Antonov Design Bureau proposed to create a similar aircraft based on the An-124 Ruslan components. The project of the future An-225 acquired common features by 1984. The project was led by V.I. Tolmachev.

The development and construction of the machine lasted three years. The first An-225 aircraft was built on the last autumn day of 1988. The tests proceeded at a rapid pace - after several cycles of running and taxiing tests, the plane took off. This happened in the second half of December. At the beginning of February next year, the aircraft was presented to the press at the Boryspil airfield, near Kiev.

The An-225 appeared quite late and did not have time to take part in the transportation of components for the construction of the shuttle. In the spring of 1989, Mriya was demonstrated at the Paris Air Show. The plane flew there with the Buran installed on the outer part of the fuselage.

In total, one copy of the machine was built, which is currently in operation. The construction of the second copy was frozen due to the difficult economic situation and the beginning of the collapse of the USSR.

Features and Features

The An-225 Mriya aircraft is used to transport cargo of the following categories:

1. Large items placed inside the cargo compartment. The weight of the cargo over a short flight distance should not exceed 250 tons, and the length should not exceed 43 m. When flying within a continent, the weight of the cargo is limited to 200 tons; for delivery between continents, the weight is reduced to 150 tons.
2. Delivery of monocargo weighing up to 200 tons, placed on the outside of the fuselage.
3. It is possible to use the An-225 aircraft as a launch platform for space systems.

The dimensions of the cargo compartment allow you to accommodate:

• 16 standard aviation containers of the UAK-10 type (weighing 10 tons each);
• 50 middle class passenger cars;
• individual loads weighing up to 200 tons (for example, casings of steam or gas turbines, stators and rotors of generators for power plants, large mining dump trucks).

Technical description

The Tu-225 aircraft is built on the basis of components and parts. The fuselage of the Mriya has an increased length due to inserts. In cross-section, the fuselage consists of two intersecting circles. There are cargo and passenger decks inside. The power structure of the fuselage is assembled using welded and adhesive joints.

The outer skin is working. To increase structural rigidity, the aft loading hatch has been removed. To ensure the possibility of placing cargo on the upper part of the fuselage, a two-fin tail unit was used.

Due to the increase in the size of the aircraft, a new wing center section was used. The wing mechanization does not differ significantly from the Ruslan. The AN-225 aircraft uses six D-18T turbojet engines developed at the Progress Design Bureau. At takeoff, the engine develops a thrust of 230 kN, the total thrust of the power plant is 1380 kN.

The engines are started by a flow of air that spins the compressor impeller.

An auxiliary power unit is used to power the starting system and operate the electrical systems when parked. It consists of two TA-12 gas turbines located on the sides of the fuselage in the chassis fairings.

On the distribution box of each D-18T engine there are two hydraulic pumps and a 60 kVA generator. The generator produces alternating high-frequency current used to operate the on-board equipment of the An-225 Mriya.

The fuel supply is located in 13 caisson-type tanks. The tanks are located in the center section and wing. The maximum tank capacity is 365 tons. Aviation kerosene TS-1 or RT substitute is used as fuel. The fuel supply provides a ferry flight range of 15,000 km.

Fully refueling an An-225 aircraft is a lengthy and complex task. Refueling time depends on the airfield equipment and tankers. In some cases, refueling the aircraft took up to a day and a half.

The chassis is equipped with a bow rotating double strut, with wheels measuring 1120*450 mm.

The main supports are located on the sides of the fuselage. Each support includes seven racks equipped with two tubeless wheels measuring 1270*510 mm. To reduce the turning radius of the aircraft on the airfield, the four rear rows of struts can be rotated.

Due to the heavy weight of the aircraft, the warranty life of the tires was 90 landings. The rubber manufacturer was the Yaroslavl Tire Plant. For all tires, an air pressure of 12 atmospheres was considered normal.

At the bottom of the fuselage there is a sealed cargo compartment. The compartment has a length of 43 m, a floor width of 6.4 m, and a height of 4.4 m. Two guides equipped with roller rollers are installed on the floor. The compartment is loaded through the cargo gate located on the front of the fuselage. To load, the nose cone rises up, and the ramp extends in parallel.

To make loading easier, the fuselage tilts forward using an adjustable nose landing gear. The strut tilts forward and the fuselage rests on two supports located on either side of the nose strut. When the fairing is closed, additional supports are removed under it.

Guides with rails for moving gantry cranes are installed on the side walls of the cargo compartment. There are a total of four cranes with a lifting capacity of 5000 kg each. To tighten cargo into the compartment, there are two winches installed on the floor. The compartment provides space for storing the airfield towing carrier.

The design of the product is unique; there is no second one like it in the world.

From the front of the cargo compartment you can access the upper deck, where the control cabin and passenger compartment are located. The compartment is divided by the wing spars and center section into two sections of different sizes. There is no direct communication between sections. In the front section adjacent to the control cabin, there are rest areas for the reserve crew (6 people).

The rear part of the passenger cabin is designed to accommodate personnel accompanying the cargo, as well as for technicians servicing crane mechanisms. The cabin is equipped with 12 seats, tables for eating and working with documentation. The cabin sections are sealed from one another. The cabin of the accompanying personnel is connected to the cargo compartment by a hatch and a ladder located in the rear of the aircraft.

The crew rest cabin is adjacent to the technical compartment located closer to the center section of the An-225 aircraft. The compartment serves as a place for installing equipment and a switching unit for pipelines of air conditioning and sealing systems. The compartment contains control of the anti-icing complex. The rear wall of the compartment is the front spar of the center section.

Shafts and drive mechanisms for the slats, and air supply pipelines from the engine nacelles are installed along the wall. Along the lower edge of the wall there are 10 cylinders of the standard fire extinguishing system, filled with freon.

The cockpit is equipped with two seats installed in front.

The ship's commander and co-pilot are located in these places. Behind them there is a passage in which the workplaces of the remaining crew members are installed - the navigator, two flight engineers (one of them is senior) and the radio operator. In the passage along the sides there are instrument panels, including a board for monitoring engine operating parameters.

It is the responsibility of the crew to ensure that the cargo is correctly positioned. This is due to the need to locate the center of gravity of the An-225 aircraft within specified limits. The loading manager installs the loads in accordance with the developed scheme. The co-pilot's responsibilities include checking the location of the cargo. The final decision on takeoff is made by the crew commander.

The control of the An-225 aircraft is equipped with hydraulic boosters. If the hydraulics fail, it is not possible to manually deflect the control planes. To prevent such situations, the control system has four control channels. The pedals and steering wheel are connected to hydraulic distributors by a system of rods and cables.

To control engine operating modes, a block of throttle levers located between the front seats is used.

The levers are connected by rods to an electromechanical fuel supply regulator located on the engine. The levers of the external pairs of engines are connected to each other during takeoff and landing.

Exploitation

The only copy of the An-225 aircraft received the Soviet tail number USSR-82060. After the collapse of the country and the transfer of the car to Ukraine, the number changed to UR-82060. In the spring of 1994, the flight prototype of the vehicle was mothballed (along with the second unfinished model).

The plane remained in this form until the summer of 2000, after which it was decided to return it to service. Some of the equipment on the An-225 was replaced and a number of new devices were installed to ensure flight safety.

Commercial flights began at the end of 2001. The machine is used by Antonov Airlines, a subsidiary of Antonov Design Bureau. The aircraft is chartered to transport unique large and heavy cargo over various distances.

Performance characteristics and records

Takeoff length (without load), m	2 400
Takeoff length (with full load), m	3 500
Run length (without load), m	2 400
Run length (fully loaded), m	3 300
Crew, man	6
Maximum speed, km/h	850
Cruising speed, km/h	750
Ferry flight range, km	15 400
Range with cargo, km	4 500-9 600
Permissible take-off weight, kg	600 000
Wingspan, mm	88 400
Length, mm	84 000
Height, mm	18 100

The An-225 Mriya aircraft holds a series of records:

• transportation of the longest load (two wind turbine impeller blades with a length of 42.1 m each);
• the weight of cargo transported in one flight is 253,800 kg;
• the weight of the transported mono cargo is 187,600 kg.

In total, the An-225 holds more than 250 world records, many of which are unlikely to be broken in the foreseeable future.

Prospects

The second copy of the An-225 aircraft was mothballed in the early 90s. The car had an almost assembled fuselage, center section box and wing. In the mid-2000s, projects for completing the aircraft's construction appeared, but no customer was found willing to pay for final assembly and testing.

In 2006, the cost of putting the aircraft into service was estimated at 120 million US dollars.

At the end of the summer of 2016, Antonov Design Bureau signed an agreement with the Chinese company AICC. According to the agreement, the Chinese received ownership of the second copy of the aircraft after completion and modernization.

A year later, unofficial information appeared that the Chinese partners had lost interest in the aircraft. The reasons were explained by the dimensions and weight of the machine, which do not allow the aircraft to be operated from most airports. According to other sources, the first Chinese version of the An-225 transport aircraft should be built in 2019.

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