Service Life More Than Double On Airbus Cockpit Windows by PPG Aerospace

    PARIS--June 15, 2001--The windshields and cockpit windows made today by PPG Industries for the Airbus fleet have an average service life more than double that of the first windshields PPG designed for the A320 aircraft during the 1980s.
    The windows are made at the PPG Aerospace Huntsville, Ala., facility.
    Airbus operators can expect their PPG windshields to average seven to eight years of service, outperforming competitive products, assuming a utilization of 3,000 flight hours per year, according to Raymond L. Mang, global manager, product support.
    "PPG has worked closely with airlines and Airbus Industrie, especially with EADS France, which is responsible for acquisition and installation of cockpit windows into the airframe, over the past decade to track performance of PPG's transparencies and analyze flight data," Mang said. "The result of this proactive, cooperative effort is evident in the unmatched service life of PPG parts.
    "It has always been our goal, for all PPG transparencies, to develop the best designs and to use the best manufacturing processes in order for our parts to provide the best service life in the marketplace," Mang said.
    "We continually strive to improve our products by monitoring their field performance. We have an active program to benchmark current performance, which enables us to estimate future requirements for spares. More importantly, it allows us to understand issues operators may be facing with our product. Through our product support effort, we can then address any issues that may come up, and can do so quickly."
    The first Airbus A320 main windshields were shipped from PPG's Huntsville, Ala., factory in August 1990. That was followed in early 1991 by the first shipments of main windshields for the A310 widebody, and the sliding windows and aft fixed windows for both widebody and narrowbody Airbus aircraft.
    By 1993, PPG was qualified to supply all cockpit windows for the entire Airbus widebody and narrowbody fleet. When first delivery of the new A330 was made at the end of 1993, it was with PPG-designed and manufactured cockpit windows.
    From the outset, PPG's all-glass transparencies have provided operators with benefits unavailable from any other windshield supplier.

    Herculite II glass

    "PPG's Airbus transparencies all incorporate our unique Herculite II chemically strengthened glass," said Jean-Marc Coursieres, director of aircraft sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa. "This PPG proprietary glass, which has been used successfully in aircraft transparencies for nearly four decades, allows us to design exceptionally strong windshields and windows that are light weight.
    "Compared with windows fabricated from other strengthened glasses, PPG's Herculite II glass transparencies are more scratch resistant, and have a harder surface and greater residual strength should the surface be damaged," he said.
    The PPG chemically strengthened glass also has a lower modulus of elasticity, resulting in a stiffer glass with less deflection for increased service life, according to Coursieres.

    Design enhancements

    "Our relationship with Airbus operators has enabled us to closely monitor performance of our transparencies," Coursieres said.
    Among the enhancements PPG has made to its Airbus main windshields are encapsulated sensing elements that replaced sewn wire sensors, and addition of a third sensing element, providing redundancy to monitor and control temperature of the heated main windshields should the other two elements fail.
    The sealant system on PPG's Airbus main windshields was also redesigned to include both the stainless steel Z-bar and hump seal to enhance protection against moisture ingress, one of the leading contributors to premature service failure, Coursieres noted.
    "This represents the best technology to protect the laminate and electrical heating system from moisture penetration," he said.
    Stainless steel Z-bars also were added to PPG's Airbus widebody sliding and aft fixed windows.
    PPG's Nesatron system is now used on all cockpit windows to provide excellent heating uniformity. It has been used on PPG's Airbus narrowbody cockpit windows and main windshields for Airbus widebodies since their commercialization, and was added to the Airbus widebody sliding and aft fixed PPG windows in early 1995.
    "The thermal uniformity provided by PPG's proprietary Nesatron coating technology is unparalleled in the industry," Coursieres said. "Hot spots are virtually eliminated because of the proper grading of the coating. Additionally, transparencies with the Nesatron system have high light transmittance and low reflectance, maintaining optical clarity."
    For several years, PPG has been the supplier of choice for original equipment Airbus cockpit windows. Today, PPG cockpit windows are installed as original equipment on more than half of all Airbus narrowbody and widebody aircraft manufactured.
    Since the first Airbus A320 PPG windshield was delivered to Aerospatiale in 1990, PPG has produced nearly 12,000 cockpit windows for widebody and narrowbody Airbus aircraft.
    PPG, the world's largest manufacturer of aircraft windshields and windows (transparencies), is displaying cockpit windows for Airbus widebody aircraft and the main windshield for Airbus narrowbody aircraft at its PPG Aerospace Paris Air Show exhibit June 16 through June 24 at hall 2B, stand H1.
    Information about aerospace coatings, sealants and application systems from PRC-DeSoto International, also part of PPG's Aerospace business unit, is available at the PPG Aerospace exhibit as well.
    Internet: www.ppg.com