Shenyang FC-31 / J-31 Fighter Demonstrator

Engineer

Major
Why can't they mold the body/wings and finish the assembly at a single location? This way, they can do the basic testing at the factory and then fly to the next location for further testing. Hauling a half-finished plane across the country is simply not efficient... What if it got damaged during the transporting process?
Static test airframes are never meant to be flown. That is why they are half finished. Most don't even have landing gears fitted.
 

GreenestGDP

Junior Member
,
That's because J-31 cannot be disassembled. The body and wing are one piece, as described in this
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.

Many thanks to Engineer for getting a LIN Zuo Ming Youtube video right on the specific part of his answer on J-31 -- 1 piece airframe.

I think that J-31 -- 1 piece airframe is designed to go through some special Stress test without Engine and other components. Yet, the Special Stress Testing site can NOT be built close to the city of ShenYang where SAC is located.
Because if the SAC Special Stress Testing site was built close to ShenYang, then in time of war, it is way too vulnerable to Americans and Japanese destructions.

City of ChengDu is inland, thus CAC Special Stress Testing site can be built nearby ChengDu. CAC does not have to send J-20 -- 1 piece airframe too far across China. Thus, we have never seen J-20 -- 1 piece airframe on Sichuan highway.

On that interview linked by Engineer above, one of the J-31 Chief Engineer explained that the 1 piece airframe allow SAC ... ...

1) to reduce J-31 components by more than 50%.
2) to reduce ultra expensive Moldings and Toolings by 46%.

These 2 manufacturing benefits above allow SAC to much reduce the J-31 production time. My own guestimate is 1 piece airframe allows J-31 production time to be reduced by 60% or more.

To get a glimpse of Future Heavy Industry Manufacturing Revolution ... ...

Check out -- Why 3D Printed Car ( Strati ) can be manufactured in 2 days only, and only has 47 components instead of 20,000+ components, and the factory area can be reduced to 200m x 200m, instead of hectares of land. After all these facts above, in time of war and in the game of attrition, you can imagine PRC manufacturing prowess over combined efforts and manufacturing abilities of ( US, Japan, UK, and India, and other crony nations ).
 

superdog

Junior Member
Why can't they mold the body/wings and finish the assembly at a single location? This way, they can do the basic testing at the factory and then fly to the next location for further testing. Hauling a half-finished plane across the country is simply not efficient... What if it got damaged during the transporting process?
Stress test only need to be done once for each airframe design, they don't have to test every production airframe, so this is not a problem when it goes into mass production. It is cheaper to haul a test airframe across the country than to build dedicated testing facility near the factory for these "one-off" tests.
 

superdog

Junior Member
Parts maybe, but You simply cannot "print" such large structures right now nor even a complete airframe.
It's not that the whole fuselage is one piece, but large structural frames can be laser 3D printed in one piece, resulting in a wing-body structure that cannot be taken apart.

3d-printed-parts-fighter-2.png
 

longmarch

Junior Member
Registered Member
Was this not discussed before? In the video it's said that manufacturering of J-31 was in cooperation with Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Leading expert on this is Prof. Wang Huaming, who was elected fellow of Chinese Academy of Engineering last year. 3D printing is also used on Y-20, J-15, C919, WS-13, satellites and missiles. This is public information on his material for the fellowship.
It may not be the case that the whole airframe is printed, but somehow the body and wings are "melted" together using the technology, that would be my guess.

China is fortunate to have these masters or grand masters, either in technology or in management, reason why it's developing by leaps and bounds in different areas. For example with J-20 you have Dr. Song and Yang Wei, with AEW&C you have Wang Xiaomo, with IEP & EMALS you have Ma Weiming, with high speed rail you have Liu Zhijun & Zhang Shuguang who unfortunately are both in jail now for political reasons. Without these superstar experts, things may still get done but may not be this fast or this advanced. Another common theme is that they achieve what they did with funding shortages, sometimes for decades, but they persevered. They are those people who really believe in what they are doing and good at it.
On the opposite you have project like Arj-21, where you didn't put the right people and organization in place, and you suffer as a result. The fact that it's based in Shanghai with virtually no aircraft design experience for 20 years spells trouble from the beginning.
 

Deino

Lieutenant General
Staff member
Super Moderator
Registered Member
More images of J-31 2.0 crawling along a Chinese highway at night.

Please excuse the bold ugly watermark.

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Images were taken at Shenyang this Monday.


But again my question ! Are we sure that this is the V2 prototype ??? Could it be that it is indeed the static airframe of V1 after all tests were done ?? ... and now it will become some sort of display, gate-guard or so?

Deino
 

feihong

Just Hatched
Registered Member
But again my question ! Are we sure that this is the V2 prototype ??? Could it be that it is indeed the static airframe of V1 after all tests were done ?? ... and now it will become some sort of display, gate-guard or so?

Deino

I think the possible answer to your question is that the truck is special and is from a company in Xi'an. The truck took the v1 back when it left Xi'an and will carry the v2 to Xi'an in a few days later. In this way, the truck is fully utilized.
 

Deino

Lieutenant General
Staff member
Super Moderator
Registered Member
I think the possible answer to your question is that the truck is special and is from a company in Xi'an. The truck took the v1 back when it left Xi'an and will carry the v2 to Xi'an in a few days later. In this way, the truck is fully utilized.


That would be indeed interesting ! So, this truck - rent in Xi'an and now spotted in Shenyang - shows IMO more likely V1 on its way back home ...

PS: by the way ... welcome on board here !
 
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