Stork Fokker has signed an important contract in relation to the Ariane 5 program. Dutch Space (part of the European EADS Astrium consortium) has again selected the company to produce engine frames for at least 35 Ariane 5 launchers. The contract represents a turnover value of at least 30 million euro, spread over the period from 2009 to 2014. This order brings the total number of engine frames to be produced to 70, because Stork Fokker also produces the frames for the first and second stages of the rocket. Around 50 Stork Fokker employees are involved in this aerospace project. The contract between Dutch Space and Stork Fokker was officially signed in the Werkspoor Museum in Amsterdam on 30 September.
An engine frame is the structure on which the rocket engine and all the associated equipment is mounted, and which transmits the engine’s thrust to the rest of the launch vehicle. The structure is subject to severe structural, thermal and acoustic loads, but must still be made as light as possible. It is a complex conical structure made of high-grade aluminium. The engine frame for the first stage has a diameter of 5.5 meters and a height of 3.5 meters, and weighs more than 1,500 kg. Each frame consists of some 2000 components which are assembled at Stork Fokker in Hoogeveen.
The order is an important one for Stork Fokker because it confirms the company’s position as a specialist in complex structural components for aviation and aerospace applications. Dutch Space is responsible for the total design of the engine frames. Stork Fokker and Dutch Space have been working together on the Ariane 5 program since 1993, and delivered the 50th frame to EADS Astrium in 2008.
Source: Stork
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