Most aircraft passengers pay little attention to the safety briefings given at the beginning of every flight. Accidents are extremely rare, but when they do occur, all safety procedures must be adhered to. The recent crash in the Hudson River proved the safety equipment was ready and reliable. Immediately following take-off, US Airways flight 1549 lost both its engines. The lives of the 150 passengers depended on safety procedures going as planned. Crucially, the pilot landed the stricken aircraft safely on the Hudson River – allowing the passengers to subsequently be evacuated down the escape slides manufactured by Air Cruisers using coated fabrics from Trelleborg. The incident took place on January 15 this year. "It wasn't until the day after that Air Cruisers informed us that the aircraft was fitted with their escape slides," says Keith Dye, President of Trelleborg Coated Systems US. "We are all humbled to have played a part in helping to save lives. We don't look forward to seeing these products being used, but we're confident that when called on, they will be ready." Great credit goes to Air Cruisers' escape slides. Company President John O'Donnell was quick to acknowledge Trelleborg's contribution. "We do not make our products alone," he stated. "A major part of our product's success is due to our suppliers – you should share the same sense of pride we at Air Cruisers have in helping to make the 'Miracle on the Hudson' a reality." Air Cruisers has used Trelleborg coated fabrics products for about 30 years – well before Reeves Brothers, as the supplier was formerly known, became part of the Trelleborg Group in 2006. The two companies now work closely together on product development using the Six Sigma quality management process for continuous product improvement. In all projects, each of the companies appoints a Six Sigma 'black-belt,' who acts as the project champion. "It's a true partnership," says Dye, while O'Donnell describes it as a "win-win effort for both parties." Trelleborg's products are under continual development. The company is currently performing fabric tests and qualifications for materials that Air Cruisers will use to manufacture escape slides for the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Other products in its range of more than 2,000 custom-coated fabrics have life-saving purposes, such as the de-icing fabrics used on small fixed-wing aircraft, and the gasket that seals the blood port of an emergency blood analyser. In the late 1950s, Air Cruisers, a pioneer of aircraft safety equipment, launched the first inflatable evacuation chutes. The chutes – now called evacuation slides – are the mainstay of its business, according to O'Donnell. "The most critical quality of our product is the ability to make high-strength yet lightweight inflatables that can retain air pressure," he says. "The balance between weight and performance is always the challenge in the aviation business. This is where the Trelleborg product comes in – the coated fabric that supports our processes and specifications." In addition to the strict quality controls exercised by Trelleborg on its fabrics, Air Cruisers' escape slides also have to meet demanding qualification standards set by the Federal Aviation Authority and gain installation approval for each type of aircraft on which they are fitted.
"We can't have a high-quality evacuation system without high-quality coated fabrics," O'Donnell says. "Incidents such as the 'Miracle on the Hudson' remind us why quality is so important in our products."
Coatings enhance fabric properties
Trelleborg Coated Systems, a part of business area Trelleborg Engineered Systems, produces a range of coated fabrics that customers assemble into finished products – aircraft escape slides are just one example. The concept is relatively simple: a carefully engineered chemical compound or coating is applied to a textile or fabric to give it enhanced physical properties, such as high tear-strength, tensile strength, heat-resistance or flame-retardation. Some products consist of two coated fabrics bonded together. Coated fabrics are normally delivered to the customer in roll form. The products delivered to Air Cruisers are typically nylon fabrics coated with polyurethane compounds consisting of primers, adhesion promoters and flame-retardants. The fabric used for the floor of the escape slide has a low coefficient of friction, to make sliding easy, and anti-static properties, to avoid any sparking, while the fabric for the air tubes, which keep the slide afloat, is air-tight. Both fabrics are flame-retardant and water-repellent.
