777X Hinge & Latch Beams

When people used to ask me what I did as a Stress Engineer, I told them in simple terms, “I do math to make sure airplane parts won’t break.”

Moving to the Boeing 777X propulsion team would prove to be an engaging stretch of those math powers. Not only was I switching from composite analysis to metallic, but I would be analyzing the nacelle hinge and latch beams, two of the largest and most complicated aircraft parts ever produced.

The 777X is a test of the limits of engineering and manufacturing. For reference, the 777X nacelle is larger than the entire 737 fuselage. The hinge beam holds it onto the wing and allows the nacelle to open for engine maintenance. The latch beam secures the nacelle closed at the bottom.

Over the course of this project, we optimized the hinge and latch beams for weight and strength while balancing the difficult variable of producibility, ultimately creating a set of the most impressive commercial aircraft parts ever made.