Composites Use in Aerospace
Advantages of building aircraft structures with composites, compared to metal, include light weight, high specific strength, superior fatigue properties, damage tolerance and the absence of corrosion. In the 1950s, Boeing began using fiberglass in its 707 passenger jets, and at the time the material made up about 2% of the overall aircraft by weight. Since then, Boeing, Airbus and other aircraft manufacturers have continued to increase this percentage with successive aircraft models. Today’s twin-aisle commercial aircraft such as the Boeing 787, first launched in 2009, and the Airbus A350 comprise approximately 50% composites by weight, largely carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP).
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Large carbon fiber and honeycomb core component, known as the barrel timing layer (BLT) tracker support tube, was delivered to Purdue as part of an upgrade to CERN’s general-purpose proton-proton collision detector for space research.
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Project optimized design and production of UD composite tapes reinforced with a PEKK matrix, using a continuous in-situ welding (ISW) assembly system.
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P3-44 pellet-fed 3D printer is capable of leveraging a range of fiber-reinforced composite materials, to be used for the production of high-fidelity components in aerospace and defense.
Read MoreKnowledge Centers
Discover the types of sensors being used in composites, the physics on which they’re based, their installation, promised benefits and challenges, as well as the potential they offer for even further developments in smart structures.
LEARN MORECW’s editors are tracking the latest trends and developments in tooling, from the basics to new developments. This collection, presented by Composites One, features four recent CW stories that detail a range of tooling technologies, processes and materials.
LEARN MOREDuring CW Tech Days: Thermoplastics for Large Structures, experts explored the materials and processing technologies that are enabling the transition to large-part manufacturing.
LEARN MORELatest Aerospace News And Updates
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Read MoreFraunhofer IWS completes MFFD longitudinal fuselage joint using CONTIjoin technology
Thermoplastic composite upper and lower half shells for the Multifunctional Fuselage Demonstrator were welded using CO2 laser over a total length of 8 meters.
Read MoreBroetje-Automation, Spirit complete CCPS project for automating aircraft preform production
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Read MoreFeatured Posts
Eaton developing carbon-reinforced PEKK to replace aluminum in aircraft air ducts
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WatchWho's ready for the Olympics?
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Read MoreFAQ: Aerospace
How are composites used in aerospace structures?
Since the 1950s, composites have been growing in use in commercial and defense aircraft, ranging from struts and tail components, to wing skins and fuselages, to engine components and propeller blades.
One of the largest challenges to adoption of composites by the aerospace industry is stringent standards especially for safety critical structures, necessitating time- and labor-intensive processes to qualify new materials for use on passenger aircraft.
Qualified and well-tested autoclave-cured carbon fiber and thermoset-based prepregs are most often used for many structures, though other materials and formats, including thermoplastic tapes, are also in development or use.
How are composites used in space structures?
At the time the Apollo capsule, which landed on the moon in 1969, was built by NASA, composites industry was still in its infancy and the materials were not yet in widespread use, though the Apollo capsule used early composite technology in the form of an ablative heat shield made from Avcoat, an epoxy novolac resin with silica fibers in a fiberglass-phenolic honeycomb matrix. A fiberglass honeycomb was bonded to the primary structure and the paste-like material was injected into each cell individually.
Since Apollo, advanced composites have evolved by leaps and bounds, and have played a significant role in space programs with use in launch vehicles, the space shuttle, satellites, space telescopes and the International Space Station.
Source: Composites in the race to space