ROLE OF COMPOSITES IN THE AVIATION

INDUSTRY
Contents
Basics of Composites
Need of Composites
History of Composites in Aviation.
The Need to move towards Composites.
Some Common Composites.
Manufacturing Processes.
Role of Composites in Aviation Today.
A Special Focus on Boeing 787/777.
The Future of Composites.
Conclusions.
Basics of Composites
A composite is a physical mixture of two dissimilar materials

Depending on the application and required properties one can choose

the components.

It, therefore, provides immense flexibility in designing new materials

specific for a application

It normally has a matrix and reinforcement.

Selection of matrix and reinforcement and their volume percentages

are guided by the desired properties.

Composites provide immense opportunity to tailor properties

Why Composites?
It is challenging to achieve ideal material properties in one single metal
or alloy.

Many material properties are conflicting in nature, e.g. strength and ductility
hardness and fracture toughness

It is possible to marry two dissimilar materials to obtain a material having

properties better than the individual components.

There are several examples in nature and engineers are trying to

emulate nature. Most common natural composites are teeth,
bone, wood, etc. Fibre Pre-Preg
Why Combine Two Dissimilar
Materials?
Materials are classified in three different categories, viz.,
Metal
Polymers
Ceramics
Metals are known for moderate strength, high ductility, moderate modulus
good fracture toughness and high conductivity and high specific gravity.

Polymers possess low strength, low modulus, high fracture toughness,

low electrical and thermal conductivity, poor creep resistance and low
specific gravity

Ceramics are hard, brittle, high modulus, low fracture toughness, low
electrical and thermal conductivity and low specific gravity.

It is difficult to achieve all good properties in one single material

Types of Composites
Polymer matrix composites

Metal matrix composites

Ceramics matrix composites

If the reinforcement is in the form of fibres then it is termed as fibre

reinforced composite

If the reinforcement is in the form of powder or particulate then it is

known as particulate composite.

Selection of reinforcement and matrix is dependent on desired properties

A Brief History
Wood and cloth as structural material
Wing warping for control (three axis control)
Engine made in their bicycle shop
Spruce frame but wood is a composite
containing cellulose fibres in a lignin and
hemi cellulose matrix
Muslin for surfaces- textile structure of
cotton fibres

Wood Fibre Bristol Boxkite, British and

Colonial Airplane Company 1910
The First Few Aircrafts to
Introduce Composites
Boeing 247 (1932)
Metal, not wood
Retractable landing gear
Cantilevered single wing

Antonov An-2 (1947)

The First Aircraft To employ a composite

Propeller

Boeing 707
Aluminium skin 2024-T3
2% glass fibre composites
Continued
Boeing 737 - 1967

Kawasaki used its proprietary KMS- 6115

composite material to create the latest
winglets. KMS-6115 is made from high-
performance carbon fibers and toughened
epoxy resin, with much greater tensile and
compressive strength than conventional
composite materials

A320- Feb 1987

Composite empennages and

Control surfaces.
Progress So Far
60
composite weight /% 52
53
50

40

30
25
20 19 18
15
10 7 10
8
2
0
1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Helicopter Composite
Content
Attributes of Composites
Lighter. Comparison of Strength to Weight Ratio
Stronger.
Fatigue Resistant.
Easy Workability.
Fire Resistant.
Moisture Resistant.
Environment Friendly.
Easy Handling.
High Thermal Stability.
Quality Control.
Some of the Common
Composites
Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic
As the most common composite material,
fiberglass, made from glass fibers
embedded in a resin matrix, was first used
largely for boats and automobiles in the
1950s, notes the Centennial of Flight
Commission. It was also used during this
time in constructing the Boeing 707
passenger jet. In 2010, engineers still use
fiberglass in aircraft construction, such as
in building airplane wings.
FRP
 Common Composites
Cont.
Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic
This composite, made from carbon atoms and an
epoxy matrix, has strong value because of its light
weight. According to "Carbon Fiber Composites,"
the U.S. space shuttle utilizes carbon fiber.
"Fundamentals of Composites Manufacturing"
further notes that this material provides high cost
benefits, with launching into space costing roughly
$10,000 for every pound as of 2008.
Carbon fiber also provides heat resistance and thus
is useful for space vehicles and military aircraft.
Much of the fuselage of the new Boeing 787
Dreamliner and Airbus A350 XWB will be
composed of CFRP

CFRP Tail Of
Helicopter
 Common Composites
Cont..
Boron Fiber Reinforced Graphite
Boron fiber composites, according to
"Composite Materials for Aircraft
Structures," were first discovered in 1959
and were later developed into a high-
performance material. During the 1970s,
they were used in constructing the F-14
and F-15 military planes.
Given its large diameter--between 100 and
140 micrometers--boron fiber has a high
bending stiffness that limits its usage in
smaller more complex aircraft parts. This
characteristic distinguishes it from carbon
fiber, whose smaller diameter brings
greater flexibility.
Common Composites
Cont
Aluminum-Si-C(Ti)
Aluminum-(Silicon Carbide) is a metal-
ceramic composite material consisting of
silicon carbide particles dispersed in a
matrix of aluminum alloy. It combines the
benefits of high thermal conductivity
of metal and low CTE (coefficient of
thermal expansion) of ceramic.
With its composite features, Al-SiC is an
advanced packaging material for high
technology thermal management. Al-SiC is
compatible with a wide range of metallic
and ceramic substrate and plating
materials used in microelectronic
packaging for aerospace, automotive, Al-Si-C Substrate
microwave applications. Al-SiC allows for
a new packaging technology.
Manufacturing Processes
for Aerospace Composites
Autoclaving involves applying hydrostatic pressure at curing temperature which
helps in removal of voids and improvement of component reliability
Manufacturing Processes
Cont....
Manufacturing Processes Cont.......
Benefits of Composites in Aviation
Industry
Composites reduce the weight of aircraft because of high
specific strength

Reduced weight of aircraft increases the payload capacity

Reduced weight reduces the fuel consumption

High temperature characteristic of composites allows engine

operation at higher temperature, which improves engine
efficiency

Better Aircraft efficiency improves the operational efficiency

Percentages Of Composites in Boeing
787
Composites used in Boeing 787
The company is providing its trademarked Torayca 3900-series highly
toughened carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy prepreg for the 787s primary
structure in unidirectional tape, narrow slit tape, and woven fabric forms.
Toray prepreg will be used to form principal structures on the empennage.
Vertical tail, horizontal stabilizer, unpressurized aft fuselage skins, stringers,
mid-fuselage and aft wheel well bulkhead, the center wing box, stiffeners and
spars for the main wings and wing tips are all composites produced.
The engine nacelles for both the GE and Rolls Royce engines, use HexPly
8552/AS4 prepregs in the structures.
GE has disclosed that the fan blades will use GE90 composite technology
and no routine on-wing maintenance require for more than a decade.
Hexcel is supplying resins and structural carbon fabrics for out-of-autoclave
manufacture of the 787s movable trailing edge control surface components,
that includes the aileron, flaperon and the inboard and outboard flaps, seven
spoilers and all the fairings
Composites used in Boeing 787
A combination of Hexcel-supplied Boeing BMS legacy glass and carbon
fabric-reinforced epoxy prepregs, cured at 250F/121C is specified for the
fixed leading edge structure.
Floor panels that are reportedly the lightest carbon-skinned sandwich panels
available with a nonmetallic core. Additionally, Hexcel is supplying traditional
250F/121C- and 350F/177C-cure epoxy systems for various fairings and
closure panels.
Hexcels trademarked HexTool, a heavy aerial weight prepreg of carbon
fibers and high-temperature BMI resin, is being used for the construction of
lightweight tools for fabrication of smaller and midsized components.
On Feb. 15, Spirit AeroSystems began production on the first all-composite
forward nose. The nose section measures 21 ft in diameter and 42 ft long.
The 787 will be the first Boeing aircraft ever equipped with a composite aft
pressure bulkhead.
Albany Engineered Composites is preforming the carbon fiber braces for the
787 landing gear structure supplied by Messier-Dowty
Composite Issues in Boeing 787
Boeing's 787 Dreamliner will be the first commercial aircraft in
which major structural elements are made of composite materials
rather than aluminum alloys.
There will be a shift away from archaic fibre glass composites to
more advanced carbon laminate and carbon sandwich
composites in this aircraft.
Problems have been encountered with the Dreamliner's wing
box, which have been attributed to insufficient stiffness in the
composite materials used to build the part.
This has lead to delays in the initial delivery dates of the
aircraft. In order to resolve these problems, Boeing is stiffening
the wing boxes by adding new brackets to wing boxes already
built, while modifying wing boxes that are yet to be built.
Future of Composites
Effort is underway to improve the reliability of the components and
mimic nature

Natural composites like bone and wood have self healing characteristics

Composites are also being developed which have self healing properties:
an advancing crack is blunted by self healing mechanism and stress
intensity is reduced

Matrix has micro-capsules of resins and hardeners which burst by the

advancing crack and mix in-situ to repair the crack.
What Did We Learn?
Composites offer opportunity to tailor properties specific
to applications

With the development of high strength fibres and high toughness

matrix unprecedented properties have been achieved.

The manufacturing processes allow orientation of fibres in the

direction of the load.

Development of manufacturing processes have reduced the

defects and NDT techniques have also developed
simultaneously.

Composites have lot to offer to the aviation industry because of

strength to weight ratio and superior high temperature properties