Commercial Aircraft Composite Technology

This book is based on lectures held at the faculty of mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern. The focus is on the central theme of societies overall aircraft requirements to specific material requirements and highlights the most important advantages and challenges of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) compared to conventional materials. As it is fundamental to decide on the right material at the right place early on the main activities and milestones of the development and certification process and the systematic of defining clear requirements are discussed. The process of material qualification - verifying material requirements is explained in detail. All state-of-the-art composite manufacturing technologies are described, including changes and complemented by examples, and their improvement potential for future applications is discussed. Tangible case studies of high lift and wing structures emphasize the specific advantages and challenges of composite technology. Finally, latest R&D results are discussed, providing possible future solutions for key challenges such as low cost high performance materials, electrical function integration and morphing structures.

The major objective of this book was to identify issues related to the introduction of new materials and the effects that advanced materials will have on the durability and technical risk of future civil aircraft throughout their service life. The committee investigated the new materials and structural concepts that are likely to be incorporated into next generation commercial aircraft and the factors influencing application decisions. Based on these predictions, the committee attempted to identify the design, characterization, monitoring, and maintenance issues that are critical for the introduction of advanced materials and structural concepts into future aircraft.

This second edition has been extensively updated to keep pace with the growing use of composite materials in commercial aviation. A worldwide reference for repair technicians and design engineers, the book is an outgrowth of the course syllabus that was developed by the Training Task Group of SAE's Commercial Aircraft Composite Repair Committee (CACRC) and published as SAE AIR 4938, Composite and Bonded Structure Technician Specialist Training Document. Topics new to this edition include: Nondestructive Inspection (NDI) Methods Fasteners for Composite Materials A Method for the Surface Preparation of Metals Prior to Adhesive Bonding Repair Design Although this book has been written primarily for use in aircraft repair other applications including marine and automotive are also covered.

The market for aerospace composites is projected to reach $42.97 billion by 2022, up from $26.87 billion in 2017, at a CAGR of 9.85% from 2017 to 2022. Clearly, the use of aerospace composites in commercial aircraft has gained momentum during the past few decades, but there is still much room for growth and much more to learn. Lightweighting is generally considered to be the main driver for the increased and pervasive use of composites. However, beyond the contribution toward fuel efficiencies, composites also offer increased resistance against corrosion and part count reduction. Those corrosion characteristics, as well as fatigue properties, lead to lower maintenance costs over aircraft and components manufactured using traditional materials. Commercial aircraft are complex, sophisticated engineering marvels. And while introducing composites into new programs has added many benefits, it has also added complexity. This book aims to help manage and mitigate that complexity. To reduce the learning curve, the book opens with a refresher of key criteria involved with the forming of aerospace components, and then moves on to take a provocative look at the real-world practicality of manufacturing composite parts to rigid, at times untestable, specifications. The book then segues into suggesting a few “rules of design” for manufacturing CFRP components to minimize or avoid common production problems, and then into more specific manufacturing tools and processes that could enable larger and more complex component geometries, while retaining specific material properties and maintaining part functionality. Ultimately, readers will be enlightened to the potentials of aerospace composites, and empowered to include them at the beginning of any aerospace development program, from the smallest component to entire airframes.

The ingenuity and visibility of NASA space programs, such as the max launch abort system (MLAs), are sparking the creativity, knowledge transfer, and unique applications of revolutionary technologies in areas such as aerospace, wind energy, transportation, oil, safety, and civil infrastructure. Lightweight, high-strength, carbon-fiber composites materials, vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding, smart sensors, out-of-autoclave curing of autoclave composites, unified structures, structural health monitoring systems, smart phone/RFID tracking, determinant assembly, forensic engineering, and the digital tapestry that ties everything together are just a few of the technological advances perfected in NASA’s programs. Successful composites technology transfer takes the discussion of these technologies to the next level — addressing the advantages and challenges to their more widespread industrial application. Readers will get insight into how high-strength, carbon-fiber composites and its related technologies are making inroads into products such as commercial airplane seats and carts, turbine blades, firefighting equipment, trucks, buses, lifting and support devices, and containers. The author shares breakthrough thinking on other potential applications, such as a new lighter than air ship, prototype vehicles, driver health and safety, firefighter safety, and bridge infrastructure safety and health monitoring. According to Foreword author, Tim Shinbara, vice president of manufacturing technology at AMT (Association for Manufacturing Technology), “...it is of considerable value to search out, discover, and digest resources such as this book in an effort to continually improve the lens by which we innovate.” Aside from new product innovations, extension of the manufacturing technologies, and processes described herein have the potential to not only add new functionality or modify the existing functionality of existing products and systems, but in many cases, adoption would require minimal effort from the manufacturing enterprise.

The new edition of the well known Care and Repair of Advanced Composites, 3rd Edition, improves on the usefulness of this practical guide geared towards the aerospace industry. Keith B. Armstrong, the original lead author of the first edition was still in charge of this project, counting on the expert support of Eric Chesmar, senior composites specialist at United Airlines. Mr. Chesmar is also an active member of SAE International's CACRC (Commercial Aircraft Composite Repair Committee), an elite group of industry experts dedicated to the standardization, safety, security, and efficiency of composite repairs in the airline industry. Mr. Francois Museux (Airbus) and Mr. William F. Cole II also contributed. Care and Repair of Advanced Composites, 3rd Edition, presents a fully updated approach to the training syllabus recommended for repair design engineers and composite repair mechanics. Metal bonding has been included partly because the defi nition of "composite" can be interpreted to include metal-skinned honeycomb panels, and partly because some composite parts have metal fi ttings or reinforcements that must be treated before bonding. This third edition also covers a number of the problems experienced in service, some of which may be applicable to metallic sandwich panels, offers suggestions for design improvements, including repair design as a particular topic, and regulatory changes. Care and Repair of Advanced Composites, 3rd Edition, provides solid technical information and training for a wide range of airline staff.

Identifies problems that have occurred with various composite components and provides potential problem-solving recommendations. Written primarily for composite design engineers, it should also prove valuable to those in structural engineering, materials and processing, product support, advanced product development, systems engineering, technical services, and maintenance operations.

Since the successful production of carbon fibers in early 1960s, composite materials have emerged as the materials of choice for general aviation aircraft, military aircraft, space launch vehicles, and unmanned air vehicles. This has revolutionized the aerospace industry due to their excellent mechanical and physical properties, as well as weight-reducing ability. The next- generation material development model should operate in an integrated computational environment, where new material development, manufacturability, and product design practice are seamlessly interconnected. Materials and Process Modeling of Aerospace Composites reports recent developments on materials and processes of aerospace composites by using computational modeling, covering the following aspects: • The historical uses of composites in aerospace industry, documenting in detail the early usage of composite materials on Premier I by Raytheon to recent full-scale applications of composites on large commercial aircraft by Boeing and Airbus. • An overview on the classifications of composites used in aerospace industry, ranging from conventional glass- fiber reinforced composites to advanced graphene nanocomposites. • The recent work on computational material engineering on aerospace composite materials, including fundamental computational frame work and case studies on the modeling of materials and processes