2. Composites in Aviation
• Weight is always a critical
factor in aviation.
• Heavier the Craft the more
power to lift it & more fuel
is required.
• Now –a-days advanced
composites materials are
used to build wider, faster,
lighter & more durable
aircrafts.
• In the beginning, the frames
of air flying machines were
made of wood & covered
with cloths.
4. • With few variations in
persisted models, aluminium
became the material of choice
& several aircrafts were
produced .
• In first war Al-made aircrafts
were used but could not exist
for a long time due to
following shortcomings.
Soon become apparent
Hard to form smooth &
complex shapes
Subjected to corrosion
Fatigue faliures under
stress
5. • Slowly many these
problems were dressed ,&
aircrafts were built with
composite materials
• Modern composites rely on
matrix that can be molded
into complex shapes
• In earliar applications
bakelite, a liquid phenolic
resin combined with weakly
reinforcement like Sodas ,
paper or cloth had been used
for aircraft
6. • However these phenolic
resin composites had some
serious limitations
• They were relatively weak
& brittle
• The first uses of bakelite in
aviation were to make
small parts like insulators
& control knobes inside
the aircraft
• Then in 1930’s Loans
Corning developed fiber
glass composites.
7. • Early fiber glass still used
phenolic resin , so the
composites were still
brittle, but they were quite
strong
• This strong & moldable
fiber glass was not suitable
for aircraft parts , but was
perfect for creating parts
• Duplex aircraft company
used fiberglass composites
as forming die tools to
produce prototype metal
aircraft parts.
8. • At the approach of second
world war, several
advances occured in
material science including
polymer chemistry
• New synthetic resins
including polyester resin &
epoxy resin were
developed & brittle matrix
problem was eliminated.
• This new generation of
composites was very
deafly.
9. • During war years, composites were spread
throughout the military crafts
Fiber glass Air Duks
Engine cover called nicely
Radon to protect delicate radar electronics
• War time metal shortage gave composite
industry & other boosts & USA Govt. began
ordering new training aircraft with composite
airframes.
10.
11. • 15 years later the war was
long over ,But the global
pressure was building.
• The cold war in space
race was hungry for new
technology & new
technology demanded
new materials
• In early 1960’s when fiber
produced from Boron
metal the with addition of
epoxy resin matrix .
12. • This boron epoxy composite was
the first ACM (Advanced
Composite Material)
• As it was expensive so its use was
restricted for almost entirely
military applications including
Horizontal Stabilizer F-14, Tomb
Cat & B-1 Bomber.
• Another ACM developed in
1960’s was carbon fiber
composite
• It was more stronger & lighter
than fiber glass & much less
expensive than boron fiber.
13. • It was perfect both for
military & commercial
Aviation.
• C-fiber composite has been
used extensively for
internal structural parts &
exterior skins in F1-17
Stealth Fighter & Beat U
Stealth Bomber.
• In industrial aviation both
Bowling 787 & Air bus
A350XWB used C-fiber
(ACM) for over 15% for
each craft structure .
14. • Another reinforcing fiber that used in
aerospace application was Armed.
• The best known aramid is “Kevlar” comes
from family of fiber that can absorb &
disappear numerous amount of energy.
• Aramid composites are often used for impact
protection like armor & to reinforce
helicopter's radar blades.
16. • Composites are made for
Aviation as they are the
perfect designer
materials for aerospace
industry
• They can bear many
challenges due to
following characteristics
Light
Strong
Stable
Flexible
17. Chemical resistance
heat resistance
Shock resistance
And even bullet
proof
• In aerospace if it can
be dreamed , it can
be built.
