Aircraft Structures
Presentation by: #3 Matthew Cheung
April 26, 2010
What Will be Discussed…The use of aluminum alloy
(advantages, disadvantages)
Breakthrough in composites
Composite advantages, disadvantages
A Brief Look into History•Used aluminum alloy
•1903-1930: minimum weight
•1930-1960: Aircraft performance, plus weight
•1990’s: Material damage tolerance
Aluminum Alloy•Advantages:• Ease of manufacture
• High Tolerance
• Ease of Maintenance
•Disadvantages:• Prone to corrosion
• Weak at High Temperature
• Difficult to compound Curve
The Alternative: Composites
Composite Construction•Two Stages:•Matrix
•Rienforcement
Composite Pros/Cons•Advantages:• Lightweight
• Resistant to Corrosion
• Ease of Compound Curve
•Disadvantages:• Square cube law
• Hard to Maintain
• No electrical conductivity
Ethics•People