Application of Composite Material in Aerospace Industry

APPLICATION OF COMPOSITE MATERIAL IN AEROSPACE INDUSTRY

University of Bridgeport

Spring 2015

Project Report

Application of Composite Material in Aerospace Industry

Submitted by Kanchha Lama (0991904)

Parth Patel (0989754) Pramith Varikoti (0988868)

Submitted to Dr. Rupan Talukder

1


Index

Item No. Description Page No.

Abstract ………………………………….. 3

1 Introduction ……………………………… 4

2

2.1

2.2

Application ……………………………….

Civil aircrafts ………………….

Military aircrafts ………………

4

5-8

8-9

3 Other miscellaneous application ………… 10

4 Future involvement ……………………… 10-11

5 Conclusion ………………………………. 11

References ……………………………….. 12

2


Abstract

Using the scholar data and researcher point of view on composite materials. We illustrate

the application of composite material in aerospace industry. Composites are highly efficient to

make the parts and structure of aircrafts. We found the characteristics of the composite material

make it very suitable material for aerospace industry. Composites like carbon fiber, carbon

epoxy, and glass epoxy are very light and high strength which is mostly used in aircraft

industries. In addition, our study takes the first step to highlight the uses of composite material to

manufacture the different parts of aircrafts.

Keywords: composite materials; aerospace industry; aircrafts; carbon fiber; carbon epoxy; glass

epoxy

3


1. Introduction

Since 1903, Flyer made by Wright Brothers, the material used in airplane design

developing gradually. Today’s aircrafts are mostly made of a material like aluminum with iron

structure. In 1960’s, scientist started to develop new material for airspace industries called as

composite material. These materials are made of one or more material having different physical

and chemical properties (National Aeronautics and Space Administration, n.d.). Composites have

different advantages such as high strength, low weight, high stiffness and low density. These

properties make composites vastly advantageous in primary and secondary structures of both

military and civilian aircraft (Daniel & Ishai, 2006, p3).

Nowadays, the composite material has become the extensively important material in

aerospace industry. The composite material gives the strength to aircraft structure with light

weight. The use of these materials has increased dramatically since last few decades. In this

paper, we are going to highlight some applications of the composite material in commercial and

military aircrafts and other application in aerospace.

2. Applications

Applications of composite material flourish and continue to develop in the aerospace

industry the main purpose of which is to reduce its weight. By using the low weight material we

actually increase the strength to weight ratio. The civil airliner and military airliner are the two

major parts of the aerospace industry. These industries use the composite material like fiber

glass, carbon fiber, carbon epoxy, boron and aramid fibers to manufacture different parts and

structure of aircrafts.

4


The following parts discuss about the different parts of aerospace industry in which the

composite materials are being used:

2.1 Commercial Aircrafts

These days composite materials are widely used in commercial aircrafts manufacturing.

According to Daniel and Ishai (2006), The Boeing 777 parts such as fairings, floorbeams, wing

trailing edge surface and the empennage are made of composite materials. Boeing 787

“Dreamliner” showed the strongest approval of composite material in the commercial airliner.

Most of the fuselage and wings of Boeing 787 made of composites like such as carbon/epoxy

and graphite/titanium. Also, The Airbus A380 uses a significant amount of composites like a

hybrid glass/epoxy/aluminum laminate, which increase the advantages and make less the

disadvantages of metals and composites. Industry uses the composites like glass fabric/epoxy

skins and PVC form core to make the primary structure of small aircraft (p.3). Composites are

widely used in aerospace industry to manufacture luggage compartments, sidewalls, floors,

ceilings, galleys, cargo liners and bulkheads. Fiberglass with epoxy or phenolic resin utilizing

honeycomb sandwich construction gives the pleasing finishing and resistance to flammability.

Figures below shows thee different parts that are made of composite material.

Boeing B787 “Dreamliner”

5


As clearly seen from above image that most of the aircraft body is

made up of composite materials which includes the following parts:

Radom (Aircraft nose)

Wing flaps, ailerons, spoilers

Vertical fin and Rudder

Horizontal Stabilizer and Elevators

Engine nose cowls and fairings

The use of composite materials is 50% by weight and 80% by volume.

Boeing B777

The images below shows what part/parts are made of composite in Boeing B777, which

basically are:

Center wing box

Passenger floor panels and beams

Belly fairings

Wing flaps, ailerons and spoilers

6


Vertical fin and Rudder

Horizontal stabilizer and Elevators

Radom

Engine cowling and fairings

It was noted that the use of composite has led to reduction in overall weight of the aircraft

which was noted to be around 5800- 5900 pounds.

Airbus A380

As compared to Boeing, Airbus is also involving use of the composite materials in

aircrafts. One of which most popular and widely used is A380, which is shown below.

The most common parts in which composite are used:

Horizontal Stabilizer and Elevator

Vertical Fin and Rudder

Radom

7


Wing Fairings and Wing Box

Belly Fairings

Engine cowlings and fairings

2.2 Military Aircrafts

Composite materials are widely used in military aircrafts. The composites materials are

greatly used in martial aircrafts such as the B-2 Bomber, LAC Tejas (HAL) and many more.

Some of them are explained below.

B-2 Bomber

The carbon/epoxy materials are highly advantageous in military aircrafts such as B-2

Bomber. The B-2 made of an expected 40000 to 50000 pounds of advanced composite.

According to Northrop, nearly 900 new materials and processes were developed for the

plane.

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Because of the stealth mode of the B2 bomber, the material was specially made with

radar absorbing materials which helps the aircraft “hiding” from radar as almost all of the

radar waves a absorbed and rest is reflected in the space but not to the antenna

receiver.

LCA Tejas (HAL)

LCA – Light Combat Aircraft, the name itself gives hint of aircraft’s low weight.

The composite parts of LCA Tejas are:

Nose

Wing upper surface and leading edge

Exit Nozzle

9


It was observed that by using the composite materials in the airframe structure, the

weight is reduced by 21%, which is the main advantage of aerospace industry.

3. Other miscellaneous applications

Rockets, Missiles and Space shuttles

The Composite materials are used to manufacture Rocket and Missiles motor cases.

These composite materials are composites of carbon, aramid and glass. Composites like

carbon-carbon are used to manufacture re-entry nose tips and heat shields.

Helicopter Rotor

Composite materials used to manufacture helicopter rotors. The use of the composites

gives the superior aerodynamic geometry, enhanced aerodynamic tuning,good damage tolerance

and low cost.

Properties of the composite blade are better than the aluminum blade. Aluminum blade failed at

40,000 per cycles while composite blade exceeding 500,000 cycles without failure.

4. Future involvement

A lots of research work is being carried out to find new material combinations and properties

which can further improve the properties and meet the increasing demand.

Some of them are as follows:

Honeycomb structure

These types of structure are man-made structure which basically has the geometry of a

honeycomb to minimize the material amount which ultimately reduces weight.

These structures have high Specific Strength. This is the reason this structures are now

becoming more popular over standard composite.

This consists of a honeycomb core (C) “sandwiched” between two sandwich panels like

A, B.

10


Hybrid composite

Basically in this composite one of its component is inorganic and the other one

organic in nature. Mixing these two components at the microscopic scale leads to a more

homogeneous material which has characteristic either in between the two original phases

or even new properties.

These composite can serve a purpose of Corrosion protection and anti-reflection coatings

which are highly desirable properties in any military aircraft.

5. Conclusion

To sum up, composite materials play a major role in aircrafts parts manufacturing

industries. The characteristics like high strength, high stiffness, light weight and low density are

attracting the research and development department of the aerospace industry to work on

composite material to build the part of aircrafts. The main aspect we need to keep in mind that

strength and stiffness are major considerations for aircrafts whereas stiffness and low coefficient

of thermal expansion are major considerations for space applications.

11


References

Composite Materials. Retrieved from http://www.aviation-history.com/theory/composite.htm.

Creating a Titan. Retrieved from

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/creating-a-titan-199071.

Daniel, I. M., Ishai, O.(2005). Engineering mechanics of composite materials. Oxford, New York, 2, 3-4.

Holly, R.H. (2013). The great metal tube in the sky. Retrieved from

https://arch5541.wordpress.com/2013/01/08/the-great-metal-tube-in-the-sky.

Honeycomb structure. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeycomb_structure.

Hybrid material. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_material.

LCA Tejas Technology. Retrieved from

http://www.tejas.gov.in/technology/composite_materials.html.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Composites. Retrieved from

http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/pdf/composites_k-12.pdf.

Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit. Retrieved from

http://www.military-today.com/aircraft/b2_spirit.htm.

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http://www.military-today.com/aircraft/b2_spirit.htm

http://www.tejas.gov.in/technology/composite_materials.html

https://arch5541.wordpress.com/2013/01/08/the-great-metal-tube-in-the-sky

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/creating-a-titan-199071

http://www.aviation-history.com/theory/composite.htm


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