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1. Introduction
The design of an aircraft must take in consideration a multitude
of factors such as efficiency, comfort, safety and reliability.
However, the importance placed of each of these aspects entirely
depends on the type of the aircraft being designed which can
vary from fighter jets to commercial airplanes.
As a result, the design of the aircraft has to meet specific
requirements which influence the complexity of its structure and
the materials used in its construction. A wide range of
materials may be used in the design of the aircraft to make use
of properties such as strength, elasticity, specific weight and
corrosion resistance.
Mechanical properties of some common fibers used to reinforce
polymer composites:
Tensile Modulus
Tensile Strength Elongation Density
Fiber (Young's Modulus)
(%)
(MPa) (103 psi) (GPa) (106 psi) (kg/m3) (lb/in3)
E-Glass 3500 510 72.5 10.5 4.9 2630 0.095
S-Glass 4600 670 88 12.8 5.5 2490 0.09
AS-4 PAN-Based Carbon 4000 578 245 35.5 1.6 1800 0.065
IM-7 PAN-Based Carbon 4900 710 317 46 1.7 1744 0.063
P120 Pitch-Based
2250 325 827 120 0.27 2187 0.079
Graphite
Alumina/Silica 1950 280 297 43 3280 0.12
Kevlar 29 2860 410 64 9.3 1440 0.052
Kevlar 49 3650 530 124 18 2.5 1440 0.052
Boron 3620 525 400 58 1 2574 0.093
E-glass - A low alkali borosilicate glass with good electrical
and mechanical properties and good chemical resistance. The
most widely used in fibers for reinforcing plastics.
S-Glass is a stiffer/stronger version of E-glass which is also
used in polymer matrix composites. S-Glass is generally used
for polymer matrix composites that require improved mechanical
properties compared to E-glass based composites.
PAN-Based Carbon fibers are made of polyacrylonitrile (PAN).
Carbon fibers are high-strength and high-
stiffness materials used in advanced constructions like
military aircrafts etc.
Alumina/Silica or trademark Saffil is produced as a fiber and
was developed for thermal insulation at higher temperatures.
Kevlar 29 is used in industrial applications such as cables,
asbestos replacement, brake linings, and body armor.
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787 Dream-liner Wing leading edge slats and trailing edge flaps
are also made of carbon fiber laminate materials. The wing of
Boeing 787 is a mono-block two-spar wing designed within the
multi rib structural layout. The top and bottom panels with I-
shaped cross-section stringers and spars are made of composite
materials by autoclave molding process.
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Composite Spar
The continued development of composites has lead to the creation
of a material which incorporates both Aluminum and composite.
This material would be ideal for the use in aircraft wings due
to several properties in which it possesses. The main one being
that it is virtually fully resistant to metal fatigue. Metal
fatigue comes about due to the cyclic loading of material. This
will lead to a failure of the metal after a crack starts within
the component then increases in size. This is relevant in
aircraft wings as they experience cyclic loading as the lift
generated by them changes during flight, such as take off and
during patches of turbulence.
4. Manufacturing of composites
1) Wet Lay-Up: The wet lay-up process is one of the oldest and
simplest techniques used in the manufacturing of polymer
composites.
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The start-up lead time and cost are minimal for the
manufacturer because there is no requirement for highly
skilled technicians or worker training.
The main shortcomings of using the wet lay-up are as follows:
The method has a low production rate and the quality of the
manufactured composite is dependent on the skill of the
technician.
It can be a labor-intensive process with the cure times
being governed by the environment.
Along with the type and orientation of the fibers used and the
relative proportions of the constituent materials (matrix and
fibers), the manufacturing process plays an equally important
role in determining the characteristics of the final composite
product.
The strength and stiffness of a composite buildup depends on
the orientation sequence of the plies. The fibers in a
unidirectional material run in one direction and the strength
and stiffness is only in the direction of the fiber. Pre-
impregnated (prepreg) tape is an example of a unidirectional ply
orientation. The fibers in a bidirectional material run in two
directions, typically 90° apart.
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REFERENCES
1. Michale. C. Niu, Composite Airframe Structures, Hong Kong
conmilit press limited, Honkong.
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