For the future, aircraft industry composites look set to play a most important role. Both thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics reinforced with glass, carbon and aramid fibres, have already made their mark on products across many industries.
The world’s manufacturers are increasingly turning their attention to developing new mass production techniques in plastics.
In industry, advanced plastics and composites are everywhere replacing metal components.Plastics have revolutionised the sports goods, household appliance and electronics industries, and tissue compatible plastics, notably carbon fibre and PTFE, have made a great impact.
But it is the aerospace industry which still leads the way. The 1980’s saw flight tests of the first ‘all plastics’ aircraft, and there is now the next generation of the ‘prop-fan’ engines for airlines. Most exciting of all is the proposed HOTOL sub-orbital space-craft which will continue man’s penetration of aerospace by tomorrow’s plastics.
Fast evolving are materials used for compartment interiors of commercial aircraft. Polyphenylsulfone-based materials meet or exceed stringent FAA regulations for smoke generation, toxicity and heat release. These materials also save weight versus metals, can be fabricated using lower cost manufacturing methods for thermoplastics versus labor intensive techniques used for composites, and have excellent toughness and durability to reduce repair and maintenance costs.
For appearance parts such as window reveals, air-return grills and passenger service unit housings, integrally colored grades of resin are available to eliminate the extra cost and weight associated with painting.
For hidden structural components such as hinges, clips and fasteners, polyarylamide and polyamide-imide provide superior strength, stiffness, creep and fatigue resistance versus other thermoplastics and improved corrosion resistance and lighter weight versus metals.
Aerospace resins can also be molded into complex shapes for use in connectors and brackets that support electrical wiring.
For aircraft engine components, shrouds for directing airflow in jet engines can take advantage of the strength and stiffness at high temperatures that resin has to offer. The exceptional strength at high temperatures of resin has allowed it to replace expensive titanium parts used in air-return grills on commercial aircraft.
The goal is to find material solutions that meet or exceed performance requirements and at the same time reduce weight and cost of ownership.