Aerospace Composite materials

Composite materials consist of strong fibres such as glass or carbon set in a matrix of plastic or epoxy resin, which is mechanically and chemically protective. The fibres may be continuous or discontinuous but possess a strength very much greater than that of the same bulk materials. For example, carbon fibres have a tensile strength of the order of 2400 N/mm2 and a modulus of elasticity of 400 000 N/mm2.

A sheet of fibre-reinforced material is anisotropic, that is, its properties depend on the direction of the fibres. Generally, therefore, in structural form two or more sheets are sandwiched together to form a lay-up so that the fibre directions match those of major loads.

In the early stages of the development of composite materials glass fibres were used in a matrix of epoxy resin. This glass reinforced plastic (GRP) was used for radomes and helicopter blades but found limited use in components of fixed wing aircraft due to its low stiffness. In the 1960s, new fibrous reinforcements were introduced; Kevlar, for example, is an aramid material with the same strength as glass but is stiffer. Key composites are tough but poor in compression and difficult to machine, so they were used in secondary structures. Another composite, using boron fibre and developed in the USA, was the first to possess sufficient strength and stiffness for primary structures.

Carbon fibre composites

These composites have now been replaced by carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP), which have similar properties to boron composites but are very much cheaper. Typically, CFRP has a modulus of the order of three times that of GRP, one and a half times that of a Kevlar composite and twice that of aluminium alloy. Its strength is three times that of aluminium alloy, approximately the same as that of GRP, and slightly less than that of Kevlar composites.

Aerospace CFRP does, however, suffer from some disadvantages. It is a brittle material and therefore does not yield plastically in regions of high stress concentration. Its strength is reduced by impact damage which may not be visible and the epoxy resin matrices can absorb moisture over a long period which reduces its matrix dependent properties, such as its compressive strength; this effect increases with increase of temperature. Further, the properties of CFRP are subject to more random variation than those of metals. All these factors must be allowed for in design. On the other hand, the stiffness of CFRP is much less affected than its strength by the above and it is less prone to fatigue damage than metals. It is estimated that replacing 40% of an aluminium alloy structure by CFRP would result in a 12% saving in total structural weight.

CFRP is included in the wing, tailplane and forward fuselage of the latest Harrier development, is used in the Tornado taileron and has been used to construct a complete Jaguar wing and engine bay door for testing purposes. The use of CFRP in the fabrication of helicopter blades has led to significant increases in their service life, where fatigue resistance rather than stiffness is of primary importance.

The structural complexity of a Sea King helicopter rotor blade is considerable. It incorporates CFRP, GRP, stainless steel, a honeycomb core and foam filling. An additional advantage of the use of composites for helicopter rotor blades is that the moulding techniques employed allow variations of cross-section along the span, resulting in substantial aerodynamic benefits. This approach is being employed in the fabrication of the main rotor blades of the GKN Westland Helicopters EH 101.

A composite (fibreglass and aluminium) is used in the tail assembly of the Boeing 777 while the leading edge of the Airbus A310-300 and A320 fin assembly is of conventional reinforced glass fibre construction, reinforced at the nose to withstand bird strikes. A complete composite airframe was produced for the Beechcraft Starship turboprop executive aircraft which, however. was not a commercial success due to its canard configuration causing drag and weight penalties.

The development of composite materials is continuing with research into the removal of strength-reducing flaws and local imperfections from carbon fibres.
Other matrices such as polyetheretherketone. which absorbs much less moisture than epoxy resin, has an indefinite shelf life and performs well under impact, are developed; fabrication, however, requires much higher temperatures. Metal composites such as graphite-aluminium and boron-aluminium are light-weight and retain their strength at higher temperatures than aluminium alloys, but are expensive to produce.

Generally, the use of composites in aircraft construction appears to have reached a plateau, particularly in civil subsonic aircraft where the fraction of the structure comprising composites is approximately 15%. This is due largely to the greater cost of manufacturing composites compared with aluminium alloy structures ... composites require hand crafting of the materials and manual construction processes. These increased costs are particularly important in civil aircraft construction and are becoming increasingly important in military aircraft.