Premium Essay

Composite Aircraft

In:

Submitted By ariffin
Words 1865
Pages 8
Kingston University London
Faculty of Engineering
Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Aircraft Engineering

Composite Aircraft

Module no: AE3110
Module Title: Aerospace Technology
Submitted by: Muhammad Ariffin Bin Omar (K1068479)

Abstract

This report will contain the study of composite materials, why it is attractive for applications in the aerospace industry, factors limiting its use, as well as a brief review of the composite materials in commercial aircraft over the past 20 years.

Contents
Abstract 2
Introduction 4
Composite 5
Advantages of Composites in Aerospace Application 6
Factors limiting use of Composites 8
Applications of Composites in the last 20 years 10
Potential Challenges 12
Conclusion 13
References 14

Introduction

During the early years of aviation, aircrafts were constructed by using wood and cloth. Later on in the 1930’s it began to transit into the use of aluminum, steel and titanium as the main building materials for constructing aircrafts. Only in the 1950’s was composite material being introduced to construct aircrafts when it was used on the Boeing 707 commercial aircraft. Even so, its application in the aerospace industry was still very little. Only recently has composite material been more widely used for aerospace applications. The Airbus A380 uses composites in the construction of its wings, and the Boeing 787 has a structure that is 50 percent made of composites. This evolution in material used driven by economics, logistics and the expectations of society. The developments in materials, processing methods and design tools have helped to facilitate this transition (Avalon, 2013).

Composite

Composites are a blend of two or more materials and/or technologies brought together to produce an item that has specific characteristics for a particular application (Kumar, 2014). One material acts as the supporting matrix for the composite

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Kfc History 2010

...design monoplane wing designed aircraft. Hargrave based his inventing by ‘following the footsteps of nature’ inspired by the motion of fish, snakes and birds. 1893, 1894 Hargrave invent the box kite and following year in 1894 he flies for a short period using a ‘train’ of four box kites. 1910 The first powered, control flight is demonstrated by a visiting Harry Houdini in Victoria and again at Rosehill in Sydney. 1912-17 In 1912 the Australian Flying Corps, AFC, in 1912 led the path aircraft for military purposes. The aircrafts were applied in 1914 and again in 1916 for war purposes. In 1916 the importance of aircraft was realised and the NSW Aviation School was formed to train civil and military aircraft, located at Richmond. Post war saw the aircrafts as a form of transport between Sydney and Melbourne in 1917 using a Curtiss Jenny and Caudron G111. 1921 To further advance the power of potential of air power, the Royal Austrlian Air Force, RAAF, was established in 1921. This was mainly to support the struggling aircraft in the military however at the same time a fundamental character, Lt Colonel Oswald Watt advanced the safety and use of civil aircraft. 1930-37 Australia and England led the way for the world of female pilots. Qantas and Royal Flying Doctor Service took advantage of the new transport and the air craft industry began to flourish. 1950s The demand for new aircraft to carry more customers resulted in the wide-body aircraft the success of the Boeing 707...

Words: 2114 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

Abnormal Eveny

...ABNORMAL EVENTS All aircraft are designed to withstand the normal flight and landing loads expected during a typical flight cycle. These loads will include the normal manoeuvres the aircraft is expected to make. The designer will build in a safety factor to compensate for loads slightly larger than normal. Sometimes extreme circumstances occur which cause stresses outside the normal design limits. If the design limits are exceeded, then damage may occur to the aircraft. If it is known or suspected that the aircraft has be en subjected to excessive loads, then an inspection should be made, to ascertain the nature of any damage that may have occurred. The manufacturer will normally have anticipated the nature of some of these occurrences and detailed special checks for these µAbnormal Occurrences¶. 1.1 T YPES OF ABNORMAL OCCURRENCES The aircraft maintenance manual will normally list the types of abnormal occurrences needing special inspection. The list may vary, depending on the aircraft. The following items are a selection from a typical aircraft: y y y y y y y y y y y Lightning strikes High-intensity radiated fields penetration Heavy or overweight landing Flight through severe turbulence Burst tyre Flap or slat over-speed Flight through volcanic ash Tail strike Mercury spillage Dragged engine or e ngine seizure High-energy stop. 1.2 T YPES OF DAMAGE It is not intended to describe the types of damage applicable to every type of occurrence. It is more important...

Words: 6549 - Pages: 27

Premium Essay

The Impact of Good Customer Service

...KRISTINE PALINGAYAN ABLAZA BST1 HISTORY OF THE TRAVEL AGENCY AND GENERATION A travel agency is a private retailer or public service that provides tourism related services to the public on behalf of suppliers such as airlines, car rentals, cruise lines, hotels, railways, and package tours. In addition to dealing with ordinary tourists most travel agencies have a separate department devoted to making travel arrangements for business travelers and some travel agencies specialize in commercial and business travel only. There are also travel agencies that serve as general sales agents for foreign travel companies, allowing them to have offices in countries other than where their headquarters are located. The British company Cox & Kings is sometimes said to be the oldest travel agency in the world, but this rests upon the services that the original bank, established in 1758, supplied to its wealthy clients. The modern travel agency first appeared in the second half of the 19th century. Thomas Cook, in addition to developing the package tour, established a chain of agencies in the last quarter of the 19th century, in association with the Midland Railway. They not only sold their own tours to the public, but in addition, represented other tour companies. Other British pioneer travel agencies were Dean & Dawson,the Polytechnic Touring Association and the Co-operative Wholesale Society. The oldest travel agency in North America is Brownell Travel; on July 4, 1887, Walter T....

Words: 878 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Essay On Carbon Fibre

...W. Watt, W. Johnson and L.N. Phillips, working at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, U.K., developed techniques for producing carbon fibres of high strength and outstanding rigidity. These fibres were in commercial production by 1968 and have since become of great importance, especially in the field of composites in which the fibres are embedded in resins or other materials. Most of the important textile fibres in use today are derived from organic polymers, i.e., polymers in which the backbone of the molecular structure consists of carbon atoms to which are attached atoms of other elements, commonly hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. It has long been known that pyrolysis of these fibres, such as rayon, could result in the removal of the non-carbon atoms to leave a filament consisting essentially of carbon. But the carbon atoms in these filaments are arranged in more or less disordered forms; the structure is amorphous rather than crystalline, and the filaments are weak and of little practical value. To achieve high strength and modulus, it was necessary to devise a process for producing carbon fibres which would orientate the carbon atoms and...

Words: 784 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Aircraft Design

...WHITE PAPER Design faster, better and more naturally with T-Splines >The complex challenges of aircraft design illustrate the revolutionary benefits of modeling with T-Splines. Introduction Schuyler ‘Sky’ Greenawalt is a designer and the owner of School Street Design Company, which specializes in custom and prototype tooling and production of composite structures for the homebuilt and experimental aircraft community. One of his recent projects was a conceptual model for a Formula 1 Reno Racer, a small competitive aircraft designed to compete in the Formula 1 class of air races at speeds of over 200 mph. Aircraft design poses unusual challenges for surface modelers, since the wings and tails need to be very accurate representations of airfoils, but the rest of the surfaces—fuselages and other secondary structures—need to be very smooth and fair. The blends between the two can be particularly difficult to edit and modify. The reason for the difficulty in modeling these surfaces is not the complexity of the design. Airfoil and fuselage profiles and shapes are well understood. Rather, the challenge comes from the inherent difficulty in creating complex shapes using traditional NURBS surfacing; specifically surfaces with varying level of detail, high accuracy requirements and complex blend transitions. Almost every surface and solid modeling application on the market today is based on a technology called non-uniform rational BSplines (NURBS). Not until the availability of T-Splines...

Words: 1884 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Flight

...Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. The word "Aviation" was coined by French writer and former naval officer Gabriel La Landelle in 1863, from the verb "avier" (synonymous flying), itself derived from the Latin word "avis" ("bird") and the suffix "-ation".[1] Contents 1 History 2 Civil aviation 2.1 Air transport 2.2 General aviation 3 Military aviation 3.1 Types of military aviation 4 Aviation accidents and incidents 5 Air traffic control 6 Environmental impact 7 See also 8 Notes History Main article: History of aviation Many cultures have built devices that travel through the air, from the earliest projectiles such as stones and spears,[2][3] the boomerang in Australia, the hot air Kongming lantern, and kites. There are early legends of human flight such as the story of Icarus, and Jamshid in Persian myth, and later, somewhat more credible claims of short-distance human flights appear, such as the flying automaton of Archytas of Tarentum (428–347 BC),[4] the winged flights of Abbas Ibn Firnas (810–887), Eilmer of Malmesbury (11th century), and the hot-air Passarola of Bartolomeu Lourenço de Gusmão (1685–1724). The modern age of aviation began with the first untethered human lighter-than-air flight on November 21, 1783, in a hot air balloon designed by the Montgolfier brothers. The practicality of balloons was limited...

Words: 2488 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Pioneers of Aviation

...Pioneers of Aviation Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Aviation Legislation November 01, 2013 Abstract Man has always wanted to soar with the birds and take flight. A few great men and women have accomplished this task with great strides. Once heavier than air flight was proved to be a valid means of transportation, the technology accelerated at an astonishing rate. Every time we get onto an airplane, helicopter, or hot air balloon we have the pioneers of aviation to thank. These great people proved to the world that nothing was out of reach for the human race. Some gave their life in pursuit of this dream while others funded and supported those who were developing the technology. No matter what the role each of these played, we have to appreciate everyone. We would not be where we are today in aviation if it weren’t for these pioneers. Pioneers of Aviation Introduction From the very first flight of the balloon to the flight of the powered airplane, our early pioneers always looked to make changes for the better. Many of these ideas simply built upon ideas of individuals of the past. These great pioneers were from every part of the world, United States, England, France, Germany, and so many other places. They did not look at aviation as a reason to disagree but rather found that flight would help everyone equally. Balloons Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier are the brothers who invented and flew the first hot air balloon. Born in Annonay, France, they...

Words: 2570 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Communication

...carriers come in many forms and cover all areas related to aviation, our discussion is focused on one of the most common regulations related to aircraft maintenance, the AD (airworthiness directive). These ADs are mandatory, however, at times the FAA allows operators to develop their own method of compliance based on a particular companies resources as long as the original safety requirements are met. When they do this it’s called an AMOC (Alternate Method of Compliance). On August 11, 1999 The FAA issued AD:  # APA 87-99 FAA, to order insulation replacement on select aircraft. While this directive applied to all U.S. operators we will look at implementation at Delta Airlines. As Delta began reviewing the requirements, the maintenance planning team officials decided to implement it in its own way. We will look at how communication worked and in some cases did not work in this process. When AD 87-99 was issued by the FAA in August 1999 to order the replacement of insulation certain aircraft Delta was hugely affected. In total the AD covered 699 aircraft, 247 of which were operated by Delta. The problem, according to the FAA, was the original insulation blankets were covered with metalized Mylar. Over time this metalized Mylar had become flammable and replacement was required to reduce the risk of the spread of fire aboard the affected aircraft. The AD required operators to replace the blankets within four years but went on to say “The FAA is also strongly encouraging operators to...

Words: 1662 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Operations Management

...Boeing 737-200, experienced an explosive decompression during climb out at cruise altitude About 5.5 m of the pressure cabin skin and supporting structure aft of the cabin entrance door and above the passenger floorline separated from the aircraft (see photograph in Appendix). Amazingly, the damage did not result in disintegration of the aircraft, and a successful emergency landing was made. The aircraft had been manufactured in 1969 and had since accumulated 35,496 airframe flight hours and 89,680 landings (Aircraft Accident Report, Aloha Airlines, Flight 243, 1989). Owing to the short distance between destinations on some Aloha Airlines routes, the maximum pressurization differential was not reached in every flight. Thus the number of equivalent full pressurization cycles was significantly less than 89,680. Nevertheless, the aircraft was nearly 19 years old. On the other hand, It was also operating with long-term access to warm, humid, maritime air effecting in critical corrosion risk. Probable Cause: fuselage, attachment fatigue and separation Contributing Factors: 1) Maintenance: improper inspection of aircraft, low Supervision, inadequate Company/operator management 2) Inadequate surveillance of operation from FAA (organization) side 3) Aircraft/equipment, inadequate airframe Manufacturer Investigation showed the large loss of pressure cabin skin was caused by rapid link-up of many...

Words: 2021 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Commercial Aerospace Market in India

...To analyze the Indian Commercial Aerospace market for Cobham India Pvt. Ltd By Satyendra Shukla 11P224 Management Development Institute Gurgaon 122 001 May, 2012 To analyze the Indian Commercial Aerospace market for Cobham India Pvt. Ltd By Satyendra Shukla Under the guidance of Mr. Lee Griffiths Director India Cobham India Pvt. Ltd. Management Development Institute Gurgaon 122 001 May, 2012 Executive Summary The project aims at to analyze the Indian Aerospace Industry and try to find out through secondary research the growth prospective of the same. Cobham has many capabilities that could be exploited to supply equipments and spares for the MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) industry in India. So we used the various reports and predictions available at the websites of Airport Authority of India, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Civil Aviation and websites of various airlines and MRO companies to understand the market dynamics. We came across various difficulties faced by them and also saw various opportunities lurking round the corner. We tried to estimate the fleet size of various airlines and the expected growth in next five years. Also the focus was given on the Non-Scheduled operators as their numbers is rising at a lightening pace. We also had the projections made by Ministry of civil aviation about the growth of passenger volumes in the future, and all the future growths...

Words: 4242 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Busn 427 Case Study

...Sead Kolenovic Dr. Helman BUSN 427 – Global Issues in Business November 16, 2014 Case Analysis: Closing Case: Building the Boeing 787 SUMMARY: Boeing decided to build a new jet aircraft known as the wide-bodied 787. Boeing had aspirations of the aircraft being an example of the future. “Designed to fly long-haul point-to-point routes, the 250-seat 787 is made largely out of composite materials, such as carbon fibers, rather than traditional materials such as aluminum.” Hill, 2011 Since, 80% of the aircraft was made out of composite materials, it allowed the plane to be 20% lighter than the average aircraft of similar size. The end result of that was to reduce and save jet fuel consumption. Upon building the aircraft, Boeing decided to outsource 70% of its manufactured parts. By outsourcing, Boeing felt they could work with some of the more efficient producers to help build the new aircraft. Boeing had a plan in place, they were to design, market, sell, and assemble the plane in their Everett plant in Washington State, after each manufacturer has delivered their specific pieces. Albeit, Boeing having a strategic plan in place, there were some minor issues that led to trouble for the aircraft company. Some of its manufacturers that were building their outsourced materials did not finish on time for Boeing to assemble and reveal their plane on schedule. When the outsourced materials were finished, the items did not fit nor meet the quality standards. Even...

Words: 841 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Fiscal Impact of Ground Operation Incident Involving Aircraft

...FISCAL IMPACT OF GROUND OPERATION INCIDENT INVOLVING AIRCRAFT Tan Poh Tiong, Sherman AE6200 – Individual Project (Aircraft IEng) 27 April 2014 SUMMARY For the year 2010 to 2012, ground operation incident involving aircraft has cost the United Kingdom (UK) aviation industry an estimate of US$ 20 Million. It is estimated that each incident involving traditional aircraft (mainly metallic structure) would cost the Aircraft Operation (AO) close to US$ 1 Million in expenditure and if the aircraft is assumed to be of high composite ratio, the cost of each incident increase by 50% to US$ 1.5 Million. Do note that this cost does not include damage to the facilities, equipment, or vehicles. Which mean the overall cost could be higher than the estimate. If damage were assumed in all ground operation incident report, the estimated cost would increase 3.5 times. And with high composite ratio aircraft becoming the norm, the cost could spiral upward in excess of more than 5 times. Thus, it is important these ground operation incidents are reduced. Ground operation incident, occurs primarily due to human errors. Possible common reasons include insufficient training, complacency and environmental factors. There are also no detailed legislations in place to regulate the industry, unlike Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) organisations, which is governed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of UK. Since human errors aren’t a new problem, many researches have been...

Words: 9341 - Pages: 38

Premium Essay

Advantages Of Composite Materials

...have centered around two main areas firstly the development of more powerful and efficient energy sources and secondly to obtain maximum possible motive power from the available energy. The second development is heavily dependent on the properties of engineering materials. In aircraft and aerospace industries, a union of opposites i.e., lightweight in combination with high stiffness is demanded. In pressure vessels technology, high strength and corrosion resistance are both prerequisites for efficient operation. Whenever a designer faces such situations composite materials provide an efficient solution to such problems. The flexibility that can be achieved with composite materials is immense. Merely by changing...

Words: 1529 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Virtual Imaging

...Advanced Composites as High-End Engineered Materials K.S.Krishnamurthy, PhD Date : 05th March 2009 www.itcinfotech.com Advanced Composites as High-End Engineered Materials T he quest for using light-weight structural materials, which also have the necessary strengths, especially in aerospace industry led to the development of the modern fiber reinforced laminated composite materials in the late 70’s. While light weight metals such as aluminum or its alloys were widely used in the industry, they still lacked the necessary strengths and stiffnesses required in high strength applications. These limitations of pure materials or alloys were overcome by embedding fibers of glass, carbon, Boron and other substances in a metal or polymer matrix paving the way for an era of advanced man made materials of high strength. The fundamental idea of reinforcement of a weaker matrix material with tougher fibrous materials has, however, always existed since primitive times and is still being used in a variety of ways- in simple to complex engineering application domains. Mud mixed with jute or straw are still being used for building construction in certain societies, with an intuitive understating of the improvement in structural behavior. Reinforced cement concrete was invented with similar ideas, as hardened concrete though having a high compressive strength can resist negligible tensile loads. Mild steel bars with a good bond in the concrete matrix are designed to take all the...

Words: 1410 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Disadvantages Of Prepreg

...research work the hexply 913/ G801 carbon prepegs, which are widely used in aircraft industries is considered and is a type of biphenol A mixed with the four functional epoxy like TGMDA( tetraglycidyl methylene dianilime), which is often used to manufacture high performance epoxy matrix composite parts because of its relatively higher cross linking density over DGEBA. Epoxy resins based on DGEBA (diglycidyl ether of biphenol A), needs active hydrogen (H) or other active groups to open two epoxy rings, Generally the 913 epoxy resin has a bi component blend of DGEBA and TGMDA with a curing agent/ hardener DDS (Diamino diphenyl sulfone), because the TGMDA is intrinsically brittle and it was expected that the blend of these two systems could provide higher strength, modulus, fracture toughness and high temperature resistance. In this research work a methodological procedure was developed to analyze the cure kinetic parameters and the cure behavior of hexply 913/ G810 carbon epoxy prepeg material. The data can be used to optimize the cure cycles and to minimize the cure cycle time and the process cost. The Fig. 1 shows the chemical structure of the TGMDA and the DGEBA epoxy...

Words: 763 - Pages: 4