COMPOSITE MATERIALS IN AIRPLANES - Weight reduction is the single greatest advantage of composite material usage. A lower-weight plane is more fuel-efficient because it requires less fuel to propel itself forward - Composite materials — especially those made from glass fibers, carbon fibers, and Kevlar — are widely used in the aircraft industry. They are stronger and lighter than aluminum, the metal that's most commonly used in aircraft bodies. Composite materials are so named because they consist of two or more materials. The composites used in planes consist of fibers suspended in a matrix of epoxy resin. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was the first commercial airplane to be constructed from 50% composite materials, mostly carbon fiber composites. The remainder of the plane consists mostly of aluminum, titanium, and steel. Composite materials have revolutionized aviation, but their use does present some engineering and maintenance challenges. Composites are also incredibly strong and as a result have a higher strength-to-weight ratio, also known as specific strength, than the metals used in making aircraft. Composite materials aren't prone to corrosion due to harsh chemicals, and they're resistant to many highly reactive chemicals.

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Composite Materials in Airplanes

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Composite Materials in Airplanes

Weight reduction is the single greatest advantage of composite material usage - a lower-weight plane is more fuel-efficient because it requires less fuel to propel itself forward

BY SARINA HOUSTON

Composite materials — especially those made from glass fibers, carbon fibers, and Kevlar — are widely used in the aircraft industry.

They are stronger and lighter than aluminum, the metal that's most commonly used in aircraft bodies.

Composite materials are so named because they consist of two or more materials.

The composites used in planes consist of fibers suspended in a matrix of epoxy resin.

Fiberglass is a composite material made of glass fibers and epoxy resin. It was first used in aircraft, by Boeing, in the 1950s.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was the first commercial airplane to be constructed from 50% composite materials, mostly carbon fiber composites; All Nippon Airways put the first 787 into service in October 2011.

The remainder of the plane consists mostly of aluminum, titanium, and steel.

Composite materials have revolutionized aviation, but their use does present some engineering and maintenance challenges.

Here is a roundup of the advantages and disadvantages of using composites in aircraft.

Advantages

Weight reduction is the single greatest advantage of composite material usage. A lower-weight plane is more fuel-efficient because it requires less fuel to propel itself forward.

Composites are also incredibly strong and as a result have a higher strength-to-weight ratio, also known as specific strength, than the metals used in making aircraft.

In addition, they resist compression and don't easily break under tension.

Composite materials aren't prone to corrosion due to harsh chemicals, and they're resistant to many highly reactive chemicals. They can also handle wide variations in temperature and exposure to severe weather.

Another big advantage of composites is their design flexibility: They can be made into just about shape.

And a single, oddly shaped piece of composite can replace many pieces made of other materials. That helpful characteristic cuts down on maintenance and so can reduce costs over the lifetime of a plane.

Once a composite piece has been formed, it maintains its shape and size.

That's important in the aircraft industry because it means the essential parts of a plane made out of composite materials won't grow, shrink, or change form as environmental conditions vary.

Disadvantages

Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of composite materials for aircraft and component manufacturers is their higher initial cost compared with metals.

The greater cost is largely due to the price of the fibers and the complicated process required to make the finished materials.

It can be difficult to tell when the interior structure of a composite aircraft piece has been damaged. That makes inspections difficult and more costly.

One issue that comes up during inspections is delamination — when layers of composites separate.

The biggest cause of delamination is an impact to the composite piece. Water can infiltrate a piece that has experienced delamination, and the problem will get worse as the water freezes and thaws.

Standard aircraft composite materials do not conduct electricity and so, unlike aluminum, cannot prevent lightning from being directed to a plane's fuel tanks.

That problem was corrected for the 787 by incorporating wire mesh into the composite.

Finally, the resin used in composite materials weakens at temperatures as low as 150 degrees Fahrenheit, and a temperature above 300 degrees might result in aircraft failure.

When composite materials burn, they give off toxic fumes and micro-particles into the air, causing health risks.

For all of those reasons, fire prevention is crucial on planes built with composites.

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CARBON FIBER CLOTH - When the carbon is manufactured into fibers, special additives and elements are introduced to increase strength properties. The primary strength property that carbon fiber is judged upon, is modulus. The carbon is manufactured in bundles of thousands of tiny filaments and wound onto a roll or bobbin. Although we might come in contact with aerospace grade carbon fiber on an aircraft, such as the new 787 Dreamliner, or see it in a Formula 1 car on TV; the majority of us will likely come in contact with commercial grade carbon fiber more frequently.

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Carbon Fiber Cloth

What Is Carbon Fiber Cloth?

Todd Johnson

Carbon fiber is the backbone of lightweight composites.

Understanding what carbon fiber cloth is required knowing the manufacturing process and composite industry terminology.

Below you will find information on carbon fiber cloth and what the different product codes and styles mean.

Carbon Fiber Strength

It needs to be understood that all carbon fiber is not equal.

When the carbon is manufactured into fibers, special additives and elements are introduced to increase strength properties.

The primary strength property that carbon fiber is judged upon, is modulus.

Carbon is manufactured into tiny fibers through either the PAN or Pitch process.

The carbon is manufactured in bundles of thousands of tiny filaments and wound onto a roll or bobbin. There are three major categories of raw carbon fiber:

·       High Modulus Carbon Fiber (Aerospace Grade)

·       Intermediate Modulus Carbon Fiber

·       Standard Modulus Carbon Fiber (Commercial Grade)

Although we might come in contact with aerospace grade carbon fiber on an aircraft, such as the new 787 Dreamliner, or see it in a Formula 1 car on TV; the majority of us will likely come in contact with commercial grade carbon fiber more frequently.

Common uses of commercial grade carbon fiber include:

·                Sporting goods

·                Car hoods and aftermarket parts

·                Accessories, like iPhone cases

Each manufacturer of raw carbon fibers has their own nomenclature of the grade. For example, Toray Carbon Fiber calls their commercial grade "T300," while Hexcel's commercial grade is called "AS4."

Carbon Fiber Thickness

As previously mentioned, raw carbon fiber is manufactured in tiny filaments (around 7 microns), these filaments are bundled into rovings which are wound onto spools.

The spools of fiber are later used directly in processes like pultrusion or filament winding, or they can be woven into fabrics.

These carbon fiber rovings are comprised of thousands of filaments and are almost always a standard amount. These are:

·                1,000 c (1k carbon fiber)

·                3,000 filaments (3k carbon fiber)

·                6,000 filaments (6k carbon fiber)

·                12,000 filaments (12k carbon fiber)

This is why if you hear an industry professional talking about carbon fiber, they might say, "I am using a 3k T300 plain weave fabric." 

Well, now you will know that they are using a carbon fiber fabric that is woven with Toray standard modulus CF fiber, and it is using fiber that has 3,000 filaments per strand.

It should go without saying then, that the thickness of a 12k carbon fiber roving will be twice that of a 6k, four times as a 3k, etc.

Due to efficiencies in manufacturing, a thicker roving with more filaments, such as a 12k strand, is usually less expensive per pound than a 3k of equal modulus.

Carbon Fiber Cloth

Spools of carbon fiber are taken to a weaving loom, where the fibers are then woven into fabrics.

The two most common types of weaves are "plain weave" and "twill."

Plain weave is a balanced checker board pattern, where each strand goes over then under each strand in the opposite direction.

Whereas a twill weave looks like a wicker basket. Here, each strand goes over one opposing strand, then under two.

Both twill and plain weaves have an equal amount of carbon fiber going each direction, and their strengths will be very similar. The difference is primarily an aesthetic appearance.

Every company that weaves carbon fiber fabrics will have their own terminology.

For example, a 3k plain weave by Hexcel is called "HexForce 282," and is commonly called "282" (two eighty-two) for short. This fabric has 12 strands of 3k carbon fiber per inch, in each direction.

Todd Johnson

·   Regional Sales Manager for Composites One, a distributor of composite materials.

·   B.S. in Business Management from University of Colorado Boulder's Leeds School of Business

·   Business Development Manager for Ebert Composites Corporation

Experience

Todd Johnson is a former writer for ThoughtCo, who wrote about plastics and composite materials for 2-1/2 years between 2010 and 2013. He is a Regional Sales Manager at Composites One, a composite materials distributor in San Diego, CA. Johnson provides support to the Greater San Diego manufacturers of fiber reinforced and polymer products. He regularly attends composite industry trade shows including JEC, ACMA, SME, and SAMPE. In 2008 he presented at the Global Pultrusion Conference in Baltimore, MD. Previously, Todd spent six years as the Business Development Manager for Ebert Composites Corporation. 

Education

B.S., Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services - the University of Colorado-Boulder's Leeds School of Business; attended Griffith University in Queensland, Australia.  

Todd Johnson​

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