Dan Zenkert

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Division of Lightweight Structures
Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan (KTH)
Stockholm, Sweden

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Composites and sandwich structures

activities at KTH

„ Current aerospace projects

o What is going on out there?
o ALCAS
o NFFP
o MOJO
„ Marine related research
„ Car industry activities
„ Educational efforts

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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 JAS 39 Gripen

Carbon-Fiber Composite (CFRP)

Glass-Fiber Composite (GFRP)

Aramid-Fiber Composite (AFRP)

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

From past to present – composites at Airbus

Stepwise approach
Major NASA programs on CFRP primary
structure for HTP and VTP of civil transports
CFRP primary structures
CFRP primary structure + center wing box
Fin
CFRP primary structures
CFRP flight controls + bulkhead and keel beam
Spoilers, Airbrakes, Rudder

CFRP primary structures

CFRP Spoilers
+ HTP as fuel tank
In service trial

CFRP primary structures

GFRP fairings
+ HTP, Flaps

1970 - 1979 1980 - 1989 1990 - 1999 2000 - 2006

A300 A310-200 A310-300 A320 A340 A330 A321 A319 A340-600 A380-800
1972 A300-600 A300-600R 2006
Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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 A320 composite applications

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

A340-600 Composite Structures

Horizontal stabilizer
Vertical stabilizer

J-Nose, Fokker
Special Products, NL

Pressure bulkhead
Keel Beam Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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 A380 state of the art composites
Floor Beams
for Upper Deck
Vertical
GLARE® in Upper Tail Plane
Fuselage

Outer Flaps
Section 19.1

J-Nose

Horizontal
Tail Plane

Section 19
Center Wing Box Rear Pressure
Wing Ribs Bulkhead

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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 Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Composites in Boeing 787 and Airbus A350

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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 Advanced Low-Cost Aircraft Structures -
ALCAS

„ ALCAS stands for Advanced Low Cost Aircraft Structures,

European project, 58 partners, total budget of 101 Mio €
„ The overall objective is to reduce the operating costs of relevant
European aerospace products by 15%, through the cost effective
application of carbon fibre composites.

The ALCAS project will include:

o Evaluations of Technologies for Industrial Implementation
(e.g. new manufacturing technologies, part reduction, infusion
manufacturing of large complex parts)
o Cost and Design Optimization
o Sub-component Tests
o Full Scale Component Tests

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Advanced Low-Cost Aircraft Structures -

ALCAS
The work package of KTH
contains the formulation and
development of a design
optimisation methodology for
generic composite elements.
min DOC of a generic
composite element
subject to
prescribed buckling load
strength requirements
manufacturing robustness
maximum shape distortions
draping restrictions
...

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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 Advanced Low-Cost Aircraft Structures -
ALCAS
Optimisation variables
o fibre stacking angle
o layer thicknesses
o boom design
o tapering zone design
o stiffener configuration
o fastener configuration clamped

o ... d
o r te
upp
ly-s
s im p
Prescribed
kN
o overall dimensions 300
d
o load case rte
ppo
o failure criteria ly-su
p
kN sim
300

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Advanced Low-Cost Aircraft Structures -

ALCAS
„ Cost/weight optimization routine works
o for continous variables
o for smaller examples
o optimization of discrete variables problematic
„ Compare optimal solutions for different
weight penalties
clamped
„ Sensitivity analysis of the chosen
ed
variables (robust design) port
sup
ply-
s im
„ Enhance model by additional constraints
o draping kN
300
o shape distortion ted
or
o etc upp
ply-s
kN sim
300

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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 Cost Efficient Composite Structures
(KEKS)
„ To experimentally investigate parameters determining the
drapability of stacks of UD prepreg (RT and hot)
„ To develop constitutive models and FE models in order to
enable “virtual prototyping”
„ To describe manufacturability as subset to be used in
multidisciplinary optimisation aiming at finding best
possible performance at lowest possible price

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Cost Efficient Composite Structures

(KEKS)
y

z
x

Optimisation,
Manufacturing Weight,
Drapability Stress/
Optimisation,
Cost Stiffness
x
y

Shape
distortion

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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 Cost Efficient Composite Structures
(KEKS)

component geometry

stacking sequence
material
OUTCOME INFLUENCING

ƒ Optimal stacking Production

sequence Cost optimisation
ƒ Manufacturing Structural analysis
KTH NFFP
module
description Shape distortion
ƒ Resulting
fibre angles

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Cost Efficient Composite Structures

(KEKS)
„ Bias extension test of carbon/epoxy
prepreg at different stacking angles,
temperatures and deformation speeds

„ Digital Signal Processing (DSP) using

digital cameras to measure deformation

„ FE models development

„ Constitutive modelling of involved

parameters
Strain field during bias extension testing, layup [15,-15]s

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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Modular Joints for Aircraft Structures - MOJO
„ Preforming of structural elements
„ Attachment and reinforcement of joining elements and
infiltration (infusion)
„ Adhesive bonding of other joining elements
„ Completion of assembly

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Modular Joints for Aircraft Structures - MOJO

HT-Section
Pi-Section

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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 Modular Joints for Aircraft Structures - MOJO
BiTeam 3D weaving

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Corvette Visby

„ LOA: 72 metres
„ Beam: 10.4 metres
„ Weight: ≈ 600 metric tonnes
„ Hull (≈ 150 metric tonnes)
o 25% of total weight
o Carbon fibres T700 (≈ 45.000 kg)
o Vinylester resin (≈ 30.000 kg)
o PVC foam core (≈ 75.000 kg)

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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 Trends in Structural Materials
1970 Landsort 1980 1990 Visby 2000 2010 NSC / YSNY

- Magnetic Signature - Radar signature - Fire resistance

- Shock Resistance - Weight reduction - Vulnerability Reduction
- Maintenance Cost - Magnetic Signature - Ballistic protection
- Shock Resistance - Damage tolerance
Glass Fibre - Maintenance Cost - Radar signature
Polyester - Weight reduction
PVC-foam - Magnetic Signature
Wet Lay-up Carbon / Glass Fibre
- Shock Resistance
Structural margins Vinyl ester
- Maintenance Cost
Low cost materials PVC-foam / balsa
Vacuum infusion
Weight optimization
Carbon / Glass Fibre
More Expensive materials
Variety of matrix systems
Variety of core materials / adhesives
Vacuum infusion / Resin film Infusion
Weight optimization & Quality Assurance
More expensive materials

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Vision for NSC

LOA: 90-100 m
Displacement: 1500-2000 tonnes
Hull: All composite (sandwich)

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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Vision for NSC

LOA: 100-120 m
Displacement: 2000-2500 tonnes
Hull: Steel or composite

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Vision for NSC

LOA: 80-90 m
Displacement: 1200-1500 tonnes
Hull: Steel or composite

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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Vision for NSC

LOA: 100-110 m
Displacement: 1700-2200 tonnes
Hull: All composite (sandwich)

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Design challenges
„ Larger ships
o Design with respect to global loads rather than local loads
„ Use new materials
o CFRP means stiffness design → strength design
o Fire resistant materials more brittle!
o Compatibility between materials
„ Thinner face sheets
o wrinkling failure becomes active constraint
o local impact - robustness
„ Strength design
o requires more in-depth knowledge of failure modes
o QA
o Damage tolerance, NDI, repair
„ Weapon effects
o Fragment protection
o Blast

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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 Aims of Product Definition Phase
Hull structure and materials
Create a new hull concept Present focus
¾ Based on Corvette Visby ¾ Ballistic Protection
properties
¾ Low cost ¾ Blast Resistance
¾ Low weight ¾ Fire Performance
¾ Low signatures ¾ Signature Control
¾ Increased fire resistance ¾ Structural Load Bearing Capacity
¾ Reduced vulnerability ¾ Etc.

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Fire – is that a problem?

Matrix systems Core Materials

¾ Phenolics ¾ Balsa
¾ Cyanate Ester ¾ ”Comfire”, Glass Foam
¾ Phthalonitrile ¾ Aluminum Foam
¾ Silicone Resin ¾ ”C-Foam” – Carbon Foam
¾ Geopolymer ¾ Phenolic Foam
¾ Modar ¾ ”Parabeam” – 3D Glass weave
¾ Nano Composites ¾ ”Structiso” – 3D Glass
¾ Bisphenol C ¾ ”Webcore”
¾ Etc. ¾ Etc.

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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 New materials – qualification spiral

Environmental impact
Fire
New material
Price
Process
Strength
Environmental
resistance

A- Screening
B- Qualification
C – Rules of use

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Fragment protection

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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Fragment protection

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Blast resistance

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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Blast resistance

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Possible Material
Selection

Hull Shell Plating, Main deck :

Carbon / Vinylester / PVC-foam

-
Superstructure, Internal Decks and
Bulkheads :
Glassfiber / Phenolics / Balsa
Joints :
Bonded, Prefabricated
Composite Profiles

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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 Student Projects
Specification
„ Invent-design-
”Design and build an aircraft that can
fly level flight on solar power with a
build project
pay-load of 2 kg” experience
„ Team based
„ Link courses
„ New examination

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Our implementation of CDIO

Specialization, year 4

Project based CDIO course

Course x FEA Composites Sandwich Fluid mech.

Thesis

Course y Naval arch. Comp.Manuf. Design and optimisation

time

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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 Training device for astronauts

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Formula Student – composite chassis

„ Composite monocoque
o Save weight
o Increase stiffness
o Appealing design

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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 Student Project 2006
Shell Eco Marathon – KTH Agilis
„ 14 students
„ Composite monocoque
o Save weight
o Integral design
„ New type of engine (HCCI)

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Shell Eco Marathon – KTH Agilis

Project format

„ Invent-design-build CDIO syllabus

project experience „ Conceive
„ Team based „ Design
„ Link courses „ Implement
„ New examination „ Operate

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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Shell Eco Marathon – KTH Agilis
Conceive

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Shell Eco Marathon – KTH Agilis

Conceive

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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Shell Eco Marathon – KTH Agilis
Conceive

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Shell Eco Marathon – KTH Agilis

Design

dx(t )
Fx + 2δ + ω02 x(t ) = g (t )
dt

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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 Shell Eco Marathon – KTH Agilis
Design

L L
⊗ : FR1 − FR 2 + L2 ⋅ Fstatic,1l − Facc,1l = 0
2 2

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Shell Eco Marathon – KTH Agilis

Implement

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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Shell Eco Marathon – KTH Agilis
Implement

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Shell Eco Marathon – KTH Agilis

Operate

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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Shell Eco Marathon – KTH Agilis
Operate

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Shell Eco Marathon – KTH Agilis

Operate

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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 Publicity
„ SVT Rapport (c:a 2 minutes) – twice
„ TV4 Nyhetsmorgon, TV8
„ SR P1 och P3
„ Metro, Aftonbladet
„ Ny Teknik, Motor
„ ….
„ ….

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

Urban Concept Cars

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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 Urban Concept Cars

Winner 2006:
810 km/litre

Department of Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering

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