COMPOSITE

MATERIALS AND
TECHNOLOGY
(IN AEROSPACE AND HELICOPTER
INDUSTRY)

SUBMITTED BY:-
RAHUL RANJAN
ROLL NO:- 13
I & P Engg.
FINAL YEAR
 INTRODUCTION
 fibreglass was first modern composite and it
finds use in boat hulls, surfboards, sporting
goods, car bodies etc.
 composite materials have strength and stiffness
combined with lightness.
 Products with properties that exactly fit the
requirement for a particular structure for a
particular purpose.
Continued…

 Modern aviation, both military & civil, would be

much less efficient without composites.
 The industry demands for materials that are both
light & strong.
 The airframes of some smaller aircraft are made
entirely from composites, as are the wing, tail &
body panels of large commercial aircraft.
 Propellers and rotor blades can also be made
using composites.
 Composite Materials &
Technology

composite materials are particularly

attractive aviation and aerospace
applications because of their exceptional
strength and stiffness- to density ratios
and superior physical properties.
 FIBROUS COMPOSITES
 Consists of relatively strong, stiff fibres in a tough resin
matrix.
 Carbon and Glass fibre reinforced plastic are used in
aerospace.
 By combining materials with complementary properties,
a composite material with most or all of the benefits can
be obtained with few or none of the weakness of
individual components.
 PARTICULATE COMPOSITES
 Metal matrix composites are non- metallic
particles in a metallic matrix, for instance silicon
carbide particles combined with aluminium alloy.

 These are currently being developed for aviation

and aerospace industry.
 DIFFERENCES

 Particulate composites are Isotropic but

Fibrous composites are Anisotropic.
 Anisotropy is overcome by stacking layers
having thickness less than 1mm one over
other with fibres oriented at different
angles to form a laminate.
 Differently oriented layers are stacked in a
specific sequence to tailor the properties
of the laminate to withstand loads
 COMPLEX SHAPES
 Composites can be formed into more complex shapes.
 This reduces no. of parts making a given component.
 Reduces need for fasteners and joints giving uniform
strength and shorter assembly time.

FABRICATION TIME
The individual layers which are pre-impregnated with the
resin matrix are cut to required shapes and stacked in
the specified sequence over former.
This assembly is
then subjected to a sequence of temperatures and
pressure to cure the material. The product is then
checked thoroughly.
The following are some of the military and
commercial aircraft that use significant amounts of
composites in the airframe.

Fighter aircraft
U.S- AV-8B, F14, F18, YF23, F16, F22, JSF, UCAV
Europe-Harrier GR7, Gripen JAS39,Mirage2000, Rafael, Euro
fighter, Lavi,EADS- Mako
Russia-MIG29, Su series
Bomber-B2
Transport
U.S-KC135, C17 777, 767, MD11

Europe-A320, A340 A380, Tu204, ATR42, Falcon900, A300-600

General Aviation- Piaggio, Starship, Premier1, Cirrus SR20&SR22
Rotary Aircraft- V22, Eurocopter Comanche, RAH66, BA609, EH101,
Superlynx300, S92
ADVANCED COMPOSITES AND
HELICOPTERS
Advanced composites consist of thin sheets of
plastic which are embedded with very fine fibres
for strengthening.
The sheet is very stiff and
strong in fibre direction and has lower weight.

Many sheets are bonded together to form a

laminate.
By bonding sheets together in different
orientation, a laminate with required strength
and stiffnesses can be created.
 EVOLUTION OF COMPOSITES IN
HELICOPTER

1930s & 40s – wood and fabric structures.

1950s & 60s – thin skinned adhesively bonded aluminium
structures.
1970s – fibreglass technology.
1980s – fuselage sections and very large components
were being manufactured from carbon, aramid,
or fibreglass composites.
The most important
contribution towards improving helicopter performance
was by making the airframe lighter and smaller.
 ADVANCED COMPOSITES 101

Structures made from metals have inherent

strength in directions it may not need.
By predicting the type and magnitude of load a
part will handle, we can design strength only in
required direction and eliminate where useless.
Continued…

composite materials have specific properties like:

Fibreglass:- high strength to wt. ratio, good
environmental resistance, flexibility.
Carbon fibre:- higher modulus, lighter, high
stiffness.
Aramid:- extremely tough, durable, high tensile
strength, light wt.
 COMPOSITE REPAIRS
Aramid wicks up moisture or any other liquid it is
exposed to. water intrusion lowers the strength.
Elevated temperature cure can cause the skin to
blow off.
Two or more types of fibres can be used in a
laminate to get unique combination of properties.
An example is carbon fibre coated with kevlar. As
carbon is brittle, it is protected by the layer of
kevlar and load is carried mainly by carbon fibre.
 BENEFITS OF COMPOSITES
Cost : prototypes, Mass production, Durability,
production time.
Weight : light wt, uniform wt distribution.
Strength & stiffness : high value, directional property.
Dimensions : large parts, special geometry.
Surface properties : corrosion resistant, weather
resistant, tailored surface finish.
Thermal properties : low thermal conductivity, low coeff.
of thermal expansion.
Electric properties : non-magnetic, radar transparency,
high dielectric strength.
 DISADVANTAGES

Expensive raw materials.

Higher fabrication cost.
Susceptibility to moisture.