The Four Main Driving Factors In The Aircraft Industry

AEROSPACE INDUSTRY: MATERIAL PROPERTY ANALYSIS the demand for lighter and more efficient material components forms the main driving factor when it comes to choosing raw components for an air craft. The 4 golden parameters for selection are:

• How much weight c

an be saved?

• How does the material affect maintenance costs?

• How does the material affect production costs?

• How does the material affect strength of structure?

The other properties that can be considered are :

• High reliability

- Achieved through Strict quality control Extensive testing for reliable data

• Passenger safety

- Achieved by using fire retardant and crash resistant materials

• Durability

- Achieved through extensive fatigue analysis/testing and corrosion

1944 saw the first aircraft with fuselages consisting of composites, in the US.

In 1960s, something called ‘pre-pegs’ were used which were composites comprising a series of fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP) with epoxy resin, which are still seen in present aircrafts.

Military aircrafts have always seen used more composite materials than commercial or civil ones. It is mainly due to the way military and commercial aircrafts are maintained, wherein the former requires higher maintenance and less in case of latter. Composites can be both lightweight and strong, can be easily molded, are resistant to heat and pressure, but are also more expensive to repair. The more weight the aircraft starts gaining, the more fuel it burns, hence reducing its weight which is very important to the aerospace industry, especially the military aircrafts.

Some of the aeronautical experts have even predicted future military aircrafts to comprise composites of more than two thirds of its entire

High toughness, low moisture absorption, low shrinkage and low thermal expansion are very important factors favoring their widespread use. They have a higher elastic modulus than fiber. In addition to this, they possess excellent chemical resistance, can be processed with ease and have some dimensional stability.

Composites are light in weight, compared to most woods and metals. Their lightness is important in automobiles and aircraft, for example, where less weight means better fuel efficiency (more miles to the gallon). They possess the highest strength-to-weight ratios in structures in today’s time. They are mostly corrosion resistant and have high impact strength. Composites can be molded into complicated shapes more easily than most other materials. Also, composites help in part consolidation. Reducing the number of parts in a machine or a structure is time efficient and reduces the maintenance required over the lifespan of the machine.

Apart from this, composites are non-conductive and non-magnetic. With these materials, there is a possibility of low dielectric loss in radar transparency as well as of achieving low radar