Developments in the Constuction of Aircrafts

Through research about composite and bio-composite, there are many advantage and disadvantages in aircraft construction. Definition for composite, a material that are made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties when combined, produce a material with characteristic different from the individual components. The individual components remain separate and distinct within the finished structure. In aircraft, the first composite aircraft was in 1916, era of World War 1, when British launched a Bristol Scout from Felixstowe. Between the World War, American experiments with airship composites led to the construction of two aircraft carriers, while the British Short Mayo seaplane composite demonstrated successful transatlantic mail delivery. During the Second World War, some composites saw operational use including the Mistel, the larger unmanned component of a composite aircraft configuration developed in Germany at the end of World War 2. Experiments continued into the jet age, with large aircraft carrying fully capable parasite fighters or reconnaissance drones.

Hence, Boeing finally lost control on all the development activities as they outsourced the manufacturing of the 787.The lack of experience of the engineers and use of composite material also contributed to the fall of Boeing (Cohan, 2011).

The automotive industry’s use of structural composite materials began in the 1950s. Since those early days, it has been demonstrated that composites are lightweight, fatigue resistant and easily molded to shape. In other words, composite structures are seemingly attractive alternative to metals. Not only are composites used in the field of automotive but in all other fields such as aerospace, construction industry, and the entertainment industry.

The Boeing 787 is positioned within the market with a high likelihood of success. As crude oil prices have risen over the past few years and likely to remain high in the future, the 787 can reduce the airline’s operation cost by consuming 20% less fuel than other airplanes of comparable size. On top of the non-corroding composite fuselages, sensors were embed into the main structure to capture real-time data on plane’s structure. With both features, the airlines benefit from reduced maintenance cost and increased airplane life span. The Boeing 787 also has a larger cargo capacity to allow for additional space, providing additional revenue from potential customers. Because of the booming cargo market, adding additional cargo space was a necessity for more of a stable revenue stream. Besides the airline companies, more financiers and leasing

Composite materials and structures are particularly attractive for aerospace applications due to their high stiffness, high strength and low weight properties. The use of such structures allows for an overall aircraft mass reduction, reduced fuel consumption and increased service life resulting in a reduction in aircraft operating costs.

The objective of composite materials is to take advantage of the superior properties of both materials. Industry has identified the ability of composite material to produce high strength, high corrosive environment, and high durable as well as cost effective products.

(Mrazova, 2013) In the aviation industry today, composites have replaced previously used materials such as titanium and aluminum in the manufacturing of wings, skins, primary load-bearing structures, and fuselages.

All strands utilized as a part of polymer building composites can be isolated into two classes, to be specific synthetic and natural fibers. Synthetic fibers are the most widely recognized. Albeit there are numerous sorts of engineered filaments, glass, carbon and aramid strands speak to the most essential. Kevlar is a sweet-smelling polyamide or aramid fiber presented in 1970s by DuPont. It was the first natural fiber with adequate elasticity and modulus to be utilized as a part of cutting edge composites (Dupont.com, 2015). It has to take five times the rigidity of steel with a relating tractable modulus. Initially grew as a swap for steel in spiral tires, Kevlar is currently utilized as a part of an extensive variety of uses. It is an exchange name of aramid fiber. The U.S. Government Trade Commission gives a decent meaning of an aramid fiber as a fiber in which the framing substance is a long chain manufactured polyamide in which no less than 85% of the amide linkages are joined straightforwardly to two sweet-smelling rings (Hancox, 1993).

A composite material is a combinant of more than one material where each material retains its own material properties. Composite materials are used throughout modern society and in nature because they provide material properties that individual materials could not provide on their own.

The advanced composite materials such as Graphite, Carbon, Kevlar and Glass with suitable resins are widely used because of their high specific strength (strength / density) and high specific modulus (modulus / density). Advanced composite materials seem ideally suited for long, power driver shaft (propeller shaft) applications. Their elastic properties can be tailored to increase the torque they can carry as well as the rotational speed at which they operate. The drive shafts are used in automotive, aircraft and aerospace applications. The automotive industry is exploiting composite material technology for structural components construction in order to obtain the reduction

The objectives are to understand how aircraft structures are changing from metal to composite parts. This is caused by latest technology and new requirements from aircraft users. With new capabilities in materials, composites in aircraft structures remain still in the beginning stages however over time composite structure will be developed for additional purposes.

The future of passenger aircraft and their manufactures has an amazing outlook. Every year the brightest minds in aviation compile the greatest technological advances towards creating the safest and most economical aircraft on the planet. No detail is over looked, and the bottom dollar is the all controlling factor. From private aircraft to public aircraft, space exploration and beyond, the future is bright for the passenger aircraft market, and everyone who purchases air travel should be excited to see how industry unfolds.

The traditional material for aircrafts is aluminium while composite material content has always been less than 20% until the recent years. The latest aircraft models by Airbus and Boeing have composites content of 50% or more. (Mauricuien, n.d.) It has brought about many benefits to the industry but also causes difficulties in maintenance and safety issues. The drive of the material evolution is due the economic factors and higher expectation of society as technology advances. The report includes how the advantages of the composite material make it attractive by helping to solve the issues faced by the industry.

Prediction of failure in composite materials can be done by implementing failure theories [40-44]. The failure criteria’s are not just for

Recent years, high modulus and high strength was the main concern of the development of advance performance of the composite materials. High strength is not only the objective but also the performance of the material along with ability