Use of Composites for Aircraft Primary Structural Components

Boeing’s CDA (Concept Demonstration Aircraft) completely broke the mold with their design, which was very different to say the least. Their X-32 aircraft’s skin was composed of a material known as a “thermoplastic matrix”, which was a composite material embedded in an epoxy resin. When heated, this material undergoes a chemical reaction, thus forming a “highly rigid component” (Sweetman 64). This composite material would give the designers the ability to re-heat and re-shape the wing without having to start over from the beginning. Boeing insisted on using this kind of material because it provided them a way to cut cost. This kind of philosophy, accompanied with their lack of experience in building military aircraft, cost them in the end. After months of demonstrations between both CDA‘s, it was Lockheed Martin’s X-35 that was chosen due to their lift-fan design. The advantage of the lift-fan design, when compared to Boeing’s vectored thrust approach, was that it provided more excess power (F-35 Lightning II). With the 126-month, $13 billion contract in hand, the clock was now running for Lockheed Martin to begin production on the aircraft (Sweetman 95).

Boeing pursues Product Differentiation strategy in order to create competitive advantage over Airbus. Boeing differentiates its products by increasing number of seating capacity, engine capacity, innovating new winglet designs and by manufacturing wide range of products in respect to the change in market

This report details the process for the design of a composite laminate tube, the software package 'MathCAD' was used to determine a lamina design with a configuration that avoids mechanical failure under loading conditions. It was also used to obtain twist angles and maximum stresses for specific lamina wind up angles. The report will provide analysis of the methods used to obtain these criteria.

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.

Boeing’s innovative and intricate aircraft structures would not be used today without the determination and perseverance shown throughout history. Although Boeing has been around for many years, its history lies throughout many decades.

Boeing being the market leader for almost a decade as a manufacturer of large commercial aircraft and had also reached economies of scale, the need to sustain its market share it presumed that “customers might demand for new”. Any potential growth was only through taking super leap and making VLCT jumbo aircraft which needed

In early 2003, Boeing announced its plans to develop a new airplane (7E7 & 7E7 Stretch) in a market that was facing a tight squeeze on profits. The decline in the airline industry was attributed in large part to the war in Iraq, international terrorism, and fear of spreading SARS. The development of this new aircraft could possibly bring Boeing out of their innovation slump and potentially give them an advantage in the mid-sized aircraft market.

Market Share Airbus will launch their new large, long distance plane A380 in 2006. This plane can be a dreadful competitive product to Boeing. If Boeing falls behind regarding innovations, fuel efficiency and other attributes of a long haul airliner, it will soon lose its market share. In order for Boeing to compete in the aviation industry, it is crucial to take on some risk and develop this new 7E7 project. This helps the company to fight against its competitors and recover from the slump in the industry.

There were also some unknown variables that needed to be taken into account. Development and per-copy costs were the costs that the board wanted to minimize. The forecast assumes that development costs would be $8 billion. There was great uncertainty surrounding the manufacturing cost of the 7E7. The element that adds the most uncertainty to the manufacturing costs are in the engineering of the aircraft. While the engineering costs could be high, Boeing was hoping that the lower construction costs of using the composite materials would compensate for the elevated engineering costs.

It is suggested that the travel industry and the aerospace and defense industry as a whole will continue to grow on the basis of the strong demand emanating from domestic demand as well as globalization. This may give a major boost to the demand for 7E7s as the airlines are already concerned about high fuel costs intensifying out of increased demands from emerging economies like India and China and reduced production. Better design modifications is going to be a major strength for the 7E7 as Boeing is betting on the future of small-mid size airplanes which can fly short as well as long distances with its fuel efficient engines. From an investment perspective, with interest rates at it's lowest in decades, with 911 behind us, and barring a major pandemic such as SARS, the timing seems right for Boeing to pursue this endeavor.

In a strategy similar to that of Airbus, Boeing absorbed its largest rival, McDonnell Douglas, in 1977. Boeing’s newest entry into the market is the 787 Dreamliner, a revolutionary jetliner manufactured with up to 50 percent composition materials and designed to increase fuel efficiency and reduce environmental impact. The aircraft has suffered several problems since the first model rolled off the line in 2007, most notably with the lithium-ion battery pack. These issues were resolved in 2013 and Boeing expects the 787 to be incredibly successful due to new demand for super-efficient airliners, a result of rising global fuel prices. Boeing is the wworld’s largest aerospace company, and the leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined. The company designs and manufactures rotorcraft, electronic and defense systems, missiles, satellites, launch vehicles and advanced information and communication systems. They are a major

Given the high-tech nature of the airplane industry, there are relatively few suppliers capable of providing parts to Airbus and Boeing. In contrast to Boeing, who relies heavily on suppliers, Airbus has tried to manufacture the

Boeing’s newest jet, the 787, is made out of composite plastics and carbon fiber in order to

After the highly successful launch of the Boeing 777 with United Airlines in June 1995, Boeing experienced a drought of novel commercial aircrafts for the next several years. So, later in 1990s, the 747X and Sonic Cruiser projects were cancelled due to insufficient market interest. As a result, in January 2003, the 7E7 project was announced. The leader of the 7E7 project is Michael Bair. Boeing hopes the 7E7 project will help it regain the commercial-aircraft sales that the company had lost over the years to Airbus.

The B707 was the first aircraft developed by Boeing in 1958, it is a narrow body , mid-size and a four turbo-fan engine aircraft ( Pratt & Whitney ) . Some people call it ( seven oh seven ) and it has different modules ( series ) that contains different capacity from 140-189 passengers .The Boeing 787 was produced in 2007 , it is a long-range , wide-body , twin turbo-fan engine ( GEnx or Rolls Royce ) aircraft . Passenger’s seat varies from 242-335 dependant on the series of the aircraft. Of course both aircrafts varies from the internal structures ,but almost the same design for the outer structure (body shape ) , and I’ll demonstrate the differences and similarities between both aircrafts , from structure design to the innovations made to the B787 , that surely made us look at the Boeing industry in a different perspectives.