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What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Composite Materials

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I. INTRODUCTION
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n aeroplane is acted upon by a few forces in the sky: Lift, Drag, Thrust and Weight. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil. A composite material is a material made from two or more constituent materials with differing physical or chemical properties that when joined together, produce a material with characteristics different from the individual material. The individual component remains separate and unique from the finished structure. There are a few types of currently available composite materials, and they include carbon fibre, fiber glass and fibre-reinforced matrix systems. Almost all new aircraft these days include some composite material into their designs. The most common composite material that is used in aircraft is fiberglass. Other composite materials used includes Kevlar, which is now replacing glass fibers. Composite materials had been used commonly since …show more content…

Although aeroplanes go through very stringent checks before flying, more time is needed to check when it is made with the composite material. As composite materials do not break easily, it is hard to differentiate if the interior structure has been damaged at all. Hence, it requires extensive inspection techniques for detection. In contrast, for traditional materials like aluminium, due to its nature, it bends and dents easily. [6] Therefore it is quite easy to find out if there is any structural damage. Based on experience, an aircraft would be grounded for a few days to repair on the composite material while only a few hours would be needed for a traditional metallic part. Moreover, repairs can be much more expensive when a composite surface is damaged. Also, composite repairs are more prone to human error than metal repairs since the quality of composite repair is highly dependent on the process

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