How Composite Materials Have Altered Aviation

How composite materials have altered aviation

Since the beginning of time man has marveled over the idea of flight. Beginning in the late 1800’s many inventors had tried to successfully create flying contraptions, and most met failure. In 1903 the Wright Brothers had successfully built a flying machine called the “Flyer”. ("Composites," n.d., p. 3) This aircraft actually held a sustained flight over a large distance. This aerospace vehicle was made primarily of spruce and ash woods making up the structure, and muslin forming the skin of the aircraft. ("Composites," n.d., p. 3) The years that followed came the use of steel and vast amount of metals like aluminum materials.

As time continued to pass aviation engineers started seeking even lighter, and stronger materials to build their aircraft. In the mid 1960’s scientists and engineers had begun working on a new type of aerospace materials called composites. ("Composites," n.d.) Composites had shocked the world in regards to being light in weight and having the strength of even the most advanced steels. One of the most famous composite materials today is known as “Carbon Fiber” along with other materials like fiberglass. Even after much advancement in composites there are still a very distinctive list of pros and cons.

First of all, composites offer very high stiffness-to-weight ratios giving composites an edge over steel. Due to composites being a matrix reinforced material with fibers, it becomes exceedingly rare for large cracks to develop in them. (Yancey, 2012) When cracks do form in composites it will follow a path until it hits a cross fiber and then stop in its track. Corrosion is another big issue, and has always been an issue with aircraft due to the vast world situations they are in. Aircraft operate in very corrosive environments, and inspections for corrosion damage are performed on a regular basis. Composites unlike metals don’t corrode, which is a step in the right direction. They are also not subject to fatigue damage like metal built structures. (Yancey, 2012)

Some other benefits are added flexibility allowing aircraft to receive more abuse before causing structural failure. With the use of more composites materials inside the aircraft it has improved the amount of available space, and the fact that they can be fire retardant is a plus. Above all due to composites being formed in larger sections the need for joints and rivets have increased aerodynamics and above all fuel economy.

Despite these benefits, aircraft engineers have been very cautious in transitioning to composites. Composites are comprised of ply layers and because of this there is a risk of “delamination” between layers where the bond is weaker.