The penetration of composite materials in aircraft structures has been one of the most striking facts of the last 10 years in the aeronautical industry. Today, the most recent aircraft have more than 15 % of their structure in composite materials. Moving surfaces, ailerons, flaps, spoilers, landing gear doors, horizontal tailplanes and fins are the principal structural applications. On the ATR 72, composite material applications represent 22 % of the structural weight, mainly, owing to the CFRP outer wing box. This wing box, which is basically fitted to the whole aircraft series and enables 130 kg weight to be saved, constitutes a world premiere. With the benefit of this experience, Aerospatials has decided to develop a research programme, the aim of which is to demonstrate the technical feasibility of a complete wing box for 80-120 seater aircraft. The target is to achieve 20 % weight saving with respect to a metallic baseline wing, with a low exchange rate, using the industrial facilities developed for the ATR 72 outer wing box (Fig. 1). Today, the cost of composite structures is approximately 15 % - 20 % higher than metal structures. Concurrently, cost reduction studies are proceeding using: R.T.M. process, Thermoplastics, new electrical bonding approaches.
Wing box in composite materials
Tragflächenkästen aus Verbundwerkstoffen
1994
8 Seiten, 8 Bilder
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Englisch
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