VS

Preda Alexandru-Daniel
Group 932
Faculty of Aerospace Engineering

TOPICS :
What are composite materials?
Why to use it ? Advantages/Desadvantages
Exploitation & usage in nowdays
Historical Reference
Conclusion

What are composite

materials ?

Composite materialsare materials made from two or more

constituent materials with significantly differentphysicalor
chemical properties, that when combined, produce a material with
characteristics different from the individual components. The
individual components remain separate and distinct within the
finished structure.

In aviation the common composite materials

are:
Fiberglass

Carbon Fiber

Fiber reinforced matrix

or a combination of any of these

AIRBUS A350 XWB :

Since June 2013 Airbus is flight testing the A350XWB. The latest
Airbus now boast a 53% usage of COMPOSITE MATERIAL among its
long lists of new features.
Over 70% of the A350 XWBs weight-efficient AIRFRAME is made
from advanced materials combining :

60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Composites 53%
Advanced Al Alloys 19%

Titanium 14%
Others 14%

The NOSE section uses a

mix of:
Titanium; 5%

Composites; 40%

Al / Al - Li Alloys; 55%

AIRBUS A350XWB

Most of the A350 XWB's WING is made of the LIGHTWEIGHT

CARBON FIBER REINFORCED PLASTIC (CFRP) COMPOSITES,
including its upper and lower covers , measuring 32m long x
6m wide, making them the LARGEST single AVIATION PARTS
ever made from CARBON FIBER.

BOEING 787 DREAMLINER

Weight & consumption differences :

Both manufacturers claims a 20% weight loss using the composite
materials.
On the other hand, we can observe a difference on the fuel
consumption :

AIRBUS
BOEING

Another advantages of composite

materials are :
Polution reduction;
Noise reduction;
More pleasant environment for passengers (increase cabin
humidity - structure is less susceptible to condensation
and is highly resistant to corrosion);
Provide structural strength comparable to metallic alloys
but at a lighter weight;
Reduce maintenance costs and labor work hours ( ex. : the
comp. tail of B777 is 25% larger than the Al tail of B767,
yet require 35% less labor work hours).

Disadvantages :

High costs & complexity of repairs;

Over 150C the resin used in C.M. release toxic fumes and
microparticles into the air;
Temperatures above 300 degrees can cause structural failure.

Historical Timeline :
Usage of Composite Materials
-50s
-75s
-80s
B757
-85s
B767
-90s
B777
-2005
-2009
DRML
-2013
XWB

: B707
: A300
: A310 /
: A320 /
: A340 /

60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%

: A380
: B787

0%

50's

75's

80's

85's

Boeing

: A350

90's

Airbus

2005

'09

'13

Conclusion :
With AIRBUS and BOEING fighting each other over fuel efficiency,
passenger comfort and environmental impact the use of composite
of commercial aircraft will keep growing in the future.
The experience from the military (they have relatively large
development budget) aircraft will also help scientist to gather more
information about the behavior of the composite materials on
aircraft.

One more
thing

There is another market for composite material which is represented by

the RICH PEOPLE that use carbon fiber for :

Thats all folks ! Hope you

like it!