INGENIEUR
Advanced Composites
Application in the
Aerospace Industry
By Mohamad Faruqi Nazri
Learning & Development Director
Nadi Aero Consultants Sdn Bhd
Figure 1: Composites comprised of two or
more materials that formed a new material
A
erospace engineering has experienced a
huge evolution in material sciences with
many technological challenges in terms of
the development of specialised materials, e.g.,
composite materials since the first flight by the
Wright brothers in the early 1900s. Nowadays,
composite materials are crucial in aerospace
engineering due to their strength at a lower weight,
stiffness and corrosion resistant properties. This
article gives an insight into composite materials
used in aircraft structure and reviews advanced
composites as structural materials. Progressive
development allows for their application in new
areas in the future.
Composites can be defined as materials that
are made from two or more constituent materials
with significantly different physical or chemical
properties that when combined, produce a
material with characteristics different from the
individual components. The individual components
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remain separate and distinct within the finished
structure, which differentiates composites from
mixtures and solid solutions.
Composite materials are capable of providing
a better strength-to-weight ratio than single
structure materials: sometimes by up to a 20%
improvement. Less weight means lower fuel
consumption, emissions and costs, and due
to plastic structures requiring fewer riveted
joints, enhanced aerodynamic efficiencies and
reduced manufacturing costs. The aviation
industry was naturally attracted by such benefits
when composites first appeared, but it was the
manufacturers of military aircraft who initially
seized the opportunity to exploit their use to
improve the speed and manoeuvrability of their
products.
Weight is everything when it comes to heavier
than air machines, and designers have striven
continuously to improve lift to weight ratios since