Technology Briefing on Materials at Farnborough 04 Airshow
July 20-21, 2004
Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond
Technology Briefing on Materials at Farnborough 04 Airshow
July 20-21, 2004
Presented by
Alain Garcia
Executive Vice President
Airbus Engineering
Jürgen Klenner
Senior Vice President
Airbus Engineering
Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond
Superior airframe: Airbus vision
CUSTOMER
Maintenance
free airframe
Highest
performance
Environmentally
friendly airframe
AIRBUS
3
Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond
ENVIRONMENT
The Airbus airframe philosophy
Airbus sustained leadership in advanced aircraft
structures by:
 Being always at the forefront of technology.
 Applying the most advanced structure technologies as a prime
goal since the beginning of Airbus.
 Considering customer needs, performance, environment/health
& safety aspects.
 Pushing new technologies, carefully evaluated and introduced
step-by-step as soon as they are matured.
 Fostering the competition between different materials to exploit
their physical potentials and enhance their performance.
4
Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond
Materials for airframes
Strengths
Metals (Al-alloys)
Composites (CFRP)
Fiber Metal Laminates
5
Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond
Weaknesses
 Broad experience
 Repairability
 Static behavior
 Improvement potential
 High density
 Fatigue behavior
 Corrosion behavior
 High costs of new alloys
 Fatigue behavior
 Low density
 No corrosion
 Best suited for smart
structures
 Impact behavior
 No “plasticity”
 Repairability
 Recycling
 Improved fatigue
 Better “tailoring”
 Higher fire “resistance”
 Less corrosion
(compared to Al-alloys)
 Lower stiffness
 Higher density
 Less industrialized
process
(compared to CFRP)
What the airframe requires
Upper skin:
Compression/stability
Lower skin:
Tension/crack growth
Longitudinal stress
Static/residual strength
Crack growth
Bending and
Torsion
Impact
Shear
stress
Bending
Impact
Hoop stress and longitudinal stress
Shear stress due to transverse shear and torsion
Impact
Hoop
stress
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Impact
Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond
High local
loads
Compression due to bending,
stability, static strength,
corrosion resistance
Composites vs. metal: The benefit of competition
1980
1970
1990
2010
2000
2020
CFRP Wing
Fuselage section
Center wing box
Pressure
bulkhead
Keel beam
Floor panels
CFRP design
advanced
Al casting
VTP, HTP
Flaps,
Fairings
Moveables,
Rudder
FSW, Al-Sc
GLARE®, LBW,
EBW, Ti alloys
Al-Li
Al-Li
Metal design
LBW,
extrusions
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Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond
CFRP
Fuselage
Adaptive
Structures,
SHM
Successor
GLARE®
How Airbus airframes have evolved
A320
A300/A310
GFRP fairings,
radome, fin
leading edges
CFRP movables:
spoilers,
airbrakes, rudder
CFRP primary
structure: fin
(A310-300)
…
CFRP primary
structure: flaps,
horizontal
tailplane (HTP)
Automated Tape
laying
Laser Beam
Welding (LBW)
(A318)
A330/A340
…
…
CFRP primary
structure: HTP as
fuel tank
CFRP primary
structure: Center Wing
Box, Rear fuselage,
wing ribs
CFRP primary
structure: pressure
bulkhead, keel
beam, floor panels
(A340-600)
Resin infusion
techniques
Thermoplastic
CFRP (A340-600)
New Al-alloys
1974 (EIS)
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Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond
A380
Higher modulus carbon
fibers
A400M
…
CFRP wing
further
airframe
innovations …
Upper fuselage: fiber
metal laminate
LBW, Electron Beam
Welding
Resin film infusion
Automated fiber
placement
New Al-, Ti-alloys
2009
Airbus: The leader in CFRP technology
CFRP structural weight %
35
30
A400M
25
A380
20
15
A340-600
10
A340-300
A320
5
A310/200
A300
0
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
Year
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Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond
1995
2000
2005
2010
Airbus: The leader in metal technology
Advanced metal technologies
Laser Beam Welding (LBW)
Stringer guiding system
Beam guidance
Stringer to skin LBW
New Al-alloys: e.g. Al-Li
New Ti-alloys
Electron Beam Welding
Friction Stir Welding
Extrusions, Castings, …
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Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond
Example: section 18, lower panel
Airbus: The leader in fiber metal laminates (FML)
Fiber metal laminates (FML)
GLARE® application in A380 upper fuselage
and D-noses (HTP, VTP)
Composite material
(GFRP)
Aluminum
material
GLARE® Micrograph
500 µm
High performance FML (e.g. improved static
strength, improved stiffness)
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Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond
Example: section 18, main deck panel
A380: The most advanced airframe (examples)
GLARE®
CFRP Wing
Ribs
CFRP Floor Beams
for Upper Deck
CFRP
Section 19.1
CFRP
Section 19
More Ti & New
Ti-processing
(electron beam welding)
Integral Structures (LBW)
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Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond
CFRP Center Wing Box
New horizon: The “intelligent” aircraft structure
Further approaching the Superior Airframe Vision, Airbus is
aiming at the “intelligent” structure:
 Best suited to local airframe needs, i.e. optimised hybrid design
 Self-monitoring and reacting
 Adaptable to changing requirements
 Highest tolerance towards external effects
to enable:
 Leading edge of performance
 Minimum maintenance, extended operational life
 Highest possible environmental friendliness
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Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond
Structure Health Monitoring – Aspect of Airbus
“intelligent” airframe
Human nervous system: The brain detects intensity and
location of pain and judges when to go to the doctor.
Evaluation
SHM system: The SHM System checks the structure and evaluates the
follow up actions for maintenance.
 SHM 1st Generation: Maintenance cost reduction, increased aircraft availability
 SHM 2nd and 3rd Generation: New design philosophy enabling weight reduction
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Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond
“Intelligent” aircraft structure: more than SHM
Self-Monitoring
Adaptive Structure
Self-Cleaning
Nano-Materials
Material Matched
New Design
Nanotechnology
Sensors
Synergy between fuselage
and cabin interior
Self-Healing
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Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond
Future Airbus airframe technology
Advanced composite & metallic materials
New Composite material applications
Optimized material matched design
Composites adapted design
2st, 3rd Generation SHM
Fiber Metal Laminates
Nanotechnology: materials & sensors
New metals and adapted design
Composites primary & secondary structure
1st Generation Structural Health Monitoring
Adaptive structures
New material processes
1970
16
1990
Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond
2010
2030
Airbus airframe vision
High performance “Intelligent” airframe
Conclusion
 Best materials and related technologies have been used/will be used in
future in Airbus airframe for the specific application: THE BEST
MATERIAL FOR THE SPECIFIC APPLICATION not ONE MATERIAL
FOR ALL.
 The philosophy of best material use leads to a hybrid airframe adapted to
the local specific requirements (mixture of different materials).
 The high performance “intelligent” Airbus airframe is:
- optimized regarding new materials matched design
- self-monitoring and reacting
- adaptable to changing requirements
 The high performance “intelligent” Airbus airframe technology is introduced
step-by-step after demonstrating maturity, securing the leading role of
Airbus in airframe technology
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Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond