A9
Paper #6077
Disclaimer — This paper partially fulfills a writing requirement for first year (freshman) engineering students at the
University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering. This paper is a student, not a professional, paper. This paper is
based on publicly available information and may not be provide complete analyses of all relevant data. If this paper is used
for any purpose other than these authors’ partial fulfillment of a writing requirement for first year (freshman) engineering
students at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering, the user does so at his or her own risk.
ADDITION OF CARBON NANOTUBES TO COMPOSITES
IN COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT
Adrian Reitars, amr210@pitt.edu, Mahboobin, 10:00, Steven Roth, smr120@pitt.edy, Mahboobin, 4:00
Revised Proposal — The immense use of fossil fuels in
commercial aviation presents a dire need to increase
efficiency. With no major advancements in renewable fuel
sources within the aviation industry, it is necessary to
improve the efficiency of aircrafts in order to prolong our
resources until new innovations arrive. In an attempt to
maintain safety while improving fuel efficiency, the use of
light and durable materials becomes essential. In recent
years the use of composite materials in the commercial
airline industry has grown significantly. Composites are
made from materials with complementary properties that,
when combined, result in improved physical and chemical
properties over the original materials. The greatest benefit of
composites over old materials is their higher strength to
weight ratio. The materials’ lightweight characteristics and
robust strength make them ideal candidates for commercial
aviation, a field where both factors are crucial.
Although composite technology is gaining momentum in
the field of aviation, the process of engineering and
maintaining a composite based plane remains extremely
complex due to the material’s unique properties and
characteristics. This extreme complexity poses a safety
concern since composite commercial airplanes are being
developed and put into use before engineers and maintenance
crews fully understand how to best apply and care for these
materials.
The challenge with properly adapting the composites is
understanding where and how they should be implemented in
the structure of an aircraft. The composites are very strong
under tension, but they still have the ability to break and
separate when forces are applied in certain ways. Damage
done to the composite material is extremely hard to
recognize, and this poses a grave safety concern for those
aboard the plane. Engineers are researching methods for
strengthening these composites, considering some form of
stitching as an option.
Recent work has shown carbon nanotubes, an
impressively strong and lightweight cylinder comprised of
carbon molecules, to be an optimal material to weave
between the layers of the composite, resulting in strength in
various directions [1]. By adding multidirectional strength,
engineers could then treat the composites more like metal
alloys. Engineers have years of experience working with
metal alloys, and they are much simpler materials to model
University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering 1
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compared to traditional composites. The use of carbon
nanotube based composites would ensure that the engineers
design a stronger, safer, more durable aircraft that is
suitable for commercial use.
In conducting research for this topic, resources such as
Compendex will be primarily consulted. These scholarly
search engines will provide the articles and journals
necessary to accurately and fully describe the topic with
accurate information. The structure of the paper will be in
the following order: an introduction to composites, an
understanding of their weaknesses, carbon nanotubes as a
solution, and a conclusion.
REFERENCES
[1] R. Yancey. (2012). “How Composites are Strengthening
the Aviation Industry.” MIT Industry Week. (online article).
http://www.industryweek.com/none/how-composites-arestrengthening-aviation-industry
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
M. Alberding, M. Jones, M. Laszewski, T. Shah. (2012).
“Carbon Nanostructures for Electromagnetic Shielding and
Lightning Strike Protection Applications in Aircraft.”
Aerospace
EMC.
(online
article).
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/icp.jsp?arnumber=6232555&ta
g=1#article
This article which comes from IEEE, a reputable source
for topics within electrical engineering, describes the effects
of carbon nanotubes on the electrical properties of an aircraft
frame. The article describes the highly conductive properties
of carbon nanotubes which can improve a plane’s ability to
cope with lightning strikes. Information in this article will be
used to describe the electrical benefits of implementing
carbon nanotubes in an aircraft frame.
K. Bourzac. (2009). “Strengthening Airplanes with Carbon
Nanotubes.” MIT Technology Review. (online article).
http://www.technologyreview.com/view/412386/strengthenin
g-airplanes-with-carbon-nanotubes/
This news article comes from the MIT technology review,
speaking briefly on research done by MIT composite research
Adrian Reitars
Steven Roth
teams. The science behind carbon nanotubes as reinforcement
for composites materials is discussed, along with the current
faults of regular composite materials. The information on
reinforcing composite materials will be used to strengthen our
point on the use of carbon nanotubes to solve the current
issues of composite materials.
http://www.maneyonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1179/09506600
4225010505
This article posted in International Materials Review, a
peer-reviewed journal dedicated to determining material
properties, investigates the production and characteristics of
carbon nanotubes on a fundamental level. This article
explains the chemistry behind the incredible mechanical,
electrical, thermal properties of carbon nanotubes. This
information will be used to explain why carbon nanotubes
behave the way that they do, and the current limitations for
producing carbon nanotubes on a large scale.
D. Cairns, L. Wood. (2009). “Composite Materials for
Aircraft Structures.” Department of Mechanical and
Industrial Engineering Montana State University. (online
presentation).
http://www.montana.edu/dcairns/documents/composites/MS
UComposites2009.pdf
This presentation was created by a senior engineer, who
worked with several corporations and academic institutions.
It describes the structure of composite materials, along with
their intended uses in the aviation industry. Positives and
negatives are listed for their use, and the benefits of adding
carbon nanotubes to composites are discussed. This
information will build upon basic composite knowledge and
provide the pros and cons for their use in aircrafts.
(2009). “Nanostitching, 'fuzzy fibers' boost composites’
through-plane properties.” SAE International. (online article).
http://articles.sae.org/6763/
This article comes from the International Society of
Automotive Engineers, an organization focused on research
in the transportation industry. The information presented here
describes composite materials and the issue with their
strength lying in a single geometric plane. Organizations
looking to implement carbon nanotubes are mentioned, and
their positive findings are communicated. This information
will introduce the failures of current composites and
showcase the benefits of carbon nanotube based composites.
T. Choub, L. Gaoa, E. Thostensonb, Z. Zhanga. (2010). “A
Comparative Study of Damage Sensing in Fiber Composites
Using Uniformly and Non-Uniformly Dispersed Carbon
Nanotubes.” Carbon. (online article).
http://ejournals.ebsco.com/Direct.asp?AccessToken=46Y95Y
T8KBK5PS2LJ11B6L5EPUUY8Y1K6&Show=Object
This article was found on Carbon, an international journal
which focuses on communicating advances in the field of
carbon nanomaterials. This article details how the conductive
properties of carbon nanotubes can be applied in fiber
composites to detect small imperfections which would
otherwise be undetectable. This article will help us outline
how carbon nanotubes increase the safety and maintainability
of composite aircraft.
J. Sloan. (2014). “Boeing Offers Insight On 787 Composites
Lessons.”
Composites
World.
(online
article).
http://www.compositesworld.com/blog/post/despite-787boeing-not-sold-on-composites
This article is comprised of information from a conference
with John Byrne, VP of aircraft materials and structures at
The Boeing Company. In this article, John Byrne details the
economic and engineering challenges that a company faces
when designing and building an aircraft made of traditional
composites. This article will be used to describe the
limitations of traditional composites and how carbon
nanotubes will help to overcome these obstacles.
B. Haltli, S. O’Donnell, K. Sprong. (2005). “Potential Impact
of Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Polymer Composite on
Commercial Aircraft Performance and Economics.” The
MITRE
Corporation.
(online
article).
https://www.mitre.org/sites/default/files/pdf/04_0986.pdf
This multi-authored analysis of carbon nanotube
reinforced composites comes from the nonprofit technology
corporation MITRE. The analysis outlines the forces in
carbon nanotube reinforced polymers and examines their
unique physical properties which give them their high
strength. An examination of current composite based aircrafts
is also outlined and reviewed. This information will provide
strong mathematical and physical explanations for our
position on the use of carbon nanotubes in aircraft
composites.
G. Warwick. (2012). “Cold Comfort.” Aviation Week and
Space
Technology.
(online
article).
http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=13&sid=d
de334d3-3594-4083-90ab286731c1b43b%40sessionmgr4004&hid=4112&bdata=JnNp
dGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=74480922
This article is published in Aviation Weekly, a well
known, trustworthy, news outlet specializing in aerospace
engineering. The article is associated with Battelle Memorial
Institute, an engineering nonprofit, and it discusses the use
carbon nanotubes in the paint of aircraft. This application aids
in deicing the plane and preventing frost from forming. This
information will be used in order to present further
applications of carbon nanotubes in the aviation industry.
P. Harris. (2004). “Carbon Nanotube Composites.”
International
Materials
Reviews.
(online
article).
R. Yancey. (2012). “How Composites are Strengthening the
Aviation Industry.” MIT Industry Week. (online article).
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Adrian Reitars
Steven Roth
http://www.industryweek.com/none/how-composites-arestrengthening-aviation-industry
This online article from IndustryWeek, written by a senior
aerospace engineer at Altair, gives a broad overview of the
history of composites in the aerospace industry. It provides
the history of carbon nanotubes in aviation, as well as their
benefits and drawbacks when compared to more traditional
materials. This broad information will give the audience a
general understanding of why we need to improve upon our
current composite technology.
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