Applications of All Elements in All Sectors
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Aberfeldy Footbridge The Aberfeldy footbridge
in Scotland is the world’s longest composite bridge, with a
span of 113m. This footbridge was built across the river Tay in the summer of
1990 to link two sides of a public golf course. The deck and pylons of this bridge
were constructed from interlocking "standard" pultruded
box-sections designed by Maunsell Engineering Ltd. Without due attention at the
design stage, the comparitively low Young’s modulus can result in unacceptably
low natural frequencies, although this can be readily addressed through the
addition of strategically placed mass. The use of composite materials resulted in a lightweight structure, which
could be erected without the aid of
heavy machinery. In addition, the inherent environmental stability of the
material meant that routine painting of the structure is unnecessary, thus
reducing the through-life costs of the structure.
Reference: "Aberfeldy Bridge –
An Advanced Textile Reinforced Footbridge", CJ Burgoyne and PR Head,
TechTextil Symposium Frankfurt 1993 Keywords: Aberfeldy, Bridge, Pultrusion, Through-life
Airbus Industries A 300 Airbus
Industries, with its headquarters in Toulouse, France, uses a wide range of
composites components including the tail fin
(vertical stabiliser) and tailplane (horizontal stabiliser). The use of
composite materials has led to significant weight-savings compared to aluminium
alloy. Final assembly of the A300/A310, A320 and A330/340 is undertaken at the
main site in Toulouse. Wing integration is carried out at Toulouse
and Hamburg.
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Aircraft Applications The range of applications for which composites are candidate materials of
construction is vast. The issues of weight and corrosion resistance are common
to almost every industry and whilst there is no materials system which can offer
a panacea to all problems, there has been, and continues to be, opportunities
for composites to provide significant improvements in component performance. The
uses of composites can vary with respect to materials of construction,
motivating factors that determined the choice of composites in the first
instance, and degree of maturity in the product development cycle.
While the utilisation of composites, in tonnage terms, for aircraft
components constitutes a relatively small percentage of total use, the materials
often find their most sophisticated applications in this industry. In aerospace
the demands placed upon materials can be greater than in other areas, often
requiring a combination of light weight, high strength, high stiffness and good
fatigue resistance. Military aircraft were the first to use composites in
significant quantities. The first applications were in radomes and then in
secondary structures and internal components. The modulus of glass, however, is
low compared with that of metals and it was not until the advent of boron and
carbon reinforcements that significant interest in terms of primary structures
developed. The situation in the present day, where use of composites is
extensive, has been the result of a gradual direct substitution of metal
components followed by the development of integrated composite designs as
confidence has increased. Examples include: Airbus
Industries A 320 , Harrier AV-8B,
European Fighter Aircraft
(EFA), Aircraft
propellers, Helicopter
Airframes , Helicopter rotor blades
and Helicopter rotor hubs
Click here for a detailed case study of this application.
Aircraft floor Composite sandwich panels are commonly used for the construction of aircraft
flooring. The sandwich structure used typically consists of thin, high strength
skins adhered to a low density core. This construction leads to a high bending
stiffness and strength at low overall mass. The skins operate in nearly pure
tension or compression and the bulk of the through thickness shear loads are
carried by the core. Typical designs employ aluminium alloy, GFRP (usually
R-Glass) or CFRP skins. Core materials used include balsa wood and aramid paper
(Nomex) or aluminium honeycombs. The combination selected will depend on the
application - for example aluminium alloy skins on an aluminium honeycomb core
might be used for the floor on a military transport aircraft where concentrated
loadings can be expected, whereas GFRP skins over an aramid honeycomb core might
be specified for a passenger aircraft floor. Safety regulations require the use
of low smoke and toxicity material in the construction of aircraft interior
components and phenolic resins are widely used in place of epoxy as the face
plate matrix system.
The floor is designed to meet a number of requirements including stiffness
and strength. Stiffness is important for a number of reasons including passenger
comfort when standing and walking. The strength requirements are defined
according to the worst of normal operating and crash case loads. Consideration
of strength is most important for concentrated loads applied to the skins or to
fittings. Specially designed fittings are normally used for introduction of high
loads, e.g. a seat attachment. The design requirements will typically vary
according to the location (e.g. a high traffic entry area or under-seat region)
and function of the panel but will usually form part of the aircraft
manufacturer's specification.
Comprehensive design information relating to aircraft floor panels is
available from HEXCEL Composites.
Aircraft general While
the utilisation of composites, in tonnage terms, for aircraft components
constitutes a relatively small percentage of total use, the materials often find
their most sophisticated applications in this industry. In aerospace the demands
placed upon materials can be greater than in other areas, often requiring a
combination of light weight, high strength, high stiffness and good fatigue
resistance. Military aircraft were the first to use composites in significant
quantities. The first applications were in radomes and then in secondary
structures and internal components. The modulus of glass, however, is low
compared with that of metals and it was not until the advent of boron and carbon
reinforcements that significant interest in terms of primary structures
developed. The situation in the present day, where use of composites is
extensive, has been the result of a gradual direct substitution of metal
components followed by the development of integrated composite designs as
confidence has increased. The Airbus 320 has a whole range of components made
from composites, including the fin and tailplane This has led to a weight-saving
of 800 kg over its equivalent in aluminium alloy.
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Displaying 1 to 5 of 44 applications.
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