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 ENVIRONMENT

3 Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond

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 Weaknesses
 Broad experience  High density
 Repairability  Fatigue behavior
Metals (Al-alloys)  Static behavior  Corrosion behavior
 Improvement potential  High costs of new alloys

 Fatigue behavior  Impact behavior

Composites (CFRP)  Low density  No “plasticity”
 No corrosion  Repairability
 Best suited for smart  Recycling
structures

 Improved fatigue  Lower stiffness

Fiber Metal Laminates  Better “tailoring”  Higher density
 Higher fire “resistance”  Less industrialized
 Less corrosion process
(compared to Al-alloys) (compared to CFRP)

5 Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond

 What the airframe requires

Upper skin:
Compression/stability Bending and
Lower skin: Torsion
Longitudinal stress Tension/crack growth
Static/residual strength
Impact
Crack growth Shear
stress Bending

Impact
Hoop stress and longi-
tudinal stress Shear stress due to trans-
verse shear and torsion

Impact
Compression due to bending,
stability, static strength,
Hoop Impact corrosion resistance
stress High local
loads
6 Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond
Composites vs. metal: The benefit of competition

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

CFRP Wing
Fuselage section CFRP Adaptive
Center wing box Fuselage Structures,
SHM
Pressure
bulkhead
Keel beam
Floor panels
CFRP design advanced
VTP, HTP Al casting
Flaps, Successor
Moveables, GLARE®
Rudder FSW, Al-Sc
Fairings

GLARE®, LBW,
EBW, Ti alloys

Al-Li
Al-Li

Metal design
LBW,
extrusions
7 Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond
How Airbus airframes have evolved
A300/A310 A320 A330/A340 A380 A400M

… … …
GFRP fairings, …
radome, fin CFRP primary
CFRP primary CFRP primary CFRP wing
structure: Center Wing
leading edges structure: flaps, structure: HTP as
Box, Rear fuselage,
horizontal fuel tank further
CFRP movables: wing ribs
tailplane (HTP) airframe
spoilers, CFRP primary Higher modulus carbon innovations …
airbrakes, rudder Automated Tape structure: pressure fibers
CFRP primary laying bulkhead, keel
Upper fuselage: fiber
structure: fin beam, floor panels
Laser Beam metal laminate
(A310-300) (A340-600)
Welding (LBW) LBW, Electron Beam
(A318) Resin infusion Welding
techniques
Resin film infusion
Thermoplastic
Automated fiber
CFRP (A340-600)
placement
New Al-alloys New Al-, Ti-alloys

1974 (EIS) 2009

8 Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond
Airbus: The leader in CFRP technology
35

30
CFRP structural weight %

A400M

25

A380
20

15
A340-600

10 A340-300
A320

5 A310/200
A300

0
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Year
9 Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond
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, … Example: section 18, lower panel

10 Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond

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

Example: section 18, main deck panel

GLARE® Micrograph
500 µm

High performance FML (e.g. improved static

strength, improved stiffness)

11 Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond

A380: The most advanced airframe (examples)

GLARE®
CFRP Floor Beams
for Upper Deck CFRP
Section 19.1

CFRP
CFRP Wing Section 19
Ribs

More Ti & New

Ti-processing
(electron beam welding)

Integral Structures (LBW) CFRP Center Wing Box

12 Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond
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

13 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

14 Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond

“Intelligent” aircraft structure: more than SHM

Self-Monitoring
Adaptive Structure

Nano-Materials
Self-Cleaning
Material Matched
New Design
Nanotechnology
Synergy between fuselage Sensors
and cabin interior

Self-Healing

15 Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond

Future Airbus airframe technology

High performance “Intelligent” airframe

Airbus airframe vision

Advanced composite & metallic materials

New Composite material applications

Optimized material matched design

Composites adapted design

Fiber Metal Laminates 2st, 3rd Generation SHM

New metals and adapted design Nanotechnology: materials & sensors

Composites primary & secondary structure 1st Generation Structural Health Monitoring

New material processes Adaptive structures

1970 1990 2010 2030

16 Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond

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

17 Materials for airframes, the A380 and beyond