The History of Aircraft Materials
The History of Aircraft Materials Questions to answer in this module… What is the brief history of the materials used to construct aircraft? Why were these materials adopted? Why did some materials replace others? What is the future for materials in aircraft?
1843 - Rubber Charles Goodyear – Vulcanization Tires Seals and gaskets
1903 - First flight - Wright Brothers Aluminum engine block Spruce & steel wire structure Fabric skin
1903 - Wright Brothers Why wood and wire structure? Why fabric skin?
1903 – Aluminum Engine Block Most internal combustion engines of the time were of cast iron construction
1907 – Plastic Leo Hendrik Baekeland – refines plastic production to create bakelite
1915 – All Metal Airplane Hugo Junkers Steel tubing Sheet iron skin
1916 - Stressed Skin Construction LFG Roland C.II
Stressed-Skin Construction Why stressed-skin? Skeleton-like space frame construction used for non-stressed skin aircraft.
1926 - Semi-Monocoque Construction Ford Tri-motor
Semi-Monocoque Construction Cutaway view semi-monocoque construction
1930’s – Increased Aluminum Use Duralumin and Alclad
1931 - Stainless Steel Construction Budd BB-1 Pioneer
Steel/ Stainless Steel vs. Aluminum So why not build all aircraft out of stainless steel? Corrosion resistance Weight Cost Buckling failure
1936 - Plastics Use Expands Plexiglas
1942 - Composites- Fiberglass Cockpit components for war effort
1940’s – 1950’s Superalloys Before World War II iron based alloys were developed for high temperture work. The war increased demand of performance materials for turbochargers and jets.
1950-1963 - Titanium The A-12 precursor to the SR-71
1969 - Carbon Fiber Composites Rolls-Royce RB211 jet turbofan engine
1970 – Boron Fiber Composites F-14 Tomcat
1981 - Ceramics Space Shuttle Thermal Protection Tiles
1998 - Aluminum-Lithium Space Shuttle external fuel tank
2005- GLARE “GLAss-Reinforced” Fiber Metal Laminate (FML)
2009 – Boeing 787 Dreamliner Large scale composite use
Future- Intelligent Materials Inbedded sensors and monitoring systems Materials change properties and configurations
Future- Nanotechnology Ultra-strength Composites Locally tailored materials for specific requirements
Summary What is the brief history of the materials used to construct aircraft? Why were these materials adopted? What is the future for materials in aircraft?