How Aerospace Became The Largest Consumer Of Composites

1. How Aerospace Became The Largest Consumer Of Composites It is well known throughout our industry that Aerospace is the single largest consumer of composite materials. Companies like Boeing and Airbus rely on composites for manufacturing fuselage panels, wings, interior parts, and more. But it wasn't always like that. Before composites, aerospace companies used other materials. So how did we get here? How did aerospace get from the 'primitive' materials of the Wright brothers to the space-age composites being used today? It's a long story. It is also a story worth telling because it explains why composites are so important to so many industries. Making Planes from Wood Man has been looking for ways to fly for thousands of years. From tower jumping with artificial wings to flying kites in ancient China, humans have been fascinated by flight from the very beginning. As early as the 17th century, inventors were designing primitive aircraft with frames made of wood and canvas. Inventors like Sir George Caley, Percy Pilcher, and the Wright brothers all relied on wood and canvas to construct air frames light enough to stay aloft. The Wrights went on to solve the power and control problems that had previously thwarted attempts at powered aviation. Eventually, wood and canvas aircraft were taking to the skies with regularity. But it quickly became apparent that wood was insufficient for building larger, faster aircraft capable of making commercial aviation possible. So inventors started looking around for other materials. Rock West Composites

2. From Wood to Aluminum The search for new aerospace materials quickly eliminated steel and iron as possibilities. Both materials are too heavy to be of practical use for flight, and neither one stands up well to the stress of aviation. Aluminum is another matter altogether. Engineers discovered that it was strong enough, light enough, and easy enough to work with to replace wood and canvas. Aluminum quickly became the material of choice for commercial and military aviation. Over time, aerospace manufacturers wanted planes to be larger and lighter. So engineers began mixing aluminum with alloys – like titanium. By experimenting with a variety of alloys, they gradually got bigger planes into the air. From Aluminum to Composites The dawn of the jumbo jet era made it obvious that aluminum and aluminum alloys would have to give way to newer materials that were both stronger and lighter. Thus, the aerospace industry began looking at composites. The goal was to replace as much metal as possible without sacrificing structural integrity. Through many decades of testing and manufacturing, aerospace companies have managed to replace as much as 50% of the aluminum and alloys with carbon fiber, fiberglass, and other composites. This isn't to say that metals are no longer used. Indeed, they are. Commercial aircraft still rely on aluminum, titanium, and steel for some of their parts. It is All About Size and Weight Back when the Wright brothers were working on overcoming power and control problems, their biggest concerns revolved around structural integrity. Wood and canvas can only stand so much stress. Today, the aerospace industry is fully confident in the strength of their composite materials. Their focus now is on size and weight. The crowning jewel of the Boeing fleet, the 787, is just about 50% composite materials. If it weren't for composites, that plane would never get off the ground. It is just too big. It is materials like carbon fiber and fiberglass that allow companies like Boeing and Airbus to build ever larger commercial aircraft and keep them in the air. Necessity has brought commercial aviation from wood and canvas to composites. It has also made aerospace the single largest consumer of composites. Rock West Composites