Aerospace Applications of

Composite Materials
- Rucha Vanarase
- Prajakta Arjun
- Ankita Sanke
- Prashanti Karande
Composite Materials
• A material made from two or more constituent materials with
significantly different physical or chemical properties that, when
combined, produce a material with characteristics different from the
individual components. The individual components remain separate
and distinct within the finished structure. [1]
• The material is composed of two or more different phases (matrix and
dispersed phases).
• They are used to obtain better physical and chemical properties than
either of the parent materials. [2]
Structure of Composites
• The primary phase, having
continuous structure, is called
matrix. It is usually the more
ductile phase. It holds the
dispersed phase.
• Dispersed phase is embedded
in the matrix. It is usually
stronger than the primary Figure 1 – Structure of Composites [3]
phase, hence also called the
reinforcing phase. [2]
Examples of composites
• Reinforced concrete and masonry
• Composite wood such as plywood
• Reinforced plastics, such as fibre-reinforced polymer or fiberglass
• Ceramic matrix composites (composite ceramic and metal matrices)
• Metal matrix composites

• The most advanced examples perform routinely on spacecraft and 

aircraft in demanding environments. [4]
Why composites in aerospace?
• High strength to weight ratio
• High creep resistance
• High tensile strength at elevated
temperatures
• High toughness [4]

Figure 2 – Laminations of composite [5]

FIBRE REINFORCED APPLICATIONS
PLASTIC
Glass Aircraft interiors
Small passenger air conditioner parts
Secondary parts
Rocket Motor casings
Radones
Aramid Non-load bearing parts
Rocket motor casings
Structural parts
Radones
Carbon All types of parts in air conditioner
Satellites
Antenna dishes
Missiles
Structural parts in fighter jets
Space structures
Control surfaces in air conditioners
Structural parts in spacecraft

Table 1 – Applications of fibre reinforced plastics in aerospace [6]

Figure 3 – Usage of reinforced plastics in airplanes [6]
Boeing 777
• Long range wide body
twin jet airliner
• World’s largest twinjet
airplane
• Capacity of 300+
passengers
• Range of 9000-17000 km
• 12% composites are used
in construction [4] Figure 4 – Usage of composites in Boeing 777 [4]
Boeing 787 Dreamliner
• Long range, mid size, wide body, twin engine jet airliner
• Each 787 approximately contains 32000 kg of carbon fibre reinforced
plastic made with 23 tonnes of carbon fibre
• Composites are used on fuselage, wings, tail, doors and interior
• Carbon fibres have higher strength to weight ratio
• Hence 787 is much lighter than 777 [7]
Figure 5 – Materials used in Boeing 787 Dreamliner [7]
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages
• Weight of aircraft is reduced by
20-50% with use of composites
• Corrosion resistance
• Fatigue resistance
• Mechanical properties are
tailorable
• Lower assembly costs
Disadvantages
• Higher material costs
• Nonvisible impact damage
• Repairs to composites are more
tedious and have different
procedures
• Isolation is needed to prevent
galvanic corrosion of adjacent
aluminium parts [8]
Conclusion
• Composite materials play an increasingly important role in aerospace
applications [1-4]
• Boeing 787 uses more than 50% composite materials in its structure
[4]
• With their unique combination of properties such as low weight, high
strength, high flexibility, low flammability, non-toxicity, durability,
composites are ideal for many aerospace applications, for both interior
and exterior components [6-8]
References
1. Applications and future of composite materials, A review – Gourav Gupta,
Ankur Kumar, Rahul Tyagi, Sachin Kumar
2. Composite materials e-book – DRDO, Ministry of Defence, Delhi
3. Research Significance, Applications and Fabrication of Hybrid Metal
Composites – S A Mohan Krishna, T S Shridhar, L Krishnamurthy
4. Composites in Aerospace Applications e-book – Aaron Quiller
5. Applications of Composite Materials In Aerospace – Reena Antil
6. Composite Materials for Aerospace Applications – P D Mangalgiri
7. Composite Materials in Aerospace Applications – A V K Nayak
8. Insight – e-book by Aerospace Technology Institute