Advanced Aerospace Composite Materials

A special issue of Aerospace (ISSN 2226-4310). This special issue belongs to the section "Aeronautics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 18739

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Guest Editor
Bristol Composites Institute, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Bristol, Queen’s Building, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TR, UK
Interests: experimental mechanics; FRP composites; non-destructive evaluation; self-sensing; micromechanics; composite manufacturing
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Dear Colleagues,

Aerospace science and technology are increasingly turning to the development of high-performance structural materials and their applications with cutting-edge manufacturing processes. Fiber-reinforced composites are regarded as one of the significant materials to advance aerospace development. Fiber-reinforced composites can be incorporated with various kinds of matrices, such as polymer (either thermoset or thermoplastic), metal, and ceramic materials.

To lead aerospace composite materials, the research scope can be multidisciplinary structural and material interactions with remarkable specific strength and stiffness, superior mechanical properties, and multifunctionality. The use of composite materials in the aerospace sector can meet the demand for decreasing detrimental impacts due to the harsh environment and operation in use that include fatigue, damage tolerance, gust alleviation, humidity, and temperature. New approaches for the increase in structural end-of-life and condition monitoring are also of importance, and thus, advanced aerospace composite materials have versatile research scopes such as multifunctionality, digital twin, life cycle assessment, self-healing, and condition monitoring.

Members of the research community are welcome to contribute their research articles, communications, and reviews on advanced aerospace composite materials.

Dr. Kyungil Kong
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • multifunctional composites
  • renewable composites
  • digital twin
  • non-destructive testin
  • condition monitoring
  • sustainable process
  • interphase (interface)
  • self-healing composites
  • life cycle assessment

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 5615 KiB  
Article
Study on Failure Criteria and the Numerical Simulation Method of a Coal-Based Carbon Foam under Multiaxial Loading
by Qikai Zhuang, Xiaoquan Cheng, Peijie Yue, Xin Guo and Kai Li
Aerospace 2023, 10(8), 721; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10080721 - 17 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1289
Abstract
Coal-based carbon foam (CCF) has broad application prospects in aerospace, composite material tooling and other fields. However, the lack of failure criteria limits its promotion. In previous studies, the failure criteria of similar materials were proposed, but there are some limitations. This paper [...] Read more.
Coal-based carbon foam (CCF) has broad application prospects in aerospace, composite material tooling and other fields. However, the lack of failure criteria limits its promotion. In previous studies, the failure criteria of similar materials were proposed, but there are some limitations. This paper proposes improved failure criteria based on macro-mechanical tests. Furthermore, uniaxial and multiaxial loading tests were carried out to obtain accurate failure criteria of CCF. Finally, 3-points bending tests of the CCF sandwich structure were conducted and their finite element models (FEMs) were established. The CCF test results show that the mechanical properties of CCF are transversely isotropic. The failure criteria in this paper can accurately predict the stress when the CCF fails. The error band boundary formula caused by the dispersion of the material were also given. The maximum load Pmax calculated by the failure surface (3684 N) was only 4.7% larger than the mean value measured by the test (3518 N), and all of the Pmax measured by the test (3933 N, 3640 N, 3657 N, 3269 N, 3091 N) were between the maximum value (4297 N) and minimum value (3085 N) calculated by the error band boundary formula, which means that the failure criteria have good precision. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Aerospace Composite Materials)
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18 pages, 9532 KiB  
Article
A Novel Composite Helicopter Tail Rotor Blade with Enhanced Mechanical Properties
by Anton Hadăr, Andrei-Daniel Voicu, Florin Baciu, Daniel Vlăsceanu, Daniela-Ioana Tudose and Ştefan-Dan Pastramă
Aerospace 2023, 10(7), 647; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10070647 - 19 Jul 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2948
Abstract
This paper describes the transition towards a composite structure, with the same overall aerodynamic characteristics, for a tail rotor blade of an IAR330 helicopter. The newly proposed structure of the composite blade is made of a carbon-roving spar embedded with epoxy resin, a [...] Read more.
This paper describes the transition towards a composite structure, with the same overall aerodynamic characteristics, for a tail rotor blade of an IAR330 helicopter. The newly proposed structure of the composite blade is made of a carbon-roving spar embedded with epoxy resin, a hexagonal-cell honeycomb core manufactured by fused deposition modelling, and an outer skin made of multiple carbon-fibre-reinforced laminae. The blade was manufactured by the authors using the hand lay-up method at a scale of 1:3 with respect to the real one, and all stages of the manufacturing process are extensively described in the paper. The experimental tests were performed on an Instron 8872 testing machine by applying a bending force on its free edge, similar to the testing methodology employed by various composite blade manufacturers. A three-dimensional numerical model of the tail rotor blade was conceived, analysed using the finite element method, and validated by comparing the numerical and experimental values of the maximum bending force. Further, the model was used for a complex finite element analysis that showed the very good behaviour of the proposed composite blade during flight and emphasized the main advantages brought by the proposed composite structure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Aerospace Composite Materials)
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13 pages, 4551 KiB  
Article
Bird-Strike Analysis on Hybrid Composite Fan Blade: Blade-Level Validation
by Gruhalakshmi Yella, Prakash Jadhav and Chhaya Lande
Aerospace 2023, 10(5), 435; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10050435 - 7 May 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3127
Abstract
Bird strikes have long been a source of concern for all airlines across the world. It is the most significant design criterion for aircraft engine fan blades. As it is not practical to manufacture and test aviation engines repeatedly for minor design modifications, [...] Read more.
Bird strikes have long been a source of concern for all airlines across the world. It is the most significant design criterion for aircraft engine fan blades. As it is not practical to manufacture and test aviation engines repeatedly for minor design modifications, simulation analysis can be used to investigate strategies to reduce the influence of a bird strike on a jet engine by employing proper design and manufacturing processes for blades. This study proposes using two fibers (hybrid) instead of the single-fiber composite blade presently in use to address delamination problems. As an idea validation test, the coupon-level analysis results are validated using a four-point bend test of similar-size coupons. Following this validation, dynamic analysis is used to investigate the impact behavior of a rectangular plate subjected to a bird strike. The current research focuses on analyzing bird strikes on a hybrid composite fan blade using blade-level models. This study concentrates on the position of the bird’s impact and the joint region length of two materials. The results show that the joint region with a 40% length of glass composite shows the optimum level of normalized interlaminar shear strain in all three impact locations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Aerospace Composite Materials)
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12 pages, 3397 KiB  
Article
Thermoplastic Mandrel for Manufacturing Composite Components with Complex Structure
by Xishuang Jing, Siyu Chen, Jiuzhi An, Chengyang Zhang and Fubao Xie
Aerospace 2021, 8(12), 399; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace8120399 - 16 Dec 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4033
Abstract
This study was to solve the mandrel demolding problem after curing the composite component with complex structure. In this paper, a reusable thermoplastic mandrel with heating softening characteristics was developed by resin transfer molding (RTM). The glass transition temperature (Tg), surface roughness, and [...] Read more.
This study was to solve the mandrel demolding problem after curing the composite component with complex structure. In this paper, a reusable thermoplastic mandrel with heating softening characteristics was developed by resin transfer molding (RTM). The glass transition temperature (Tg), surface roughness, and reusability of the mandrel, as well as the shape, surface roughness, thickness uniformity, and internal quality of the formed structure, were tested. The result showed that the Tg of the mandrel was between 80 and 90 °C and the surface roughness was less than Ra 0.5 μm. Additionally, the mandrel can be recycled and can still maintain a good shape after 20 times of deformation. By using this method, the demolding process can be realized by heating and softening the mandrel. The profile error of the formed structure was within 0.5 mm, the surface roughness was less than Ra 0.5 μm, the thickness error was within 0.2 mm, and the average porosity of the upper and lower halves of composite parts was 0.72% and 0.61%. All those data showed that the formed part was in good shape and of good quality. The thermoplastic mandrel can solve the demolding problem of composite materials with complex shapes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Aerospace Composite Materials)
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Review

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19 pages, 4764 KiB  
Review
A Literature Review on Crack Arrest Features for Composite Materials and Composite Joints with a Focus on Aerospace Applications
by Ioannis Sioutis and Konstantinos Tserpes
Aerospace 2023, 10(2), 137; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace10020137 - 31 Jan 2023
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4862
Abstract
Crack propagation within composite materials or along the interface of composite joints is a phenomenon that might result in catastrophic failure of a structure. When the factor of safety is involved in the integrity of a structure, fail-safe design becomes crucial by embedding [...] Read more.
Crack propagation within composite materials or along the interface of composite joints is a phenomenon that might result in catastrophic failure of a structure. When the factor of safety is involved in the integrity of a structure, fail-safe design becomes crucial by embedding failure-confining features. This article reviews the research work that has been carried out on such crack-arresting features (CAFs) for composite laminates, composite-to-composite joints and composite-to-metal joints. The methodology of descriptive–narrative systematic literature review was employed in order to present the state of the research in the field. Crack stopping along adhesively joined interfaces was the most common subject encountered in the literature, while other types of secondary bonding such as thermoplastic welding were quite limited. The types of the CAFs were mainly categorized by means of their integration into the structure, namely “production” and “post-production”. For each method reviewed, the common aspects of the CAFs in question are discussed as well as the outcome of the work. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Aerospace Composite Materials)
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