Composite materials have become a popular choice in the aerospace industry due to their lightweight, strong, and durable properties. They are made up of cloth or fibers and a matrix, which is an adhesive material that holds the fibers together. Composite materials have been used in the aerospace industry since the 1930s, and their usage has only increased with time. This blog will provide an overview of composite materials and their various applications in aerospace engineering.
Outline: I. Introduction
Definition of composite materials
Importance of composites in aerospace engineering
Composite materials are made by combining two or more materials to create a material that has unique properties, such as strength, durability, and lightweight. The aerospace industry has been using composite materials since the 1930s, and their usage has only increased with time. Composite materials have become a popular choice in aerospace engineering due to their lightweight, strong, and durable properties.
II. Types of Composite Materials
Natural composites: bones and bird nests
Man-made composites: carbon fiber, glass fiber, and Kevlar
Composite materials are found in nature, such as bones and bird nests, and can be man-made. Man-made composites include carbon fiber, glass fiber, and Kevlar.
Bones and bird nests are natural composites and are composed of a mesh framework of collagen, a leather-like material, and hydroxyapatite, a crystalline substance. This combination of a flexible mesh interwoven with a strong substrate material creates a strong, yet not overly brittle, structure.
Man-made composites, such as carbon fiber, glass fiber, and Kevlar, have been developed to create materials with similar properties. Glass fiber has a diameter of about 10 millimeters and is often used in boats, wind turbine blades, and some automobiles. Kevlar has a strength of more than three gigapascals and is often used in bulletproof vests, military helmets, and impact protection on aircraft. Carbon fiber has a diameter of about eight millimeters and is commonly used in high-performance race cars, fighter jets, and passenger aircraft.
III. Applications of Composite Materials in Aerospace Engineering
Glass fiber: boats, wind turbine blades, automobiles
Kevlar: bulletproof vests, military helmets, impact protection on aircraft
Carbon fiber: high-performance race cars, fighter jets, passenger aircraft
Composite materials have a wide range of applications in aerospace engineering. Glass fiber is used in boats, wind turbine blades, and some automobiles. Kevlar is used in bulletproof vests, military helmets, and impact protection on aircraft. Carbon fiber is used in high-performance race cars, fighter jets, and passenger aircraft.
The aerospace industry started using composite materials as far back as the 1930s. Howard Hughes famously built his massive spruce goose flying boat using sheets of birch ply dura mold with phenolic resin laminated togethe