2010_sep
TRANSCRIPT
■ One-piece supercar passenger cell
■ Private space race: Composites win
■ SQRTM profi le/Antiballistics update
■ Airshows: Farnborough & Oshkosh
SEPTEMBER 2010 / compositesworld.com
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 1
60 F1-inspired MonoCell:
Racing Safety for the RoadMcLaren Automotive’s Claudio Santoni leads the production-car arm of the famed McLaren Rac-ing team in a successful effort to adapt race car chassis technology (pictured on the cover) for a new family of exotic road cars.
By Bob Griffi ths
SEPTEMBERvolume: eighteen
number: five
7 From the Editor HPC editor-in-chief Jeff Sloan comments on the impact that military drawdowns in the Mid-dle East might have on the U.S. composites industry.
8 Market Q&AInvestment banker Paul Weis-brich gauges the aerospace/defense M&A market in an ex-clusive interview.
9 Testing TechDr. Donald Adams appraises existing methods for testing the performance of fasteners loaded in transverse shear.
64 Out of the MoldHPC’s technical editor Sara Black says recessionary scorn of private fl ight unnecessarily harmed the economically vital general aviation industry.
13 News
51 Calendar
52 Applications
54 New Products
57 Ad Index
58 Marketplace
59 Showcase
24 Farnborough International
Airshow 2010Although uncertainties remain, air-craft OEMs see recovery in order numbers.
By Sara Black & Eddie Kania
26 EAA AirVenture 2010Rain on Wittman Field runways can’t dampen Oshkosh Fly-In enthusiasm.
By Sara Black
28 The Private Space RaceNASA passes the development torch to legacy contractors and NewSpace entrepreneurs, igniting a new competition in space transport.
By Karen Wood
38 Structural Armor or
Armored Structures?Either way, antiballistics engineers seek structural integrity and ballistic deterrence from a single design.
By Michael R. LeGault
44 SQRTM Enables
Net-shape PartsNew out-of-autoclave process com-bines resin transfer molding with prepregs for a complex helicopter part prototype.
By Sara Black
FEATURES COLUMNS
DEPARTMENTS
ON THE COVER
The McLaren MonoCell marks the fi rst
use in a street-legal automobile of the
one-piece carbon fi ber/epoxy driver’s
cell pioneered by McLaren Racing
(Woking, Surrey, U.K.) in Formula 1
race cars. The complex part, produced
at a rate of 4,000 units per annum via
resin transfer molding, is the rolling-
chassis centerpiece of McLaren Auto-
motive’s new MP4-12C supercar.
Source: McLaren Automotive
FOCUS ON DESIGN
28
44
38
2010
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 3
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Karen Wood
John Winkel
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EDITOR
FROM THE EDITOR
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 5
ne of my job respon-
sibilities is to gather
composites industry
news each week for publica-
tion in our CompositesWorld
Weekly e-newsletter. I use
keyword searches on the
Internet to stay on top of
news and announcements
and have a stable of about
30 keywords I use, includ-
ing company names, such as
Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Air-
bus, Sikorsky, etc.
One thing I’ve learned, poring over search results,
is that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been
very lucrative for military contractors. I see, almost
every day, announcements of federal defense con-
tracts, and a resulting increase in demand for com-
posite parts and structures — unmanned aerial vehi-
cles, aircraft and helicopter components, naval patrol
boats, vehicle and personal armor, soldier housing
and more. (A good example of the armor R&D can be
found on p. 38 of this issue, where contributor Mike
LeGault explores the latest antiballistic composites
technologies for battlefi eld application.)
Setting aside for the moment the arguments for
and against our presence in these countries, the fact
that we have been in Afghanistan since 2001 and Iraq
since 2003 has created a vigorous and well-funded
military economy that employs thousands of people
and consumes millions of pounds of composite ma-
terials each year. It has spurred creativity and inno-
vation in application of composite products that we
might otherwise not have seen. Use of military hard-
ware in combat has exposed many limitations, forc-
ing the military community to think more seriously
about composites as a means of lightweighting and
corrosion-prevention in its warfi ghting structures and
for protection of troops in harm’s way.
All of this has been wonderful for the composites
community, but like it or not, such gravy trains don’t
run forever. As I write this editorial in mid-August,
Othe U.S. has announced the de-
parture from Iraq of its last com-
bat brigade. Only 50,000 troops
remain to help keep the peace,
train Iraqi solders and continue
rebuilding the country. In Af-
ghanistan, a U.S. troop draw-
down could begin as soon as
next summer. As these confl icts
end their “hot” phases, demand
for some composite parts and
structures will wane as well. No
surprise, then, that U.S. Department of Defense Secre-
tary Robert Gates has proposed military spending cuts
totalling $100 billion (USD) over the next fi ve years.
And that’s on top of the Pentagon’s decision in 2009 to
cut the F-22 fi ghter jet program. Will other high-profi le
projects also get the ax? The bottom line is that money
will not fl ow to defense projects like it once did, and
there will be consequences.
It would be helpful if there were other
emerging end markets to pick up the lost de-
mand. Wind energy, for one, shows promise to
consume large quantities of composite ma-
terials for many years, but it’s been hobbled
severely by the recession and accompanying
credit crunch. The auto industry, also laid low
by the recession, is reorganizing itself to emphasize
electric drivetrain technology that may attract several
new uses of composites, but this looks to be a slow-
evolving transition out of a very deep ditch.
We’ve become accustomed over the past nine years
to tapping a full military funding pipeline for a variety
of products and projects and must now wean ourselves
of this dependence as the war-funding fl ow slows to
a trickle. We are faced with a classic challenge-vs.-op-
portunity conundrum. It seems like an opportunity to
me, and now is the time to think creatively about how
composites can be further adapted to replace metals
and other legacy materials throughout the manufac-
turing world.
Jeff Sloan
Facing drawdowns in Iraq and Afghanistan
that will reduce demand for military com-
posites, we must seek new opportunities.
People at Owens Corning have continually used their knowledge of materials to develop new applications and
markets for composites. Today, our industry-leading portfolio of specialty reinforcements includes Advantex®
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Silentex® material for effective exhaust noise control. These products and others are unlocking new application
possibilities for extremely corrosive environments, lighter and stronger solutions, and products that save energy,
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MARKET Q&A
MARKET Q&A
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 7
Paul Weisbrich is
the senior man-
aging director of
McGladrey Capital
Markets LLC (Cos-
ta Mesa, Calif.). A
20-year investment-
banking veteran, he
frequently lectures
on that subject in
North America and
Europe, and he is an adjunct professor
of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) at the
University of Southern California’s (USC)
Marshall School of Business. He has a BA
in business from Loyola Marymount Uni-
versity, an MA in business administration
from USC and holds Series 7, 24 and 63
securities licenses.
H
AEROSPACE & DEFENSE M&A ANALYSIS: IT’S A SELLERS’ MARKET
PC recently talked with investment
banker Paul Weisbrich about the
fi nancial health of the aerospace
and defense composites arena as well as
his take on the current M&A market and
market trends worth watching.
HPC: You recently attended the Farnbor-
ough Airshow in the U.K. What did you take
away from that event, relevant to the com-
posites market?
PW: Well, the most obvious thing
was the magnitude of aircraft orders.
Companies reported about $40 billion
in orders, but that is half the orders of
2008, when the show was last held, and
equal to the orders in 2006. While it was
certainly a good event, it points out that
we are recovered only to 2006 levels. That
said, there was tremendous excitement
generated by the appearance of the Boe-
ing 787 Dreamliner — it was very palpable.
To illustrate, on late Tuesday afternoon,
when the 787 departed the show, nearly
all the visitors stayed to watch the fl y-
over, despite the fact that they knew they
would be caught in the notoriously bad
London traffi c. The plane’s appearance
underscored the fact that its production
build cycle is imminent — fi nally. There
was a noticeable spring in the step of the
Boeing suppliers who are involved in the
787. And Airbus’ A350 XWB is certainly
following closely behind.
The show demonstrated that com-
mercial aerospace is defi nitely on the
upswing now, while the military aero-
space side is becoming less attractive.
This shift is due to several factors: Global
debt worries will result in military budget
cuts worldwide — I think cuts could be
from 10 to 20 percent — and the U.S.’s
announced intention to pull back from
its military theaters will reduce up-tempo
spending. That is, there will be cutbacks
in consumable war materiel. So compa-
nies that are heavily invested in military
programs right now are going to be less
attractive as M&A targets and, logically,
valuation here will moderate.
Composites continue to be a domi-
nant theme right now in aerospace and
defense — and it’s not going away. There
are a lot of composite parts that need to
be designed, fabricated and eventually
repaired — presently a largely ignored
area — or replaced on a large aircraft like
the 787 or the A350, so more and more
companies are becoming involved in the
composites stream.
HPC: Speaking of M&A activity, what is
your perspective relative to companies involved
in composites?
PW: Aerospace and defense compa-
nies are very desirable in the M&A space
right now, despite the fact that the capi-
tal markets have experienced an increase
in volatility. Large companies are look-
ing for large deals — often the larger the
better — in the range of $20 million or
more EBITDA [earnings before interest,
taxes, depreciation and amortization].
With smaller deals, say, less than $5
million of EBITDA, lending is tight. That
said, I think large strategic buyers would
still do a small deal if there is a unique
customer or key strategic technology
involved. Further, it is a seller’s market,
with signifi cantly more interested buy-
ers than sellers in the composites space.
That makes it hard for buyers to fi nd bar-
gains. Buyers continue to pay premiums
for composites companies. So if the
target company has design/build capa-
bility on top of its fabrication expertise,
expect a scarcity premium on the overall
composite space premium.
HPC: What trends do you see that leaders of
composites companies should be watching?
PW: Everyone is thinking, What is the
next game-changer technology? In my mind,
it’s going to be something that facilitates
a drop in the price of composite parts to
further displace metals. It will likely be
an out-of-autoclave process and could
involve a technology marriage between a
resin manufacturer and a fi ber supplier,
creating a new, faster process. There’s a
lot of discussion about automated tape
laying [ATL], and it’s great for large parts,
but ATL isn’t optimized for smaller
parts [or] shorter runs, and its capital
cost is very high. A new area for com-
posites to conquer should be compos-
ites for jet engine parts, in both the
cold and hot sections.
HPC: What is your advice to a composites
company that is looking for an investor part-
ner or a sale?
PW: Know where you fi t in the spec-
trum. Are you content with being a Tier
3 or 4 supplier, or should you up-tier by
investing in R&D [research and develop-
ment], new equipment and additional
processes for larger parts and go after
bigger contracts? Is commercial aero-
space your game, or are you willing to
pursue military work? Pick your spot and
optimize the technology and processes
that work for your targeted spot.
Editor’s Note: See HPC’s coverage of 2010
Farnborough Airshow composites news in this is-
sue, on p. 24.
Commercial aerospace is
definitely on the upswing now,
while the military aerospace
side is becoming less attractive.
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TURNING THE INDUSTRY UPSIDE DOWN...
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 9
TESTING TECH
TESTING TECH
Dr. Donald F.
Adams is the
president of Wyo-
ming Test Fixtures
Inc. (Salt Lake
City, Utah). He
holds a BS and an
MS in mechanical
engineering and
a Ph.D in theo-
retical and applied
mechanics. Following a total of 12 years
with Northrop Aircraft Corp., the Aero-
nutronic Div. of Ford Motor Co. and the
Rand Corp., he joined the University of
Wyoming, directing its Composite Mate-
rials Research Group for 27 years before
retiring from that post in 1999. Dr. Adams
continues to write, teach and serve with
numerous industry groups, including the
test methods committees of ASTM and
the Composite Materials Handbook 17.
M
FASTENER SHEAR TEST METHODS
echanical fasteners, such as
screws, bolts, pins and rivets, have
been used for hundreds of years
to assemble wood and metal structures.
As composites have replaced other ma-
terials in structural applications, the
use of mechanical fastening systems of
various types has continued, and occa-
sionally these systems even employ fas-
teners made from composite materials.
Although one goal of the composite ma-
terials community is to use fewer fasten-
ers and rely more on adhesive bonding
when assembling components, fasteners
remain in widespread use and, therefore,
require testing.
In service, the typical fastener is
loaded primarily in one of two ways:
axial tension or transverse shear. Shear
loading is much more common. Axial
tensile testing of fasteners is relatively
straightforward and requires minimal
specialized fi xturing. This is not true for
shear testing; therefore, considerable
development work has been conducted
over the years. Depending on the design
of the joint, the shear loading is single
or double shear, as indicated in Fig. 1.
Obviously, the fastener can carry twice
as much load if it is subjected to double
shear. Also, double shear results in sym-
metrical loading, which minimizes bend-
ing effects in both the fastener and the
structure. But a structural design may
not permit this confi guration.
In double-shear testing, the fi xture is,
by far, most commonly some version of
that shown in Fig. 2. This particular fi x-
ture conforms to NASM Standard 1312-
131, often (and properly) still referred to
as MIL-STD-1312-13. No scale is indi-
cated in the photograph because each
fi xture is sized to fi t a specifi c fastener di-
ameter. The diameter of the fastener can
range from a few millimeters to several
centimeters. Therefore, some fi xtures for
testing large-diameter fasteners are rela-
tively massive — and expensive.
The NASM design in Fig. 2 is a three-
piece confi guration consisting of a base,
an anvil and a blade. Although it provides
additional stability, it is questionable
what other function the base performs,
so it could probably be eliminated. In
fact, it is missing in some fi xture designs
(e.g., the fi xture in Boeing Corp. Specifi -
cation D2-28602).
In the NASM Standard 1312-13 de-
sign, the fastener is placed across the
supporting anvil and sheared into three
pieces by a compressive force applied to
the blade. The relative thicknesses of the
anvil supports and the blade, as well as
the tolerances of various other critical
dimensions, are defi ned in the standard.
This fi xture has existed for many years
and performs well. One emerging prob-
lem, however, is that metallic fasteners,
particularly some of those now used in
the aerospace industry, are being made
of progressively stronger materials. It
is increasingly diffi cult to fi nd materi-
als from which to fabricate an anvil and
blade that are stronger and tougher than
the fastener material. Currently, fi xtures
are most commonly made from high-
hardness tool steel.
Less frequently used are double-shear
designs in which the fastener passes
Fig. 4 Example of a nonstandard
single-shear test fixture.
Fig. 2 Disassembled fastener double-shear
test fixture (NASM 1312-13).
Fig. 3 Single-shear test fixture
(NASM 1312-20).
Fig. 1 Fastener loaded in single-shear vs.
double-shear.
a) Single-Shear b) Double-Shear
0’’ 3’’ 6’’
Fig. 2 Disassembled fastener double-shear
t t fi t (NASM 1312 13)
Fi 3 Si l h fi
ig. 4 Example of a nonstandard
single shear test fixture
0’’ 3’’ 6’’
0’’ 3’’ 6’’S
ourc
e (all
photo
s): D
on A
dam
s
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 1 1
TESTING TECH
through holes in the anvil and blade in-
stead of resting in semicircular cutouts.
This fi xture confi guration is specifi ed in
ASTM Standard B 7693, sometimes referred
to as the Amsler Shear Fixture, and in Brit-
ish Standard BS EN 28749 (ISO 8749).4
Although single-shear testing of joints
is frequently conducted, single-shear
testing of the fastener itself is less com-
mon. In one method, NASM Standard
1312-205, three single-shear test fi xtures
are described in detail. All three use the
same shear plates, but two use a large
number of ball bearings to minimize fric-
tion between the moving parts. The third
fi xture is more practical, using a parallel-
bars linkage to load the closely spaced
shear plates without allowing them to
come into contact with each other. This
fi xture is shown in Fig. 3. There are no
sliding surfaces, only pivot rotations,
thus minimizing frictional effects. In all
three of the fi xture designs, the fastener
is inserted in the center hole of a pair of
shear plates, as indicated in Fig. 3. The
overall dimensions of the shear plates
are held constant so they fi t in the fi xture.
The center holes vary to accommodate
the specifi c fastener. Hole diameters are
held very close to the specifi c fastener
diameters.
In addition to standardized designs,
such as that shown in Fig. 3, there are
a number of other single-shear fi xture
designs that have been developed for
specifi c applications. A representative
example is shown in Fig. 4. In this case,
the fastener specimen is clamped in the
base after insertion into the close-fi tting
hole in the loading head. The box-shaped
opening in the base constrains the load-
ing head to keep the shearing edges in
close proximity. Although the fi xture
details differ, the basic test principle —
application of a single-shear load to the
fastener — is in operation. This is true of
most other ad hoc fi xtures as well.
At the present time, the NASM Stan-
dard 1312-13 double-shear fi xture shown
in Fig. 2 is probably the best available
shear fi xture for testing fasteners.
R e f e r e n c e s1NASM 1312-13, “Method 13-Double Shear,”
National Aerospace Standard, Aerospace Indus-
tries Association of America Inc. (Arlington, Va.),
1997. This standard supersedes MIL-STD-1312-
13A, but the test method designation remains
MIL-STD-1312-13.
2Boeing Corp. Specifi cation D2-2860, The Boe-
ing Co. (Seattle, Wash).
3ASTM Standard B 769, “Shear Testing of Alu-
minum Alloys,” ASTM International (W. Consho-
hocken, Pa.), 2008 (originally published 1987).
4British Standard BS EN 28749 (ISO 8749:1986),
“Pins and Grooved Pins — Shear Test,” approved
by CEN Technical Committee 185, 1992.
5NASM 1312-20, “Method 20 — Single Shear,
National Aerospace Standard,” Aerospace Indus-
tries Assn. of America Inc. (Arlington, Va.), 1997.
This standard supersedes MIL-STD-1312-20,
but the test method designation remains MIL-
STD-1312-20.
To read Dr. Adams’ previous discussions of
fastener-related testing of composites, see the
following articles in the “Testing Tech” series:
“Single-fastener, double-shear laminate
bearing strength by tensile testing,” HPC
January 2008 (p. 9) or visit http://short.
compositesworld.com/zMzTkAlT.
“Multiple-fastener, single-shear laminate
bearing strength testing,” HPC March 2008 (p.
11) or visit http://short.compositesworld.com/
LyvILnfM.
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NEWS
NEWS
O
Spirit AeroSystems opens Kinston composite aerostructures plantNew facility to produce Airbus A350 fuselage panels, front wing spars
n July 2, Wichita, Kan.-based Spir-
it AeroSystems offi cially opened
its 682,000-ft2/63,360m2 facility in
Kinston, N.C. Initially the plant will be
dedicated to the production of center
fuselage panels and the front wing spar
for the forthcoming Airbus (Toulouse,
France) A350 XWB.
Awarded the A350 parts contract in
May 2008, Spirit broke ground at the
Kinston site in September of that year.
Site selection was motivated, in part,
by its proximity to the coast and an
11,500-ft/3,505m runway, giving the
company air and sea options for trans-
atlantic shipping. Also infl uential was
North Carolina’s $125 million (USD) in
incentives, including a $5 million grant
and more than $20 million payable over
12 years, tied to job creation.
The Kinston plant will manufacture
six composite panels for Section 15,
the 65-ft/20m long, 20-ft/6m wide,
9,000-lb/4,082-kg fuselage barrel (see
diagram) adjacent to the wing. Four
panels have constant-contour surfaces,
but two are lateral junction panels, with
both convex and concave curvatures
that provide an aerodynamic fairing
and structural connection to the all-
composite wingbox. Each panel’s layup
is tailored to meet unique stresses. An
Electroimpact (Mukilteo, Wash.) S-15
dual-head automated fi ber placement
(AFP) machine (photo) will form the
panels from Hexcel’s (Stamford, Conn.)
Hexply M-21 carbon fi ber/toughened
epoxy prepreg on a male Invar tool, using
machine paths developed with CGTech’s
(Irvine, Calif.) VERICUT 3-D simulation
software. Feed rates as high as 2,000
inches/min (50.8m/min) — necessary to
make the large parts affordable — were
achieved by re-engineering its guillotine-
type cutter and optimizing the feed-,
tow path-, creel- and machine-control
systems. The panels’ integrated carbon-
composite stringers will be made by a
cantilever-type 2-D AFP machine built by
MTorres (Torres de Elorz, Spain). Stringer
layups will be placed on the panels and
cocured in an autoclave at 121°C/250°F.
Completed pan-
els will ship by sea
to Spirit’s 60,000-ft2
(5,574m2) assembly
facility in Saint-
Nazaire, France (it
opened July 23 and
is scheduled for fi rst
production by the
end of 2010), where they will be joined to
form Section 15. From there, the barrel
will move next door to the Airbus Saint-
Nazaire plant for mating with the A350’s
center wingbox, then it will move on to
Toulouse for fi nal aircraft assembly.
Spirit’s Kinston plant also will pro-
duce the A350’s forward wing spar, a 102-
ft/31.2m long structure (Spirit’s largest
and fi rst-ever all-composite spar). The
structure comprises a 7m/23-ft long inner
spar, a 12.7m/42-ft long middle spar and
an 11.5m/38-ft long outer spar. The spar
parts are made with up to 100 plies of
CFRP, tapering from a width of 6 ft/1.8m
at the fi nished spar’s root to roughly 1
ft/3.3m at its tip.
A partner in the spar’s process de-
velopment, MTorres supplied two TOR-
RESFIBERLAYUP AFP systems, report-
edly capable of 60m/min (2,362 inches/
min) layup rates, an order of magnitude
greater than previously possible, thus
making spar production economically
viable. The machines manage both the
tight U-shaped geometry along the spar
component edges — where issues arise
as 45° material is applied over 90° cor-
ners — and provide the higher tempera-
ture and greater compaction required
for the lower-viscosity Hexply. Each ma-
chine can lay up two spars simultane-
ously on 15m/49-ft composite mandrels.
After autoclave cure, spar sections will
be shipped to Spirit’s Prestwick, Scot-
land, facility for assembly, where they
will be mated with the fi xed leading edge
and other fi xtures and then transported
to the Airbus U.K. facility in Broughton,
Wales, for assembly with the A350 wing.
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irit
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Automated Dynamics (Schenectady, N.Y.) has delivered
a new piece of high-performance composite processing
equipment to GKN Aerospace (Isle of Wight, U.K.). The
July 29 announcement notes that the machine was in-
stalled in GKN’s new preproduction facility, which will
support the Environmental Lightweight Fan (ELF) re-
search program. The program’s goal is to develop an all-
composite jet engine fan blade that will improve aircraft
performance and reduce emissions. Automated Dynam-
ics’ equipment reportedly will help GKN effectively manu-
facture the complex, often-curved jet engine structures.
CGTech (Irvine, Calif.), the developer of VERICUT CNC
verifi cation and simulation software, has formed a subsid-
iary in Brazil. Headquartered in São Paulo, CGTech-Brasil
is responsible for marketing, sales, technical support
and reseller support throughout South America. “There
is a growing demand for simulation of complex machine
tools,” says company president Jon Prun. “CGTech is well
positioned to provide manufacturers with the skills and
technologies they need to be successful.” In conjunction
with the offi ce opening, CGTech has launched a Web site
in Portuguese: http://vericut.com.br.
BIZ BRIEFS
Join us in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 11-14, 2010 for the SAMPE Technical Conference and Exhibition at the Salt Palace Convention Center.
This event is the preeminent international event for M&P businesses, professionals, and educa-tors that have an interest in the advanced composites, materials, and processes market. This
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S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 1 7
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inetiQ Group PLC (Farnborough,
Hampshire, U.K.) reported in July
that its composite-airframed Zephyr,
a solar-powered, high-altitude/long-en-
durance (HALE) unmanned air system
(UAS), stayed aloft for more than two
weeks, exceeding by a large margin the
previous UAS record of 30 hours, 24 min-
utes set in 2001 by Northrop Grumman’s
RQ-4A Global Hawk. Launched by hand
(see photo) on July 9 at the U.S. Army’s
Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, Zephyr
landed on July 23.
QinetiQ claims its “eternal” aircraft has
the potential to provide low-cost, persis-
tent surveillance capability over a period
of months rather than days, supporting
Earth observation and communications
relay in a range of defense, security and
commercial applications. According to
the company, this potential owes much
to a breakthrough design that incorpo-
rates an entirely new, uniquely shaped
22.5m/74-ft wing and “T” tail.
Advanced Composites Group Ltd.
(ACG, Heanor, Derbyshire, U.K.) supplied
MTM45-1 carbon fi ber/epoxy prepregs for
the wing and fuselage frames. This vari-
able-cure-temperature toughened epoxy
system, which is optimized for low-pres-
sure vacuum bag processing, also can be
autoclave-cured. Zephyr’s two propellers
are driven by electric motors, powered by
day via wing-mounted, paper-thin amor-
phous silicon solar arrays. The arrays
also recharge lithium-sulphur batteries,
supplied by Sion Power Inc. (Tucson,
Ariz.), which power the motors at night.
The solar power system and lightweight
composite structure (total weight slight-
ly more than 50 kg/110 lb) results in an
extremely high power-to-weight ratio
throughout the day/night cycle, deliver-
ing persistent on-station capabilities.
Q
Solar-powered
composite UAS sets
fl ight duration record
So
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1 8 | H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
NEWS
3M revives composites focus as part of recent renewable energy initiative
ormally commissioned in February
2009, the Renewable Energy Division
at 3M (St. Paul, MInn.) briefed the
trade press in July on numerous division
developments during the past 18 months.
Launched during the depths of the recent
recession, the new task group has redirect-
ed and recombined the efforts of select
scientists and engineers within a number
of 3M’s 45 existing core product develop-
ment areas to provide solutions for the
burgeoning market. The new division has
two areas of concentration: Energy Gen-
eration and Energy Management.
One consequence of the move is the
resuscitation of 3M’s composites focus.
Once a strong 3M emphasis, the com-
posites market was overshadowed in
the past few years by R&D in 3M’s more
traditional web materials (tape and fi lm)
emphasis. The one exception was 3M’s
ACCR metal-matrix composite trans-
mission cable product, which was intro-
duced to the electric power industry (see
HPC’s sister magazine, Composites Technol-
ogy, June 2010, p. 17, or visit http://short.
compositesworld.com/QfqQapD5). But
Michael Roman, VP/GM of 3M’s Renew-
able Energy Div., notes that 3M’s contacts
with “all the major wind energy players”
indicate a great need for laminating res-
ins and adhesives tailored to meet spe-
cifi c needs in rotor blade fabrication.
Among the fi rst products commercial-
ized by the Energy Generation group is a
matrix resin optimized for resin infusion
of carbon-fi ber-reinforced spars in wind
turbine blades (see entry in “New Prod-
ucts,” p. 55). Energy Generation business
director Tracy Anderson says the nano-
enhanced thermoset meets a growing
need for weight reduction as blades get
longer, particularly for offshore turbine
placements, where blade manufacturers
feel hard-pressed to “reduce the cost per
kilowatt hour.” The company soon plans
to release a new two-part epoxy adhe-
sive tailored for joining molded infused
blade halves. The adhesive, according to
3M advanced production engineer Greg
Bluem, will exhibit a 40 percent reduc-
tion in exotherm and a better matchup
of coeffi cient of thermal expansion, com-
pared to conventional blade adhesives,
thus reducing the risk of microcracking in
joined blade shells.
3M Renewables reportedly is already
3M’s fastest-growing division, thanks, in
part, to grants from the U.S. Departments
of Energy and Defense totaling $30 mil-
lion (USD). Roman noted that 3M already
had fi ve divisions involved in the renew-
ables arena, focusing on fuel cell/battery
technologies, the ACCR cable, and wind,
solar and bio-fuels research. In January
2009, teams at manufacturing and labo-
ratory sites worldwide were organized
and formally folded into the new division
under Roman’s leadership. As a result of
their previous related work, the teams
were able to hit the ground running. 3M
expects that in 2010 the new division will
account for 30 percent of the company’s
new product introductions. By 2014, 3M
hopes that margin will reach 40 percent.
General aviation aircraft builder selects Maine site
aine Governor John
E. Baldacci and
Kestrel Aircraft
Co. (Brunswick Landing,
Maine) announced on
July 23 the selection of
the soon-to-be decom-
missioned Naval Air Sta-
tion Brunswick (NASB) as
the company’s new head-
quarters. Kestrel plans to
develop, certify and man-
ufacture its $2.5 million
Kestrel JP10 at the site. The move report-
edly involves a more than $100 million
investment and is expected to support
more than 300 jobs in full production.
The JP10, a carbon fi ber composites-
intensive six- to eight-seat turboprop,
is the latest embodiment of a concept
originally developed by Richard Noble,
whose Thrust SSC jet car once held the
world land speed record. Although No-
ble’s fi rst air effort, at Farnborough Air-
craft in 1998, failed to make the concept
work as an air taxi, Kestrel’s CEO and
chairman, Alan Klapmeier, is commit-
ted to the JP10’s FAA certifi cation, with
Farnborough as a partner. (Klapmeier,
with his brother Dale, cofounded Duluth,
Minn.-based Cirrus Aircraft Co.) Kestrel’s
development, certifi cation and initial
production are scheduled to begin this
fall with the aid of Farnborough Aircraft
alumnus Anthony Galley.
Powered by a 1,000-shp Pratt & Whitney
Canada PT6A-67B, the JP10 is expected to
deliver 350-knot speed, short-fi eld takeoff
capability, and a 1,500 nautical mile range.
At a ribbon cutting ceremony on
July 28, offi cials at Lockheed Mar-
tin’s Marietta, Ga., facility formally
announced the start of the plant’s
F-35 Lightning II center wing pro-
duction. Center wing assembly for
the multirole fi fth-generation air-
craft began July 30 in a 320,000-ft2
(29,730m2) space in the Marietta
site’s B-1 aircraft building. The as-
sembly activity could employ more
than 600 workers by 2016 as the pro-
gram ramps up to full-rate produc-
tion of one aircraft per workday. The
program’s center wing assembly op-
eration was established in Marietta
to alleviate capacity constraints at
the F-35’s fi nal assembly site in Fort
Worth, Texas, and to take advantage
of available manufacturing capacity
and existing fi fth-generation aircraft
production expertise in Marietta,
says the company.
BIZ BRIEF
F
MSource: HPC/Photo: Scott Stephenson
nder a three-year memorandum of agreement signed
in July, Goodrich Corp. (Charlotte, N.C.) will design, de-
velop and qualify prototype polymer matrix composite
(PMC) landing gear drag braces for F-35 Lightning II fi ghter jet
prime contractor Lockheed Martin Aeronautics (Ft. Worth,
Texas). Goodrich will work with Fokker Landing Gear (Hel-
mond, The Netherlands). The braces could be incorporated
into the main F-35 landing gear for conventional takeoff/
landing (CTOL) and short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL)
variants. Fokker will do detailed component design and
qualifi cation. Goodrich will perform system-level design and
integration. The goal is a single, lighter, low-maintenanace
brace common to the CTOL and STOVL variants.
At the Farnborough Airshow (see HPC’s show notes on p.
24), Goodrich revealed that it will work with the University of
Dayton Research Institute (UDRI, Dayton, Ohio) to produce a
nanomaterial with metal-like conductive properties. Under an
award from the State of Ohio’s Third Frontier initiative, UDRI,
Goodrich and two other fi rms will build and equip a facility
capable of producing the “fuzzy fi ber” nanomaterial known
as NAHF-X (see HPC July 2010, p. 17, or visit http://short.
compositesworld.com/DWqBOgWR). Goodrich has commit-
ted $1 million in funding, intending the hybrid composite for
jet engine nacelles, and will explore aircraft structural health
monitoring, wheel/brake and deicing applications.
U
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Goodrich announces initiatives
2 0 | H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
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AJuly 12 agreement between Seoul, South Korea-based
conglomerate Hanwha Group and XG Sciences Inc.
(East Lansing, Mich.) will lead to $1 million in funding
for further research on the latter’s trademarked xGnP Gra-
phene Nanoplatelets.
A spinoff from Michigan State University (MSU), XG Sci-
ences was formed in 2006. Initial funding for graphene nano-
platelet research was provided by MSU and a grant from the
Michigan Economic Development Corp.’s 21st Century Jobs
Fund. XG developed a fast, inexpensive process for sepa-
rating layers of graphite (graphene) into stacks less than
10-nm thick but with plate diameters of 100 nm to several
microns. XG also can tailor the particle surface chemistry to
make it compatible with water, resin or plastic systems. Low
concentrations of xGnP nanoplatelets in polymers result in
multifunctional nanocomposites that, the company claims,
possess an array of enhanced strength properties and signifi -
cantly increased electrical and thermal conductivity.
Commenting on the agreement, Larry Drzal, a distinguished
professor of chemical engineering and materials science at
MSU and one of the founders of XG Sciences, noted, “This
collaboration represents a major milestone in our develop-
ment and an important recognition of the signifi cance of our
technology by a worldwide leader in advanced materials.”
Nanotechnology company gets new
funding for graphene research
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 2 1
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HITCO Carbon Composites (Gardena, Calif.), a subsid-
iary of SGL Group (Weisbaden, Germany), announced on
July 19 a contract from Boeing Research & Technology
(BR&T), the R&D arm of The Boeing Co. (Seattle, Wash.).
BR&T is developing technology and processes for out-
of-autoclave manufacturing of composite structures for
next-generation aircraft. Specifi cally, HITCO will fabri-
cate three large composite spars using prepreg supplied
by Cytec Engineered Materials (Tempe, Ariz.). Process-
ing will involve hot drape forming and a combination of
automated tape laying and hand layup. The effort is part
of the U.S. Air Force-directed Non-Autoclave (Prepreg)
Manufacturing Technology Program, cofunded by Boe-
ing and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
HITCO expects to complete this phase of the manufac-
turing technology program by the end of this year.
BIZ BRIEFS
Hanwha, the ninth largest conglomerate in Korea, with sales
of more than $25 billion, produces plastics and other chemical
products. The company made a major commitment to growth
in the U.S. with its 2007 acquisition of AZDEL Inc. (Forest, Va.),
a manufacturer of thermoplastic composites for interior and
transportation applications. Hanwha reportedly will establish
a research facility near Detroit, Mich.
2 2 | H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
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hree July announcements from carbon fi ber producers
testifi ed to renewed activity and post-recession growth
in the worldwide carbon fi ber market.
SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers (Munich, Germany) — a
joint venture of the Munich-based BMW Group and SGL
Group (Wiesbaden, Germany) — broke ground on July 7 for
its $100 million (USD) carbon fi ber manufacturing facility in
Moses Lake, Wash. Washington Governor Chris Gregoire, Mo-
ses Lake Mayor Jon Lane and more than 90 local guests were
in attendance for the festivities.
Initially, the plant will run two carbon fi ber lines, each
with an annual capacity of 1,500 metric tonnes (more than
3.3 million lb), with the fi rst scheduled for commissioning in
the third quarter of 2011. The fi ber will be used exclusively
by BMW, with the fi rst application in its upcoming Megacity
vehicle, an urban commuter car scheduled for launch in 2013
under a BMW subbrand. (For background, see HPC May 2010,
p. 28, or visit http://short.compositesworld.com/wzW8lIsZ.)
On July 9, Mitsubishi Rayon Co. Ltd. (MRC, Tokyo, Japan)
said it had resumed construction of a new carbon fi ber plant at
its Otake production center in the Hiroshima prefecture. The
facility will commence production of P330-series large-tow
Carbon fi ber production plants:
SGL breaks ground in Moses Lake,
MRC resumes build, AKSA starts up
T
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 2 3
Weber Manufacturing Technologies Inc
Tel 705.526.7896 • Midland, ON
www.webermfg.ca
Precision Tooling and CNC Machining
for the Composites Industry
Invar
Steel
NVD Nickel
Precision
(50K to 60K) carbon fi ber in the second quarter of 2011. Origi-
nally the plant was intended to meet increased demand from
growing wind, pressure vessel and automotive segments, all
of which were expected to sustain long-term growth. MRC
suspended construction in March 2009 when many custom-
ers’ projects were delayed or sidelined in response to global
economic conditions. But demand from sports and leisure
applications increased signifi cantly early this year. That and
the resumption of several large industrial projects prompted
MRC’s decision to restart construction.
The facility will have an annual production capacity of
2,700 metric tonnes (>5.95 million lb) — the company claims
it will be the largest carbon fi ber plant in the world, with a
capital investment of ¥12 billion ($135.7 million USD). Pend-
ing startup of the new plant, MRC will manufacture P330 at
its U.S. company, Grafi l Inc. (Sacramento, Calif.), for initial
customer evaluation and marketing.
Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review, Turkey’s English-
language daily newspaper, reported on July 25 that acrylic
fi ber manufacturer AKSA (Istanbul, Turkey) had opened the
country’s fi rst carbon fi ber production facility in the north-
western province of Yalova, during a ceremony attended by
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other top
offi cials. With an AKSA line now in full production, Turkey
has become one of only 10 countries where carbon fi ber
is made. AKSA says it is aiming for a 10 percent share in
the global market. (See the interview with AKSA’s general
manager, Mustafa Yilmaz, in HPC January 2009, p. 20, or visit
http://short.compositesworld.com/WyGVjS3S.)
2 4 | H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
NComposites in commercial jets: The newest and biggest
Farnborough was the stage for the midsize Boeing 787’s European debut, and a return appearance of the massive Airbus A380.
SHOW COVERAGE
ot quite as impressive as 2008’s
boom-year event, the 2010 edition
of the biennial Farnborough Inter-
national Airshow (July 19-25) neverthe-
less hosted 1,450 exhibitors, 57 more
than in 2008, and 280,000 attendees, says
event organizer Farnborough Interna-
tional Ltd. (Farnborough, North Hamp-
shire, U.K.). Although considerable buzz
was generated by the international debut
of The Boeing Co.’s (Chicago, Ill.) Dream-
liner and appearances of other aircraft
that have dominated aviation news (see
photos, this page), the big news was that
the huge trade fair attracted buyers from
44 countries who placed orders totaling
a postrecession-respectable $47 billion
(USD) — no match for 2008’s $88.7 bil-
lion but on par with 2006, at $46 billion.
Aircraft sales: Hot (and not)
Boeing Commercial Airplanes president/
CEO Jim Albaugh explained in his press
briefi ng that despite some continued un-
certainties, Boeing’s view of the commer-
cial aircraft market is increasingly posi-
tive as the world regains its economic
footing. The market is “clearly” coming
back, he claimed, citing more than 3,304
unfi lled orders for Boeing aircraft as of
June 30. For single-aisle aircraft, Albaugh
said, “Boeing will set a strategic direc-
tion with respect to further developing
the 737 and new airplane designs within
a few months. Our decision will be deter-
mined by the best way to meet the future
needs of our customers.”
On the show’s fi rst day, events under-
scored Boeing’s confi dence. GE Capi-
tal Aviation Services (Stamford, Conn.)
placed a $3 billion order for 40 next-gen-
eration 737-800 jets. An order for 15 more
came from Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA
(Fornebu, Norway). Beijing, China-based
Okay Airways followed with an order for
10 — its fi rst-ever Boeing purchase.
Boeing also announced its new eco-
Demonstrator program, a platform that
will integrate new technologies for reduc-
ing fuel consumption and aircraft noise.
Helped by a $25 million matching-fund
award from the U.S. Federal Aviation
Admin., Boeing plans to fi eld advanced
engines with composite components,
adaptive wing trailing-edge fl aps, fuel
cell technology and other innovations
on a next-generation 737 in 2012 and a
twin-aisle aircraft in 2013.
Airbus (Toulouse, France) affi rmed
its confi dence in the airline industry’s
comeback, with 133 fi rm orders and 122
commitments booked at the show (re-
portedly worth $28 billion) in addition to
FARNBOROUGH
INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW 2010
Although uncertainties remain,
aircraft OEMs see recovery in
order numbers.
Source: HPC/Photo: Eddie Kania
Back from the military brink
Long delayed and, during the worst of the global recession, thought to be endangered, the A400M cargo airlifter from Airbus Military (Madrid, Spain) performed impressive daily flights at the Farnborough Airshow.
Manned-to-unmanned conversion
On display at The Boeing Co. (Chicago, Ill.) stand, the Dominator
unmanned aircraft system is based on a manned DA-42 composite airframe from Diamond Aircraft (London, Ontario, Canada)
Sourc
e: A
irbus
Sourc
e: B
oein
g
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 2 5
Emirates Airline’s (Dubai, U.A.E.) order
for 32 additional A380 aircraft announced
in June. “The recession is defi nitely over,”
declared John Leahy, Airbus’ chief oper-
ating offi cer, citing renewed liquidity in
the marketplace, increased air traffi c and
gross domestic product (GDP) growth as
factors in “strong growth.”
As Airbus and Boeing basked in the
new-orders glow, Bombardier (Montreal,
Quebec, Canada), an aspiring competitor
in the 100- to 149-passenger commercial
aircraft niche, reportedly came away from
Farnborough without a single new order
for its composites-intensive CSeries jet.
Preshow expectations were high: Bom-
bardier had collected 90 fi rm orders and
an equal number of options, and had
reported ongoing conversations with 11
airlines. Various media reports focused
blame on the plane’s shorter-than-com-
mon range (2,200 nautical miles) and its
engines. Bombardier did not come up
empty-handed, however. Orders for 16
business jets came through in the week
preceding the event and during show
week, valued at ~$800 million USD.
The ever-expanding UAV market
Also in the spotlight were unmanned aer-
ial vehicles (UAVs) of all types and sizes.
Notable among them was Turkish Aero-
space Industries’ (Ankara, Turkey) new
“operative-class” medium-altitude, long-
endurance (MALE) UAV. Dubbed ANKA,
the craft was unveiled in Ankara a few
days prior to the show and showcased at
a Farnborough press event. Its 56-ft/17m
wingspan is similar to that of General
Atomics’ (San Diego, Calif.) Predator and
its airframe design likewise incorporates
composites.
Boeing announced a memorandum
of understanding with Aeronautics Ltd.
(Yavne, Israel) to market the Dominator
(see photo. p. 24), a UAV adaptation of
a piloted Diamond Aircraft (London, On-
tario, Canada) all-composite twin-engine
DA42. According to Boeing’s Chris Chad-
wick, president of Boeing Military Aircraft
(St. Louis, Mo.), the MALE segment of
the UAV market is expanding rapidly.
Aircraft composites contracts
GKN Aerospace (Redditch, Worcester,
U.K.) revealed that it had won contracts
to develop and produce all the compos-
ite components for the inboard and out-
board landing fl aps of the Airbus A350
XWB. The fi rst components for devel-
opmental fl aps will be delivered early in
2011. GKN Aerospace already has pro-
duction composite-assemblies contracts
for the rear spar and fi xed trailing edge
on the plane’s wings.
Among the composite material suppli-
ers at the show, Advanced Composites
Group Ltd. (ACG, Heanor, Derbyshire,
U.K.) exhibited its epoxy, bismaleimide
and phenolic prepregs for civil aircraft in-
teriors and structural components. ACG
highlighted its status as a qualifi ed epoxy
prepreg supplier to Elbit Systems (Haifa,
Israel), the manufacturer of the Watch-
keeper 450 UAV on display at the Thales
Group (Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) stand.
ACG’s MTM46 out-of-autoclave prepreg
permits fabrication on lower-cost tooling
while producing parts that are still capa-
ble of achieving the performance speci-
fi cations. EAST-4D Carbon Technology
GmbH (Dresden, Germany) showcased
its expertise in carbon composite com-
ponents for aviation and other markets
via fi lament winding and resin transfer
molding.
2 6 | H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
SHOW COVERAGE
D
EAA AIRVENTURE 2010
Rain on the Wittman Field runways can’t
dampen Oshkosh Fly-In enthusiasm.
espite heavy rains early on — some
wags dubbed the event “Galosh-
kosh” — the Experimental Aircraft
Assn.’s (EAA) AirVenture show, held July
25-Aug. 1 in Oshkosh, Wis., still attract-
ed 535,000 visitors. That total was about
7 percent less than 2009, as expected by
organizers, but EAA president Tom Po-
berezny says exhibitor numbers and par-
ticipants’ spirits were fl ying high. “This
year’s weather challenges had an effect,”
he noted, “but the second half of the
week was outstanding.”
Aviation and aerospace news abound-
ed. Especially notable was a new, all-
composite aircraft from Cobalt Aircraft
Industries (Toussus-le-Noble, France).
Unveiled at a press conference on Wed-
nesday, July 28, the fi ve-seat Co50 fea-
tures a front canard wing and will be
propelled by a 350-hp twin-turbocharged
Continental in a pusher confi guration,
said company CEO David Loury. With a
projected maximum cruise speed of 245
KTAS (282 mph), the new plane will be a
fast, high-performance piston prop plane
similar to a Cessna 400 or a Cirrus SR22.
“We are planning to fl y the prototype
before the end of the year,” Loury report-
ed, adding that Cobalt is targeting certifi -
cation in two years, but he acknowledged
that the process could take three or four.
Noting that 90 percent of sales leads
for the $650,000 (USD) aircraft are, so far,
from the U.S., Loury says Cobalt is set-
ting up a U.S. offi ce in San Francisco, Ca-
lif., and by early 2011, it will select a U.S.
manufacturing site to support dual U.S./
France production.
Terrafugia (Woburn, Mass.), mean-
while, unveiled its next-generation Tran-
sition fl ying car on July 26, with the news
that it expects the craft to fl y publicly for
the fi rst time at next year’s AirVenture
2011. The new model is a more refi ned
version of the twin-boom, folding-wing
pusher the company originally designed
in 2006, but it will fl y with the same 100-
hp Rotax engine. The original proof-of-
concept vehicle, on display at the show,
made 28 fl ights near the company’s
headquarters before it was retired. Terra-
fugia CEO Carl Dietrich said the Transition
will incorporate aircraft and automobile
safety features and become “one of the
safest light sport aircraft in the world.”
The company obtained FAA permission
for a 110-lb/50-kg weight increase from
the normal light sport aircraft (LSA) limit
of 1,320 lb/599 kg. The company hasn’t
set a retail price for the redesigned Tran-
sition, although the original was more
than $180,000. Company offi cials report
80 orders so far.
Another LSA manufacturer, ICON Air-
craft (Los Angeles, Calif.), announced
that it will outsource structural compos-
ite assemblies for its ICON A5 to Liberty
Aerospace (Melbourne, Fla.) and Flytech
Kft. (Szombathely, Hungary). The deci-
sion marks an important milestone on
the way to production of the amphibious
aircraft. It also illustrates ICON’s resolve
to take advantage of existing capabilities
in the certifi ed aircraft sector rather than
recreating them, said the company. This
frees ICON engineers to focus solely on
the remaining development of the pro-
duction aircraft design (which will permit
owners to trailer the plane like a boat)
and control all fi nal assembly, system in-
tegration and testing.
ICON also revealed that former Boe-
ing CEO Phil Condit has joined its board
of advisors, bringing with him more than
40 years of aviation experience. “There
are few individuals with the breadth of
experience, expertise and infl uence in
our industry as Phil Condit, and we’re
honored to have him,” said ICON found-
er/CEO Kirk Hawkins. (See photos and
background in HPC November 2008, p.
38, or visit http://short.compositesworld.
com/FKYd0M4b.)
Honda Aircraft Co. Inc. (Greensboro,
N.C.) released a program update at the
show that highlighted achievement of
two HondaJet program goals: power-on
New sport-plane competitor & sporty entry for land or sea
The composite airframed, five-seat Co50 (top photo, minus it’s canard front wing) is Cobalt Aircraft Industries’ (Toussus-le-Noble, France) answer to high-performance piston-engined planes, such as the Cessna 400 and Cirrus SR22. Tied up at the EAA AirVenture’s Seaplane venue at nearby Lake Winnebago, the amphibious ICON
A5 (bottom photo) from ICON Aircraft (Los Angeles, Calif.) features a sportscar-inspired two-seat interior, a carbon-composite airframe and pusher-prop propulsion.
So
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Source: HPC/Photo: Eddie Kania
SHOW COVERAGE
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 2 7
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contribute to a cleaner environment,
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production. Our advanced GPS-type
AIREX® foams and BALTEK® balsa
cores, as well as Lantor SORIC® and
FINISHMAT® materials have been
specifically designed to enhance all
For today’s vacuum infusion, use today’s choice cores.
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Visit us at IBEX Booth #1814
for the fi rst conforming fl ight test and the
successful consolidation of fuselage and
wing assemblies for the fi rst static-test
aircraft, which will enter structural test-
ing this month.
“The success of our power-on tests is
an important step in the completion of
the fi rst conforming fl ight-test aircraft,”
said Honda Aircraft president and CEO
Michimasa Fujino. “With this signifi cant
milestone achieved, we are now focused
on the integration of avionics and other
electrical systems in anticipation of fi rst
fl ight later this year.”
Ongoing stress tests at Honda Aircraft’s
R&D facility in Greensboro employ a new
system that incorporates 61 hydraulic ac-
tuators and a 2,600-channel data acquisi-
tion system within a structural test fi xture
designed exclusively for the HondaJet. This
system enables testing of the entire air-
craft simultaneously to prove static and
fatigue strength under various fl ight and
ground load conditions. Honda’s test fa-
cility includes an environmental chamber
that can simulate the hot-wet conditions
required for the validation of composite
structures. Since U.S. HondaJet sales com-
menced in October 2006, the company
has accumulated orders for more than
100 of the $4.5 million planes, Honda’s
fi rst-ever production aircraft. The HondaJet
is scheduled for fi rst delivery in the third
quarter of 2012.
As HPC reported previously (HPC Janu-
ary 2006, p. 34 or visit http://short.com-
positesworld.com/EpI7s5qY), the Honda-
Jet has a composite fuselage, with metal
wings and tail. Left and right fuselage
halves feature a carbon/toughened epoxy
solid laminate, likely made from prepreg
supplied by Cytec Engineered Materials
(Tempe, Ariz.) with Toho Tenax (Tokyo,
Japan) intermediate-modulus fi ber. Fuse-
lage skins are cocured with press-formed
stringers and frames. The cockpit and ta-
pered tail section will be cored compos-
ites, with aramid honeycomb core and
carbon/epoxy skins.
At the event’s day-long Electric Aircraft
Symposium, keynoted by general aviation
pioneer and Scaled Composites (Mojave,
Calif) helmsman Burt Rutan, several
hundred participants heard Lausanne,
Switzerland-based Solar Impulse presi-
dent CEO Andre Borschberg recount the
development and record-setting fl ight of
the company’s solar-powered electric ex-
perimental craft, the Solar Impulse, which
Borschberg piloted through a complete
day/night cycle in August, in anticipation
of a planned around-the-world fl ight
(see http://short.compositesworld.com/
HOgSOljn).
Also on hand was the E430, a 54-hp
two-seat electric plane from Yuneec In-
ternational of Potters Bar, U.K. Selected
by the Symposium as this year’s Best
Electric Aircraft, its development has
been fi nanced personally by Yuneec CEO
Tian Yu and will be built in a recently fi n-
ished 260,000-ft2/25,000m2 factory near
Shanghai, China. The craft’s all-compos-
ite airframe has a very low empty weight
of 561 lb/171.5 kg, half of which is its bat-
tery pack. Its maximum take-off weight is
not quite twice that fi gure. With a wing-
span of 45.2 ft/13.8m, the 22.9-ft/7m long,
V-tailed craft is capable of up to three
hours of fl ight on a charge, and recharges
in three hours for about $5 (USD). Re-
portedly already FAA-certifi ed, the E430
will be available in the U.S. in the LSA
category, at a mere $89,000.
Next year’s EAA AirVenture show will
be held July 25-31, 2011.
2 8 | H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
FEATURE / AEROSPACE COMPOSITES
ince the Obama Administration’s
cancellation of NASA’s Constella-
tion program, the spotlight — and
government space policy — has
focused on the private space in-
dustry. More importantly, so have gov-
ernment development dollars.
“We will be providing industry with
NASA technical expertise,” said NASA’s
Sdeputy administrator Lori Garver,
speaking at the U.S. Federal Aviation
Admin.’s Commercial Space Transpor-
tation Conference in February. “We will
provide serious seed money ... and a
fi rm commitment to buy crew trans-
portation services on the market side.”
To diversify its risk, NASA is funding
competitive systems. “No single com-
mercial system will represent the criti-
cal path,” says Garver. “We’re going to
see the most exciting space race that
NASA’s seen in a long time, and there’s
likely to be more than one winner.”
NASA has made good on the fi rst
promise, doling out funds not only to
expected players — Boeing, Lockheed
Martin, United Launch Alliance — but
THE PRIVATE SPACE RACENASA passes the development torch to legacy contractors and NewSpace
entrepreneurs, igniting a new competition in space transport. BY KAREN WOOD
FEATURE / AEROSPACE COMPOSITES
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 2 9
several “NewSpace” companies, the term
now used of fi rms run by entrepreneurs
willing to risk their own money to devel-
op private avenues into space.
Affordable, reusable launch system
SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies
Corp., Hawthorne, Calif.) recently leaped
into contention with the successful June 7
launch (opening photo) of its 180-ft/55m
tall two-stage Falcon 9 rocket. Although
SpaceX founder/CEO Elon Musk declared
the event “a major milestone not only
for SpaceX but the increasingly bright
future of space fl ight,” other milestones
await. The Falcon 9 and its Dragon orbital
craft (see photo, p. 31) must fi rst dem-
onstrate their capabilities under a $278
million Commercial Orbital Transporta-
tion Services (COTS) agreement before
SpaceX can use them to supply the Inter-
national Space Station (ISS) under a $1.6
billion Commercial Resupply Services
(CRS) contract for a minimum of 12 car-
go fl ights. But since the launch, SpaceX
signed what is reportedly the largest-ever
commercial and, more importantly, non-
NASA launch deal for $492 million with
Iridium Communications Inc. (McLean,
Va.) to replace the latter’s existing satel-
lites between 2015 and 2017.
Intended to be fully recoverable, the
Falcon 9 is capable of inserting an 11-ton
payload into low Earth orbit (LEO). Al-
though the fi rst and second stage barrels
and domes are aluminum, a carbon com-
posite interstage structure joins the stag-
es and houses the second stage’s engines
and four parachutes that return the fi rst
stage to Earth. The interstage is 3.6m/12-
ft in diameter and ~8m/~26-ft tall.
A switch from an aluminum to a com-
posite interstage was made during devel-
opment of the company’s Falcon 1 rocket,
which began in 2002. “Falcon 1 was es-
sentially a materials proving ground for
the Falcon 9,” says Chris Thompson, VP,
Structures and Development Operations
at SpaceX, noting that “the composite in-
terstage reduces mass by between 1,000
lb and 1,500 lb.”
Toray Industries’ (Tokyo, Japan) T-700
multidirectional carbon fi ber material
is used for the facesheets, with vented
aluminum honeycomb for the core. “Ply
orientations are dependent upon load
paths, positioning of cutouts, and re-
quirements of additional loading, such
as in and around the safe-separation fi t-
tings,” explains Thompson.
SpaceX installed laser projection sys-
tems from Laser Projection Technologies
(LPT, Londonderry, N.H.) and Assem-
bly Guidance Systems Inc. (Chelmsford,
Mass.), and the company uses FiberSIM
software from VISTAGY (Waltham, Mass.)
to produce the fi ber layup drawings. “The
projection systems have cut layup time by
nearly half,” says Thompson.
The interstage is oven-cured in-house
over the course of one day, according to
Thompson, and includes a rigorous ramp-
up procedure. “With the number of plies
that we’re dealing with, our decision not
to use an autoclave initially led to some
challenges in terms of learning how to get
necessary compaction to avoid large sur-
face area voids between the core material
and the facesheets,” explains Thompson.
“We were able to work through these chal-
lenges during coupon testing.”
The rocket’s nine SpaceX-built Merlin
jet fuel/liquid oxygen (LOX) engines gen-
erate nearly 1 million lb of thrust. They’re
integrated into a truss structure that dis-
tributes the thrust upwards into the fi rst
stage tank. Above the truss, a carbon
composite skirt houses the plumbing
that feeds LOX and fuel to the engines.
There are no immediate plans to convert
fi rst- or second-stage tanks to composites,
says Thompson. “Because we’re dealing
with a cryogenic tank in the fi rst stage, it
becomes more complicated to move to
composites,” he explains, adding that “it
takes us less than three weeks to build
the fi rst-stage tank in aluminum. Without
a multimillion dollar tape laying machine
and other automated equipment, it would
be nearly impossible to do this in compos-
ites effi ciently and economically.”
Thompson does, however, see a “tre-
mendous amount of opportunity for
composites in the right applications.”
The company has installed a thermo-
forming press to more quickly produce
smaller composite components that
were produced previously by hand layup.
“Also, we have a 5.2m/17-ft fairing pro-
gram kicking off later this year that will
use composites,” he adds.
Initially designed for composites, the
Dragon’s pressure vessel was built with
aluminum to ensure success under the
company’s delivery deadlines. However,
its thermal protection system’s carrier
structures and its primary heat shield are
made from bismaleimide (BMI) prepregs.
The former are fabricated with materials
from Advanced Composites Group Ltd.
(ACG, Tulsa, Okla.) and Cytec Industries
(Woodland Park, N.J.). The latter is a BMI
sandwich structure with a Rohacell foam
core from Evonik Foams Inc. (South Mag-
nolia, Ark.).
When the Dragon reenters Earth’s at-
mosphere at around 15,660 mph (25,200
kmh), heating the shield’s exterior to
1850°C/3362°F, the capsule’s interior
NewSpace venture rockets to private launch prominence
The Falcon 9 two-stage launch vehicle
developed by SpaceX (Hawthorne, Calif.)
lifts off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., for a
successful insertion of the second stage
and Dragon spacecraft qualification unit
into a 250-km/155-mile-high circular
Earth orbit.
Sourc
e:
Sp
aceX
/Photo
: C
hris
Thom
pso
n
Prepare yourself to meet the business opportunities and technical
challenges that lie ahead in the fi eld of high-performance fi bers.
IN ASSOCIATION WITH:
R E G I S T E R TO DAY AT C O M P O S I T E S W O R L D. C O M / H P F
CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRS:
DANA M. GRANVILLE / COMPOSITE MATERIALS ENGINEER / MATERIALS MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY BRANCH WEAPONS MATERIALS RESEARCH DIRECTORATE / U.S. ARMY RESEARCH LABORATORY
PATRICK J. OWENS / GLOBAL MARKETING DIRECTOR / PUBLIC SECTORDUPONT ADVANCED FIBER SYSTEMS
PRE-CONFERENCE SEMINAR NOVEMBER 9TH:
“The Infl uence of Weaving, Ballistics and Environment on Fiber Strength”JOSEPH DEITZEL / ASSOCIATE SCIENTIST / CENTER FOR COMPOSITE MATERIALSUNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
NOVEMBER 9 - 10
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S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 3 1
The new two-stage, medium-class Tau-
rus II builds on its smaller predecessors
and is capable of delivering single or
multiple payloads weighing up to 7,000
lb/3,175 kg. Prime contractor Orbital’s
experienced Taurus II team includes Ap-
plied Aerospace Structures Corp. (AASC,
Stockton, Calif.), which is responsible
for composite primary structures. These
include a 3.9m/12.7-ft diameter by
9.9m/32.4-ft-long payload fairing (alumi-
num honeycomb core between carbon/
epoxy facesheets), and several shorter
barrel components of 1.8m/6 ft in length
or less: a fairing adapter, the stage 2 mo-
tor adapter, the stage 2 interstage, the
payload adapter, and the avionics cylin-
der. The initial launch for the Taurus II is
scheduled for 2011.
will be kept at room temperature by a
few inches of PICA-X heat-shield ablator,
a rigid, lightweight epoxy-impregnated
carbon foam developed by SpaceX’s
propulsion group with the assistance of
NASA, the originator of the phenolic-
impregnated carbon ablator (PICA). The
material also is used as a heat shield on
the Falcon 9 second stage, on its return
from orbit for recovery and reuse.
“We tested three different variants,”
said Tom Mueller, VP of propulsion at
SpaceX. “Compared to the PICA heat
shield fl own successfully on NASA’s Star-
dust sample return capsule, our SpaceX
versions equaled or improved the perfor-
mance of the heritage material.”
SpaceX has more than 40 fl ights on
manifest, including three demonstration
fl ights by spring 2011 for NASA’s COTS
program. And, as a free-fl ying spacecraft,
Dragon also provides a platform for in-
space technology demonstrations and
scientifi c instrument testing. SpaceX is
currently pursuing commercial, non-ISS
Dragon fl ights under the name “Dragon-
Lab.” Further, Falcon 9 and Dragon report-
edly meet NASA’s standards for astronaut
transport, allowing for a comparatively
rapid transition from cargo to crew ca-
pability within three years of receiving a
crew transport contract.
Building on small orbital successes
Orbital Sciences Corp. (Dulles, Va.) also
has been tapped to resupply the ISS. Its
$1.9 billion CRS contract calls for eight
fl ights from 2011 to 2015, and Orbital
is leveraging its experience to build an
unmanned Cygnus space freighter and a
new rocket, the Taurus II, to launch it.
Founded in 1982, Orbital has a proven
track record with small-to-medium rocket
launches for commercial customers, the
U.S. military and NASA. Orbital’s small
Pegasus XL and Taurus XL rockets have
drawn 30 NASA scientifi c and technolo-
gy-demonstration mission assignments
since 1990. NASA has selected the com-
pany to launch the Carbon Observatory-2
(OCO-2) satellite on a Taurus XL in 2013,
despite a failed attempt in 2009.
In space, every pound of weight affects mission
capacity and overall project cost, which makes
the use of composites very attractive. That’s
why the NASA Engineering and Safety Center
(NESC, Hampton, Va.) designed, built and tested
a composite crew module (CCM) in parallel with
the Constellation program’s Orion crew module
development. Some of the lessons learned were
applied to Orion and are now benefi ting other
programs within NASA and beyond.
“Members of the composite crew module
team have had technical discussions with Blue
Origin and Sierra Nevada regarding how we
used composites, including our design, analysis,
manufacturing and test processes,” says Mike
Kirsch, NESC principal engineer and CCM project
manager. “We have been asked to participate in
design reviews of their systems,” he adds, con-
fi rming that both companies are using composites
in their primary structures.
The NESC worked with a number of NASA and
industry partners on the CCM project (see “Learn
More,” p. 37).
Fabricated at Alliant Techsystems (ATK, Iuka,
Miss.), the CCM incorporated an innovative
approach to joining composites developed by
Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems (Re-
dondo Beach, Calif.) and carbon fi ber tooling fi rm
Janicki Industries (Sedro-Woolley, Wash.). The
top and bottom halves of the CCM were hand
layed sandwich structures with an aluminum
honeycomb core and carbon fi ber-reinforced
facesheets. During layup, critical orthogonal
joints were assembled, using preformed three-
dimensional weaving technology. After they were
autoclave-cured, the two halves were spliced
together, using local heaters and vacuum bags,
reports the NESC. According to the NESC, the use
of complex composite shapes allowed the integra-
tion of the packaging backbone (used to secure
internal components) with a membrane-lobed
fl oor and pressure-shell walls, which reduced
mass by approximately 150 lb/68 kg.
“As loads and environments change with pro-
gram maturation, inner mold line tooling offers the
opportunity to optimize or change design through
tailoring of layups or core density,” reports the
NESC. “Composite solutions offer opportunity for
lower piece-part numbers, resulting in a lower
drawing count, which helps minimize overall
lifecycle costs. Also, a minimal number of tools are
required to manufacture the primary structure.”
The module was pressurized to twice Earth’s
atmosphere to “demonstrate the ultimate design
capability of the structure,” explains Kirsch. This
was followed by push-pull tests to simulate the
on-mission forces. In all, the CCM showed that it
could complete its mission, even with the kind of
damage that is likely to occur in space.
— Karen Wood
Building on CCM lessons learned
Capsule to carry cargo, crew or both
The pressurized Dragon spacecraft, developed by SpaceX, employs a flexible cargo and crew configuration, and is able to accommodate up to seven crew members per flight. Unpressurized cargo can be transported in the “trunk,” which is designed to support the pressurized capsule during ascent and contains a truss structure to hold cargo.
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AASC also will manufacture and test
the 12-sided, 2.6m/103-inch diameter by
1.27m/50-in tall Cygnus structure, which
is based on Orbital’s STAR 2 platform. It
will comprise forward and aft aluminum
rings and carbon facesheets with alumi-
num honeycomb core for the forward/
aft decks, bulkhead and gussets (the re-
maining parts will be metal-bonded alu-
minum facesheet panels). The composite
structure will house the spacecraft’s mo-
tors and maneuvering control system.
Although the Orbital contract does not
include ISS crew transport, the company
believes it is well positioned to provide it,
given its experience developing NASA’s
Orion capsule launch abort system.
Designing an LEO crew vehicle
One crew transport is under development
at Denver, Colo.-based Sierra Nevada
Corp. (SNC) Space Systems. Awarded the
biggest chunk of NASA Commercial Crew
Development (CCDev) program funds —
$20 million — SNC Space Systems was
established in 2009 to join SNC subsid-
iary MicroSat Systems and SpaceDev and
realize the latter’s Dream Chaser. Modeled
after NASA’s early 1990s HL-20 lifting
body concept and designed to ferry a
crew of six and cargo to the ISS or other
LEO destinations, Dream Chaser is a pi-
loted solution. Fitted with SpaceDev’s
hybrid rocket technology for orbital ma-
neuvers (the same employed by Mojave,
Calif.-based Scaled Composites’ Space-
ShipOne when it won the Ansari X Prize
in 2004), the craft launches vertically and
lands horizontally on a conventional run-
way. SNC is working with Denver, Colo.-
based United Launch Alliance to launch
Dream Chaser atop an Atlas V rocket.
SNC plans to upgrade the design with
composites and believes the cylindrical
shape of its pressure vessel may make
it more suitable for composites than a
more complex capsule shape. Report-
edly, AdamWorks (Centennial, Colo.) will
develop internal structures for structural
testing. Boeing Phantom Works (St. Lou-
is, Mo.) will build the test article. Also,
Straight Flight (Englewood, Colo.), an
SNC aircraft repair subsidiary, is report-
edly building the tooling and some of the
exterior body panels. SNC plans to have a
an orbital vehicle in service by 2014.
Providing the crew escape system
Backed by Amazon.com founder Jeff Be-
zos, Blue Origin (Kent, Wash.) operates
a private spaceport in West Texas, where,
under a shroud of secrecy, it is develop-
ing New Shepard, a vertical takeoff/vertical
landing (VTVL) suborbital vehicle. The
fi rm has received $3.7 million in NASA
CCDev funds to support development of
an astronaut escape system and build a
composite pressure vessel prototype for
ground-based structural testing.
This NewSpace fi rm fi nds itself in
good company. Along with SNC, other
recipients of NASA funds for crew de-
velopment include the Houston, Texas-
based Boeing Space Exploration Div. of
The Boeing Co. ($18 million) and United
Launch Alliance ($6.7 million).
The “push” escape system would em-
ploy thrusters under the crew cabin to lift
it away from the launcher in the event of
a malfunction, rather than using a con-
ventional NASA “tractor” type escape
system, mounted on top of the crew cap-
sule to pull it away. A composite pressure
vessel would reduce the crew capsule’s
weight, and Blue Origin is reportedly
working with NASA to leverage lessons
learned on the composite crew module
(CCM) pressure vessel developed along-
side NASA’s baseline and mostly metal
Orion design (see sidebar, p. 31).
Blue Origin began test fl ights in 2006
with its Goddard demonstration vehicle,
which the company says doesn’t repre-
sent the fi nal launch vehicle, but it has
been a source of many lessons learned.
What is known is that the New Shepard
reusable launch vehicle (RLV) stacks the
crew capsule on top of the propulsion
module and will be capable of separat-
ing and operating autonomously during
fl ight. The company is currently targeting
the research and education market, as
well as space tourism.
Under development is a standard cab-
in payload system to host experiments
inside the New Shepard crew capsule. The
company has identifi ed three programs
for its Phase 1 research fl ight demonstra-
tion project. Test fl ights could occur as
early as 2011, with unmanned commer-
cial operations shortly thereafter. New
Shepard reportedly could house three or
more astronauts, but no date has been
set for manned commercial fl ights.
LEO-capable space freighter
Orbital Sciences Corp. (Dulles, Va.) is leveraging its previous space vehicle experience to build an unmanned space freighter called the Cygnus. After launch into LEO atop the Taurus II rocket (see inset), Cygnus will maneuver to and dock with the International Space Station.
Sourc
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3 4 | H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
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Retooling for suborbital tourism
HPC has followed closely the develop-
ment of fl edgling space tourism fi rm
Virgin Galactic’s all-composite captive-
carry launch system (see “Learn More”).
Built by The Spaceship Co. (Mojave,
Calif.), a joint venture of Scaled Com-
posites and London, U.K.-based Virgin
Group, the SpaceShipTwo suborbital craft
and the WhiteKnightTwo launch aircraft
(see photo, p. 35) are scaled-up ver-
sions of Scaled systems that claimed
the Ansari X Prize.
cure-temperature toughened epoxy ma-
trix optimized for low-pressure vacuum
bag processing in both prepreg and fi lm
infusion formats. MTM45-1 may be cured
at temperatures as low as 80°C/176°F,
allowing the use of low-cost tooling for
prototypes and short production runs.
Eve has substantially completed its
fl ight-test program (27 fi ghts so far), and
Enterprise, rolled out in December 2009,
has completed two captive-carry fl ights.
Full-scale test fi rings of its hybrid rocket
motor began at SNC this summer, with a
followup drop/glide tests program. The
fi rst powered test of Enterprise is expected
in early 2011. Reportedly, Enterprise (and
several forthcoming clones) will be capa-
ble of fl ying twice daily, and Eve will sup-
port four spacefl ights a day. Virgin Galac-
tic aims to fl y 500 passengers in the fi rst
year of commercial operations.
Selling a ticket for one to space
Smaller in scale, the Lynx suborbital
spacecraft from Mojave-based XCOR
Aerospace is a small rocket-powered air-
craft designed to take off from a runway
and then make a steep ascent, accelerat-
ing to Mach 2 (~1,522 mph/~2,450 kmh)
with 2.5 G-force within three minutes. Ca-
pable of carrying a pilot and one passen-
ger with a payload on a suborbital path,
the Lynx Mark I will reportedly fl y to 61
km/200,000 ft and provide one minute of
microgravity, while the Lynx Mark II will be
able to reach 100 km/330,000 ft and pro-
vide nearly three minutes of microgravity.
XCOR has a contract to provide subor-
bital space launch services via the Lynx
Mark II for the Yecheon Astro Space Cen-
ter in South Korea under a “wet lease”
model (XCOR will provide the spacecraft,
crew, maintenance and insurance). The
Lynx is currently under construction in-
house. Test fl ights are expected to begin
in the second half of 2011 and should last
9 to 18 months.
The Lynx Mark I employs a carbon/
epoxy construction with a thermal pro-
tection system for its leading edge. The
Lynx Mark II is made from carbon/cyanate
ester with a nickel alloy for the nose and
leading-edge thermal protection.
“Composites … allow us to work with
seamless complex shapes, such as the
cabin pressure vessel and outer mold
line of the vehicle,” explains XCOR’s Mike
Massee. “In the production version ... the
outer skin of the composite LOX tank
and inner skin of the fuselage are one in
Renamed Eve, the launch air-
craft’s one-piece wing spar measures
140-ft/43m long — the longest carbon
composite aviation part ever manufac-
tured. The fi rst of several planned sub-
orbital craft, the Virgin Space Ship (VSS)
Enterprise, is designed to carry two pi-
lots and six passengers. Both Eve and
Enterprise were hand built, using new
MTM45-1 out-of-autoclave prepregs
developed by Advanced Composites
Group Ltd. (ACG, Heanor, Derbyshire,
U.K.). The prepreg features a variable-
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 3 5
the same, saving quite a bit of weight in
structural support.”
For this purpose, XCOR is develop-
ing a cryo-compatible composite mate-
rial, trademarked Nonburnite. “Unlike
ordinary composites, Nonburnite is not
fl ammable in an oxygen-rich environ-
ment and resists microcracking at the
very cold temperatures required for LOX
storage,” says Massee.
Typically, LOX tanks are made of alu-
minum or stainless steel. XCOR uses a
thermoplastic fl uoropolymer composite
material with a foam core that serves as
thermal insulation as well as structure.
XCOR reports that “compared to carbon/
epoxy, it is noncombustible, and com-
pared to aluminum, it has lower density,
lower coeffi cient of thermal expansion
and higher strength.”
Cutting costs via trial and error
With fully reusable VTVL suborbital re-
search and passenger fl ights in its sights,
Armadillo Aerospace’s (Rockwall, Texas)
technology is similar to NASA’s but re-
portedly will be built at a price that will
eventually put space travel within reach
of other than the wealthy. The company’s
existing MOD and Super-MOD vehicles
reach lower altitudes using LOX-ethanol
and LOX-methane engines, but two pro-
gressively more advanced systems — the
Tube and the SOST — are under construc-
tion. The four rockets are an outgrowth of
what Armadillo’s communications team
sees in terms of step-by-step progress:
“We approach rocket design much like
software design. We build ... incremental
designs that we can test constantly and
work out all the kinks as we go.”
Eight-seat, all-composite “tour bus”
The six-passenger VSS Enterprise fuselage is assembled at Scaled Composites (Mojave, Calif.). To achieve suborbital flight, the launch aircraft Eve will carry the Enterprise to approximately 45,000 ft/14 km, at which point the latter will be released to fire its rocket motor and climb. After motor shutdown, it will travel a wide arc, peaking at 361,000 ft/110 km, before descent. At 70,000 ft/21.5 km, the ship’s unique wing action turns its body into the airstream, rapidly slowing the spacecraft, without heat buildup, for a conventional wheeled landing.
So
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Source: Virgin Galactic/Photo: Mark Greenberg
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MOD was awarded fi rst prize in Level
1 of NASA’s Lunar Lander Challenge in
2008. Super-MOD has additional out-
board composite high-pressure tanks.
Armadillo is currently offering payload
opportunities and is reconfi guring both
vehicles to a target maximum altitude
of 50 km/164,042 ft. The Tube, sched-
uled to begin carrying commercial pay-
loads in third-quarter 2010, employs a
conventional rocket-style vehicle and
is designed to travel to heights of 100
km/328,084 ft. The SOST transport con-
sists of a four-tank arrangement with
a capsule for manned and unmanned
fl ights. Test fl ights are scheduled for
2011, and commercial passenger fl ights
could begin as early as the end of 2012.
Inflatable space stations
Bigelow Aerospace (Las Vegas, Nev.) is
looking beyond the ISS to next-generation
space stations. The company hopes to house
astronauts, scientists and even tourists in its
expandable space modules, which use thick
composite walls to protect inhabitants.
The fi rst of Bigelow’s orbital stations —
the mini Genesis I and II — have been orbiting
300 miles/483 km above Earth since launch-
es in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Next up is
a full-scale 180m3/6,357 ft3 module, Sun-
dancer. Designed to house three people,
long-term, and as many as six for short-
term stays, Sundancer has its own power,
environmental-control and life-support
systems and avionics. Bigelow also has
developed the BA-330 module, with
nearly twice the volume of Sundancer.
Expandable space modules were fi rst
proposed and designed by NASA un-
der the TransHab program as potential
ISS crew quarters. After TransHab was
canceled, Bigelow acquired the rights
to commercialize several of NASA’s key
module technologies.
According to one Bigelow patent,
“typical materials used to form the Tran-
sHab module’s walls include Nomex,
Kevlar, and a variety of other fabric or
sheet materials. Sponge-like materials,
such as open cell elastomers, are layered
between these sheets. These elastomer
layers are compressed prior to launch.
Once in orbit, the elastomeric layers are
allowed to expand, the module is pres-
surized, and the space module expands
into its deployed confi guration. The elas-
tomer layers act to form the wall of the
module and also provide insulation.”
Bigelow modifi ed the TransHab de-
sign, adding windows and selecting
Vectran fi ber over Kevlar for ballistic
protection. Vectran (multifi lament poly-
ester-polyarylate yarn spun from liquid
crystal polymer) is supplied by Houston,
Texas-based Kuraray America Inc.
Bigelow is said to be in talks with
NASA about adding infl atable modules
to the ISS and plans to launch the Sun-
dancer in 2014. Three launches will place
two Sundancers and a BA-330 into orbit.
Earlier this year, Boeing received $18
million in NASA CCDev funds to begin
preliminary development of a crew mod-
ule concept, a possible means to trans-
port space station crews and other Big-
elow clients to the LEO stations. Bigelow
is working with Boeing Space Explora-
tion as a subcontractor on the project,
providing additional funding and devel-
opment support. Designated CST-100,
Boeing’s crew module will be compatible
with multiple launch vehicles, capable of
carrying a mixture of crew and cargo, and
based on the company’s previous work:
“The tight development time line and fo-
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For more about NASA’s composite crew module,
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cus on cost containment … will put more
emphasis on the use of proven systems
that require little or no unique devel-
opment,” says Tom Andrews, Boeing’s
structures design lead for CCDev, based
in Huntington Beach, Calif.
Although composites will contribute
to program success and are under con-
sideration for primary structure to reduce
weight and cost and boost performance,
Andrews says such benefi ts must be
weighed against the fact that “the space
environment presents challenges that
are not there with nonspace systems.”
These include atomic oxygen, which can
degrade unprotected composites, and
the impact of micrometeorites or orbital
debris. “These challenges require addi-
tional scrutiny above and beyond past
human-occupied spacecraft experience
with metallic material systems.”
With the help of Bigelow, Boeing is
taking a NewSpace approach to CST-100
development — one that’s quicker and
more cost-effective. Bigelow’s develop-
ment schedule calls for a series of test
fl ights in 2014 with commercial opera-
tion to begin in 2015 — a year earlier
than NASA’s launch target in 2016.
Bigelow is marketing principally to sov-
ereign nations and corporations. Report-
edly, a 30-day stay on its station would
cost $25 million per person. With a four-
year commitment, a six-person module
can be leased for slightly less than $395
million per year. Bigelow is expanding its
Nevada manufacturing plant by 185,000
ft2/17,187m2) to enable mass production.
Reaching space together
Time alone will reveal whether or not
these programs are viable and sustain-
able. Much will depend on the U.S. gov-
ernment’s ability to provide funding and
the willingness of researchers, communi-
cations companies and tourists to foot
the bill for suborbital trips and orbital
insertions. Most certain is that, hence-
forth, composites will play a signifi cant
role in whatever transpires.
In recent testimony before the Senate
Commerce, Science and Transportation
Committee’s Subcommittee on Science
and Space, Orbital’s senior VP Frank Cul-
bertson echoed the confi dence common
to legacy contractors and NewSpace rac-
ers alike. “U.S. industry, given the right
conditions, relationships and invest-
ments, should be able to develop and
demonstrate safe and reliable crew
transportation systems for International
Space Station support by 2015,” he pre-
dicted, but warned that to do so, New-
Space and NASA must yield autonomy. “I
do not envisage commercially provided
crew services being conducted entirely
by industry with a hands-off approach
from NASA. Nor can these commercial
services be provided effi ciently with tra-
ditional levels of government involve-
ment and oversight at every turn.”
3 8 | H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
FEATURE / NEXT-GENERATION ANTIBALLISTICS
BY MICHAEL R. LEGAULT
Either way, antiballistics engineers
seek structural integrity and ballistic
deterrence from a single design. U
FEATURE / NEXT-GENERATION ANTIBALLISTICS
Structural glass: Antiballistics with less mass
Part of the United Kingdom’s Light Protected Patrol Vehicle Program, the new SPV400 all-terrain military vehicle built by Supacat (Devon, U.K.), maximizes roadside blast protection with an all-composite crew pod constructed of prepreg panels reinforced with S-2 Glass from AGY (Aiken, S.C.).
STRUCTURAL ARMOR OR
ARMORED STRUCTURES?
ntil recently, there were good
antiballistic materials and good
structural materials, and — ma-
terials engineers and end-users
have usually assumed — never
the twain shall meet. For example, a fi ber
reinforcement and matrix must, by de-
sign, capture and stop projectiles. Anti-
ballistic materials, reinforced with aramid
or various types of polyolefi n fi bers with
superior elongation-to-break character-
istics, absorb and dissipate the energy of
a high-velocity impact through a number
of energy-absorbing mechanisms. These
include spall formation, tensile fi ber fail-
ure of primary yarns, fi ber debonding, fi -
ber pullout and interlayer delamination.
Unfortunately, each is a failure mechanism
that all good structural materials are sup-
posed to avoid. Carbon-fi ber/epoxy, one
of the best structural materials available
due to carbon’s stiffness, high tensile
strength and extremely low elongation,
is therefore a poor performer from a bal-
listics standpoint. “When a high-speed
projectile strikes a carbon-fi ber panel,
that point of impact becomes a localized
point of failure,” says David Fecko, new
business development manager at AGY
Huntingdon (Aiken, S.C.).
This difference is by no means trivial. In
practical terms, it means that structures
and the armor for those structures often
are engineered and produced separately:
Sourc
e: S
up
acat
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 3 9
New military specifi cations for unidirectional
thermoplastic laminates used in antiballistics
applications are circulating in draft form for
comments and should be completed by year’s
end. Materials suppliers assisted the Army
Research Laboratory (Adelphi, Md.) in drafting
the MIL specifi cations, which cover four classes
of fi ber used to reinforce in thermoplastic
matrices: aramid, polypropylene, ultrahigh-
molecular-weight polyethylene and glass.
Dr. Karl Chang, research associate at DuPont
Protection Technologies (Wilmington, Del.), says
the MIL specifi cations will not require armor
manufacturers to change their practices, but
rather, the intent is to provide those responsible
for military procurement with a high degree of
certainty that the product they buy today is the
same as the product they bought last month.
The specifi cations include details of how
to make and mold test panels, as well as
criteria for passing the Fragment Simulating
Projectile Ballistic 50 antiballistic performance
standard. The FSPB50 protocol specifi es the
velocity at which 50 percent of the projectiles
are expected to penetrate a panel while the
remainder is stopped.
Dr. Chang points out that the new MIL
specifi cation should not be interpreted to mean
the military is getting substandard laminates.
What’s at issue is uniform application of
requirements. “It’s a classic problem. If there
is a requirement but no specifi cation, that
requirement is open to interpretation,” he
explains. “There is no other way to interpret a
specifi cation than how it is written.”
— Michael R. LeGault
S I D E S T O R Y
New MIL antiballistics standard
Ground vehicles and stationary shelters
are designed and built conventionally.
Then armor is added (often literally, in kit
form) at extra expense. Add-on armor, of
course, contributes signifi cantly to over-
all weight. In the case of vehicles, there
is a corresponding reduction in mobility,
maneuverability and fuel effi ciency.
This dichotomy is changing, however,
as engineers take steps to bridge the
performance gap with new materials and
hybrid constructions that meet multiple
performance demands while increasing
manufacturing effi ciency and reducing
cost. The goal is a fi nished composite
component that has suffi cient structural
strength for the intended use and exhib-
its the required antiballistic properties.
Armor-worthy structural glass
One candidate for a viable structural
antiballistic material is S-glass fi ber,
which has taken a signifi cant leap into
the limelight in a new all-terrain mili-
tary vehicle for the U.K.’s Light Protected
Patrol Vehicle (LPPV) Program (open-
ing photo). The SPV400 is designed for
maximum roadside-blast protection,
says Nick Ames, managing director of
SPV400 manufacturer Supacat (Devon,
U.K.), who claims that its construction
offers LPPV “protection levels far beyond
those [currently] available in other ve-
hicles in the 7.5-ton class.” The vehicle
incorporates a V-shaped armored hull
for underside protection and an all-com-
posite crew pod made from woven-glass
prepreg panels. Supacat has formed an
alliance agreement with NP Aerospace
(Coventry, U.K.) to supply armor for the
vehicle. AGY supplies its proprietary S-2
Glass for the composite panels.
Although AGY’s S-2 Glass product
is armor capable, glass fi ber generally
outweighs the aramids and other ther-
moplastic fi bers classically employed
in armor applications. For that reason,
AGY introduced Featherlight S-2 Glass
fi ber to the market in 2008. The fi ber
was developed in response to the U.S.
military’s initiative to build lighter ve-
hicles with better structural and antibal-
listic performance. The new fi ber has a
5 to 10 percent greater tensile strength
than conventional S-2 Glass. Therefore,
Featherlight can be used either to make
composite armor of the same weight
with improved ballistic performance, or
to make lighter armor with identical bal-
listic properties. Featherlight is the re-
sult of changes to the fi ber architecture,
namely smaller diameter fi laments with
more fi bers per bundle.
Fecko believes there is potential for
greater improvement. During the past
four years, in fact, AGY and the Army
Research Laboratory (ARL, Adelphi,
Md.) have collaborated to investigate
ways the performance properties of S-2
Glass might be modifi ed, using sizing
technology developed by ARL. The pur-
pose of the project is to maximize the
structural performance of armor pan-
els during low-strain conditions (e.g.,
typical road vibrations) and optimize
energy absorption during high-strain
conditions (e.g., ballistic impact). Re-
searchers found that ARL’s multicom-
ponent sizing imparts higher structural
integrity to an S-2 Glass/epoxy compos-
ite while doubling the Mode II (in shear)
fracture toughness of the system, with-
out damaging fi bers or increasing mois-
ture uptake. Further, drop-tower testing
showed that the damaged area of the
composite was greatly reduced when
compared to samples made with tradi-
tional sizing.
Although the sizing is not yet com-
mercial, AGY’s Fecko says the research
results are promising enough to compel
“a full-blown research project to launch
the next-generation S-glass fi ber.” Fecko
says the unique chemistry of S-2 Glass
(its higher silica content, in particular)
imparts higher tensile and compressive
strength, which makes it ideal for struc-
tural applications, but it is not always
the best choice for ballistic protection.
He suggests, however, that there might
be ways to change the glass chemistry
to enhance antiballistic performance, yet
it retains some features that make it at-
tractive for structural hard armor. Beyond
modifi cations to chemistry, AGY also will
investigate the fi ber/matrix interface,
fabric architecture and other factors that
have an impact on performance.
Elsewhere on the materials front, Mil-
liken and Co.’s (Spartanburg, S.C.) new
version of its Tegris self-reinforced poly-
propylene (PP) composite, trademarked
Tegris LM, shows promise for structural
antiballistic applications when com-
bined with other fi bers. Tegris is based
on the company’s (pat. pend.) PURE
technology, a three-layer coextruded
tape consisting of a polymer skin of PP
fi bers with a relatively low melting point,
a highly-drawn PP fi ber core and another
layer of low-melt PP skin. Drawing axially
orients the core fi bers, creating a highly
reinforcing material that acts, in a com-
posite, like glass fi ber, but contributes
much less weight. Typically, Tegris yarn is
woven into fabrics and consolidated into
sheets that subsequently are thermo-
formed or compression molded. The
4 0 | H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
FEATURE / NEXT-GENERATION ANTIBALLISTICS
e modules
pod and
tection kit
ubframes
rmoured hull
Maximum protection, modular design
The SPV400’s modular design enables easier system upgrades to meet new threats. Its V-shaped hull protects the crew sitting above it from an underbelly mine strike. Sacrificial subframes, such as the axle systems, can be blown away in the event of a wheel mine strike, enhancing protection.
Replaceable modules
Blast
Composite pod and
ballistic protection kit
Sacrificial subframes
V-shaped armoured hull
vehicles for enhanced protection against
Explosively Formed Projectiles (EFPs).
In the standard Tegris product, matrix
formation is initiated at ~300°F/~149°C
and pressures of 300 psi and greater.
But Tegris LM can be molded at tem-
peratures ranging from 225°F to 300°F
(107°C to 149°C) and pressures from as
low as 30 psi to a high of 300 psi. This
low-melting skins become the polymer
matrix when heat suffi cient to melt the
sheath but not hot enough to melt the
fi ber core is applied during the molding
process. Milliken recently shipped 20,000
Tegris armor kits for vehicles deployed in
Iraq and Afghanistan. Predominantly fl at
panel systems for spall liners, the kits
are used, for the most part, to retrofi t
broader processing window makes Tegris
LM compatible with autoclave process-
ing and infusion molding, which enhanc-
es, in turn, the material’s suitability for
comolding with carbon, aramid and/or
polyethylene fi ber forms to create hybrid
structures that combine good structural
and ballistic properties.
Eric Brockman, Milliken’s national sales
manager, says the impetus for Tegris LM
was customer requests. “When we fi rst in-
troduced the Tegris product, you basically
had to compression mold to make a part,”
says Brockman. “We heard, over and over
again, ‘Great material. Love that it’s fairly
structural. But if you could broaden the
processing window it would increase the
opportunity to use the material.’” Milliken
already has demonstrated and qualifi ed
Tegris LM for one military body armor ap-
plication and has submitted the material
for two other applications.
Brockman allows that Tegris LM is un-
likely to be the only product used in an ar-
mor design, but he contends that used in
conjunction with other antiballistic fi bers,
it can save weight, control delamination
and reduce cost. In a typical body armor
design, a layer of Tegris LM can replace
the layer of Kevlar- or polyethylene-fi ber-
reinforced polymer immediately behind
the ceramic strike face to support the
ceramic and help control back-face de-
formation. Brockman says testing shows
that this confi guration can improve multi-
hit performance at a lower cost.
Milliken is looking for Tegris LM to
expand the company’s presence in body
So
urc
e:
Sup
acat
The U.S. Army and Marine Corps are conduct-
ing fi nal validation testing of the U.S. military’s
next-generation — and radically new — com-
bat helmet at the Army Research Laboratory’s
Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. Testing on
the Enhanced Combat Helmet (ECH), is expected
to last 6 to 12 months. The previous-generation
Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) — currently
in use by most U.S. combat troops — is made
primarily of Kevlar and phenolic resin. The ECH
will be the fi rst to incorporate thermoplastic resin
in its construction. Military sources tell HPC that
the ECH comprises a carbon-fi ber inner cage
overmolded with a preform made from Spectra
ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHM-
WPE), supplied by helmet development partner
Honeywell Advanced Fibers and Composites
(Colonial Heights, Va.).
“The ECH involves a change in materials,
a change in the manufacturing process and a
change in the specifi cations,” says Honeywell’s
armor industry technical leader Lori Wagner.
While the UHMWPE outer hemisphere imparts
the energy-absorbing antiballistic behavior, the
carbon inner cage is designed to resist deforma-
tion, offering better local-impact protection for
the wearer. The design reportedly results in a 10
percent improvement in ballistic protection while
reducing helmet weight.
The military is expected to issue production
contracts to several manufacturers. The helmet
will be made using an out-of-autoclave, auto-
mated compression-style press. Automation is
expected to reduce the cost of making the ECH by
10 to 15 percent compared to the ACH.
— Michael R. LeGault
S I D E S T O R Y
Hybrid Enhanced Combat Helmet enters fi nal testing phase
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 4 1
Ballistic protection and structural function
After-test views (front and back) of Polystrand Inc.’s (Montrose, Colo.) patented new antiballistic panel, comprising layers of S-glass, E-glass and aramid tapes that together fulfill design expectations for both antiballistic and structural performance.
armor, including products with complex
geometries, such as combat helmets. Al-
though the U.S. military’s new Enhanced
Combat Helmet (ECH) will be a hybrid
construction made of a carbon-fi ber
shell or cage overmolded with high-mo-
lecular-weight polyethylene (see sidebar,
p. 40), Brockman believes Tegris could
fi nd a place in future helmet designs. The
ECH’s carbon-fi ber shell is needed to add
structural integrity and control ear-to-ear
compression or dynamic defl ection, but
he suggests that future helmets could in-
corporate a layer of Tegris and eliminate
the need for more costly fi bers. “If you
took the playing fi eld of materials before
Tegris, you had a group [that] was struc-
tural and included glass and carbon, then
you had an area of antiballistic-type ma-
terials, such as brands of ultrahigh-mo-
lecular-weight polyethylene [UHMWPE],
and aramid materials that were weak in
terms of structural performance,” notes
Brockman. “Tegris fi ts the niche between
these materials.”
Polystrand Inc. (Montrose, Colo.) has
focused on the integration of multiple
materials in a single hybrid design. The
company received formal approval on
a patent for hybrid thermoplastic com-
posite ballistic panels (Patent No. U.S.
7,598,185 B2). Polystrand is best known
for its ThermoBallistic family of materi-
als, which combine continuous strands
of glass or aramid fi bers with proprietary
polypropylene or polyethylene fi bers in
the form of sheets or layered tape lami-
nates. The new hybrid panel combines
layers of S-glass, E-glass and aramid fi -
bers. ThermoBallistic reinforcing tapes
are used in a 0°/90° cross-ply layup that
is subsequently compression molded at
360°F/182°C with pressures as low as 100
psi/6.89 bar. Polystrand president Ed Pil-
pel says the hybrid panel fulfi lls antibal-
listic and structural functions: “Our test-
ing ... showed this construction could
effectively be used on future military ve-
hicle platforms to reduce costs.”
Similarly, Norplex-Micarta (Postville,
Iowa), manufactures laminated panels as
large as 4 ft by 9 ft (1.2m by 2.7m), consist-
ing of a number of different layers of ma-
terials that are placed in a press and con-
solidated in a single step under heat and
pressure. A typical construction might
consist of an inner layer of UHMWPE
— either Honeywell’s Spectra or DSM’s
(Geleen, The Netherlands) Dyneema —
followed by a layer of infused, semicured
glass-fi ber mat, followed by an outer ce-
ramic layer. The inner thermoplastic lay-
er acts as a spall liner, the impregnated
glass fi ber provides structural strength
and the ceramic outer adds protection
from armor-piercing rounds, says Alan
Johnson, director of business develop-
ment at Norplex-Micarta. The individual
layers are consolidated and bonded with
a proprietary epoxy adhesive system.
Pressures used to consolidate the pan-
els depend on the types of individual
layers in the construction. Panels con-
taining just glass fi ber and ceramics can
be consolidated at pressures as low as
250 psi/17.24 bar, while pressures as
high as 3,000 psi/206.84 bar are used to
consolidate panels that also include
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1.800.2.MCLUBE
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urc
e P
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4 2 | H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
FEATURE / NEXT-GENERATION ANTIBALLISTICS
the inner thermoplastic layer. Norplex-
Micarta also has developed a grout that
reduces damage in the event of a strike.
Typically, when a round hits, it not only
damages the ceramic tile it strikes but
the surrounding tiles as well, says John-
son. “This grouting material ... surrounds
each individual tile so when a round hits
it doesn’t shatter the adjacent tiles.”
Materials & intangibles drive change
Two factors have coalesced to acceler-
ate change and hasten the commercial-
ization of hybrid constructions over the
past decade. First, advances in materials
other than fi bers have led to increased
processing fl exibility and have provided
manufacturers with more manufacturing
options. Dana Granville, senior materials
engineer at the ARL’s Weapons and Ma-
terials Research Directorate (Aberdeen,
Md.), says improvements in the quality
of low-viscosity vinyl esters and epoxies
have played a crucial role in the growing
use of out-of-autoclave processes, such
as resin transfer molding (RTM) and vac-
uum-assisted RTM (VARTM), for antibal-
listic applications. “When we fi rst started
testing composite materials,” he recalls,
“whenever you would add anything to
an epoxy to reduce viscosity, say, for a
pultrusion application, we always sacri-
fi ced performance.” Granville also says
advances in sizing technology, such as
the AGY/ARL effort discussed earlier, are
enhancing antiballistic composites.
A second factor has been a post-9/11
emphasis on lightweighting and cost
reduction as testing under real-world
conditions (e.g., in Iraq and Afghanistan)
exposed limitations of then state-of-the-
art hard- and soft-armor, providing the
impetus for end-users and suppliers to
seek and fund radical change. “You need
drivers to push the industry to come up
with technology that will advance the
use of composites in ballistics design,”
says Lori Wagner, armor industry techni-
cal leader at Honeywell Advanced Fibers
and Composites (Colonial Heights, Va.).
Wagner says that at one time, ballistics
engineers considered “a modifi cation of
the type of water-repellent treatment,
or going from a 24x24 plain weave to a
25x25 plain weave” to be a signifi cant
change to body armor construction. Now,
she believes, the industry is becoming
less conservative, citing for example a
manufacturer of body armor for law en-
forcement that switched its entire line
from woven fabric, once considered the
standard, to Honeywell’s unidirectional
Spectra Shield composite after testing
showed the latter would improve perfor-
mance. Spectra gel-spun extended-chain
polyethylene fi bers, according to Honey-
well, have one of the highest strength-to-
weight ratios among man-made fi bers.
Lightweighting has been a U.S. Army
research priority since the 2003 launch
of a formal program dedicated to reduc-
ing land vehicle mass of Future Combat
Systems (FCS) manned ground vehicles
(MGVs). Overseen by ARL, the FCS pro-
gram was to create a family of lighter,
faster, more fl exible vehicles based on
a common tracked-vehicle chassis. The
original directive called for develop-
ment of three generations of compos-
ite armor, culminating in panels that
would protect the 27-ton MGV in 2015.
This third-generation armor was to have
same antiballistic performance as then
current armor but at 25 percent less
weight. In April 2009, the Pentagon can-
celed the MGV, rolling the FCS initia-
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tive into a new effort, the Army Brigade
Combat Team Modernization Program.
Shortly thereafter, the army launched the
Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) program,
seeking a replacement for the Bradley
Fighting Vehicle. The GCV program calls
for a 50- to 70-ton vehicle with the un-
derbelly protection of a mine-resistant,
ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicle and
better side resistance than a Bradley.
Defense fi rms submitted proposals for
the fi rst phase of the GCV in May of this
year, and program offi cials are expected
to award as many as three development
contracts this month. Although research-
ers are still working out GCV design de-
tails, lightweighting appears to be the
prime objective: Army chief of staff Gen.
George Casey recently said that the GCV
needs to be closer to the weight of a
MRAP (about 23 tons).
Cost reduction is more important than
ever before because today’s armor solu-
tions are more complex. “A typical armor
construction today is a combination of
materials — steel, ceramic and com-
posites,” says Granville. The principal
question is how to combine and bond
them cost-effectively, yet maximize per-
formance. Consequently, there is greater
openness to alternative methods. Gran-
ville recalls a method that arose out of
an ARL effort, with collaborator United
Defense Industries (now BAE Systems,
Monroe, N.C.), to develop a composite
hull for a now-defunct vehicle platform.
Granville says the program’s purpose
was to demonstrate a 50 to 60 percent re-
duction in the cost to manufacture thick-
section, multifunctional armor. Although
the program was not completed, some
of its technology could be applicable to
future ground combat vehicles. The pro-
gram envisioned automatic delivery of
a vinyl ester resin, or the A and B com-
ponents of an epoxy, to infuse preforms
in a low-pressure molding process. A
network of programmed sensors moni-
tored the resin fl ow front simultaneously
at multiple locations and automatically
controlled injection gating as the front
progressed. Granville contends that pre-
forms could be a key to cost control: “The
cost of a fi ber preform can be less than
two times the cost of the raw material,
which is a lot cheaper than ... tape laying
a part with those materials.”
More change to come
Pushed by demands for better perform-
ing and more cost-effective armor solu-
tions, the quest for new multifunctional
materials is certain to continue. “There
are a lot of different materials out there,”
observes Honeywell’s Wagner, “and we
are still in our infancy of understanding
the way they can be used in systems to
exploit the advantages each might have.”
Manufacturers’ willingness to consider
not only a broader array of fi bers but
also a greater variety of fabrication pro-
cesses should ensure a lively period of
innovation and profi table application of
composites in antiballistic products.
INSIDE MANUFACTURING
4 4 | H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
The current trend toward out-of-
autoclave (OOA) processing is
driven by manufacturers’ com-
peting needs to produce larger
parts to help decrease fabrica-
tion costs. Although many OOA materi-
als and methods have been introduced
over the past few years, few exceed the
elegance of SQRTM, an acronym for
Same Qualifi ed Resin Transfer Molding.
Developed and now in the process of
commercialization by Radius Engineer-
ing Inc. (Salt Lake City, Utah), SQRTM is
a closed molding method that combines
prepreg processing and liquid molding
to produce true net-shape, highly unit-
ized aerospace parts. In short, SQRTM is
designed to produce an autoclave-quali-
ty part without the autoclave.
“The scale and the complexity of com-
posite aerospace parts has signifi cantly
increased over the past several years,”
says Radius Engineering’s president,
Dimitrije Milovich. “We have designed
a viable alternative that duplicates the
New out-of-autoclave
process combines resin
transfer molding with
prepregs for complex
helicopter part prototype.
Hybrid RTM/prepreg process produces complex one-piece part
This net-shape unitized part, fabricated by Radius Engineering (Salt Lake City, Utah), is a prototype rotorcraft roof component produced as part of the SARAP (Survivable Affordable Repairable Airframe Program) initiative. This underside view of the ~250 lb/~120 kg “grid-stiffened” part shows its four thick, integrated longitudinal beams and several lighter perpendicular frames as well as the integral upper-skin stiffeners.
SQRTM enables net-shape parts
qualifi ed autoclave process while offer-
ing signifi cant advantages.” The SQRTM
method has been employed successfully
in several aerospace projects, includ-
ing the wingtip extensions for the RQ-
1B Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle
(UAV). But its toughest test, to date, was
an extremely complex, one-piece pro-
totype helicopter cabin roof, produced
under the Survivable Affordable Repair-
able Airframe Program (SARAP), a coop-
erative agreement between Sikorsky Air-
craft (Stratford, Conn.) and the U.S. Army
Aviation Applied Technology Directorate
(AATD, Ft. Eustis, Va.). The innovative de-
sign and manufacture of the SARAP fuse-
lage, of which the SQRTM-fabricated roof
is an integral part, achieved aggressive
weight-reduction and cost-reduction tar-
gets. The successful effort on the cabin
roof helped the SARAP Virtual Prototype
and Validation Development Team win
the American Helicopter Society Interna-
tional’s 2008 Robert L. Pinckney Award
(named in honor of an eminent Boeing
manufacturing engineer), which recog-
nizes notable achievements in manu-
facturing research and development for
vertical fl ight aircraft or components.
Liquid molding + prepreg
What sets SQRTM apart from standard
resin transfer molding (RTM) is that, in
place of a dry fi ber preform, it substi-
BY SARA BLACK
INSIDE MANUFACTURING
Sourc
e: R
adiu
s E
ngin
eerin
g
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 4 5
Integrated upper skin
This top view of the finished roof shows the integral upper skin as well as the opening
and integral supports for the rotor trans-mission. With rough dimensions of 9.5
ft by 6.2 ft by 1 ft (2.9m by 1.9m by 0.3m), the roof is combined with
other fuselage components (see photo on p. 48). The
roof section models a prospective method
for reducing the fuselage part
count and weight.
Sour
ce: R
adiu
s Eng
inee
ring
tutes a prepreg layup. Prepreg plies are
arranged within the mold, the mold is
closed, and then, somewhat counterin-
tuitively, liquid resin is injected into the
tool. “It’s what makes the process similar
to an autoclave process,” says Milovich,
noting that the injected resin is the same
as that used in the prepreg, and, there-
fore, those who adopt the process need
not requalify materials.
Precision-designed gating and chan-
nels within the tool facilitate evacuation
of air from the layup prior to injection
and also enable the injected resin to fi ll
all of the cavities along the edges of the
entire part at a uniform fl uid pressure
of approximately 100 psi/6.89 bar. “The
resin isn’t intended to impregnate the
prepreg,” Milovich explains, but “only
to maintain a steady hydrostatic pres-
sure within the mold. The pressure keeps
volatiles and water vapor in solution to
prevent void formation.”
Indeed, traditional autoclave process-
es sometimes use high-temperature rub-
ber edge dams or other materials as part
of the layup and bagging to keep resin
from escaping from the prepreg under
the autoclave’s pressure — if enough
resin squeezes out and the laminate hy-
drostatic pressure drops, any air or
volatiles that come out of the
resin within the layup can
create voids. In the SQRTM
process, then, the injected,
pressurized resin acts as a
“fl uid dam,” preventing resin
squeeze-out while replicating
an autoclave’s consolidation
pressure during cure.
“Laminate quality is more easily
controlled with SQRTM rather than
an autoclave,” claims Tom Coughlin,
head of business development for
Radius, “because the resin hydrostatic
pressure is directly controlled by the
resin injector instead of being dependent
on variables inside the autoclave vessel
and laminate under the bag.”
To accommodate its SQRTM process,
Radius has designed and manufac-
tured a large platen press system that is
equipped with upper and lower bolsters
of welded steel ground fl at to high tol-
erance. When a loaded two-sided tool is
placed within the press, the lower bol-
ster is supported on a series of air bags
similar to fi re hoses. Prior to injection,
heating and cool down, the SQRTM cure
cycle can be as much as two hours short-
er than an autoclave cycle.
There are other advantages compared
to conventional RTM. Part thickness is
controlled by matched tooling, avoid-
ing the potential thickness variation in-
herent in the vacuum bagging process.
Starting with fully impregnated, quali-
fi ed, toughened prepreg eliminates the
risk of dry spots during injection and the
need to introduce toughening agents to
the part via the liquid resin. Further,
because the process so closely follows
standard autoclave processing steps us-
ing previously qualifi ed materials, there
is less risk and a much higher comfort
level for the customer. Although the pro-
cess lends itself somewhat better to pla-
nar-type parts, Milovich says the SARAP
cabin roof demonstrates that very large-
scale, complex parts are well within
its scope.
Net-shape, grid-stiffened part
“Our focus is on net-shape parts,” says
Milovich. “We’re looking for ways to in-
tegrate multiple parts, for less assembly
labor, lower costs and lighter weight.”
That philosophy drove the development
of SQRTM for the SARAP program,
the bags are infl ated, forcing the lower
bolster up against the tool and the up-
per bolster to optimize clamping force,
notes Milovich.
Both the upper and lower bolsters are
electrically heated and water cooled by
zone, enabling temperature adjustments
during cure, says Coughlin. “If a tool has
a variable mass, based upon the part
confi guration, with one area thicker than
another,” he explains, “the zonal heating
allows the press, after a complete heat
profi le is completed for the tool, to apply
more heat in the thicker area so the part
always sees a consistent heat cycle.”
SQRTM is similar to RTM in that a vac-
uum is drawn on the tool and the press
and tool are heated. With SQRTM, how-
ever, heat is applied at the same ramp
rate as specifi ed for the prepreg under
autoclave conditions, and resin is in-
jected via a process controller that also
monitors and adjusts the press tempera-
ture. Also unique to the SQRTM process
is the level of vacuum used, Coughlin
adds, pointing out that Radius develops
its vacuum pumps to create <0.5 mm/Hg,
which is “more vacuum than a standard
shop pump can produce.”
Because the higher thermal conduc-
tivity of the press and tool permit faster
INSIDE MANUFACTURING
4 6 | H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
INSIDE MANUFACTURING
4 6 | H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
Step 1
Layup of the complex roof part, shown here in the early stages, involved placement of a combination of debulked prepreg materials and dry preforms (described in step 3) on the lower mold half.
Step 3
This closeup shows the “pi” preforms used at the intersections of vertical and horizontal elements. Everywhere a vertical stiffener web meets a beam flange or the part skin, the two legs of the pi preform form a slot that accepts the web while the perpendicular preform element lays flat against the horizontal flange or skin. The preforms functioned to fill the radii between web and caps or flanges for each of the part’s numerous beams and frames.
Step 4
The layup has been completed, multiple tool inserts installed, and the mold closed. At this point, injection take place, using the same resin as that incorporated into the the prepregs, to maintain steady hydrostatic pressure within the mold.
Step 5
After injection, cure begins. As this chart demonstrates, SQRTM enables faster processing, because the greater thermal conductivity of the press and tool permit faster heating and cool down. RTM cure can be two hours shorter than an autoclave cycle.
Step 6
A cured roof part is shown as it is lifted from the tooling base. Visible to the left of the tool is the heated platen press with upper and lower bolsters of welded steel, ground flat to high tolerance, that heat and clamp the tool.
Step 2
The roof skin’s prepreg layup is in place, and the network of tooling inserts that will form the faces of the roof section’s beams and perpendicular frames are in position.
RADIUS ENGINEERING, INC. PROPRIETARY 9
TIME (minutes)
TE
MP
ER
AT
UR
E (
Deg F
)
30 60 90 120 150 180 210
100
150
200
250
300
350
240 270 300
400
330 360 390
120 minutes
2 oF/min2 oF/min
5 oF/min
5 oF/min
5 oF/min
SQRTM
AUTOCLAVECURE
SQRTM INJECTION
PART REMOVAL
1 oF/min
Same-Qualified Resin Transfer Molding (SQRTM)Processing - Cycle is Shorter Than Autoclave Cure
All
are
Sourc
e: R
ad
ius
Engin
eerin
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S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 4 7
which focused on fi nding innovative ways
to reduce structural weight and fastener
count and increase damage tolerance in
rotorcraft parts. In addition to Radius,
the SARAP team included Automated
Dynamics (Schenectady, N.Y.) and GKN
Aerospace Services Alabama (Tallassee,
Ala.). Automated Dynamics fabricated a
thermoplastic composite lower fuselage
component, and GKN built the fuselage
frames, side skins and aft bulkhead, and
assembled the fi nal SARAP Technology
Validation Article.
Proof-of-concept trials for the cabin
roof began in 2006, and full-scale tool
design was undertaken in 2007. Radius
was responsible for developing the roof’s
manufacturing process, based on the
design and fi nite element analysis (FEA)
modeling provided by Sikorsky.
According to Milovich, the roof proto-
type was one of the most complex net-
shape unitized structures undertaken to
date. With rough dimensions of 9.5 ft by
6.2 ft by 1 ft (2.9m by 1.9m by 0.3m) and
a weight of approximately 250 lb/120 kg,
the “grid-stiffened” part integrates four
thick longitudinal beams and several
lighter perpendicular frames, an integral
upper skin with stiffeners and integral
supports for the rotor transmission, all
in a single cocured component. Clearly,
design of the tool, performed in-house
by Radius, was critical and ultimately
“very complex,” Milovich admits.
The 10.8-ft by 7.5-ft by 1.5-ft (3.3m
by 2.3m by 0.5m) aluminum tool, fabri-
cated by a proprietary tooling supplier,
consisted of two large outer tool halves
that form the inner and outer surfaces of
the cabin roof. Milovich notes that hard-
anodized aluminum is typical for most
of the company’s large SQRTM projects
because it is reasonably priced, lighter
than steel, takes less energy to heat and
is signifi cantly easier to handle.
More than 250 separate tooling de-
tails, either mandrels or inserts, were
machined and fi t together to form all
of the interior faces of the part. The fi t
tolerances are less than ±0.005 inch
(±0.125 mm).
“Our approach was to create a single,
multipart tool with lots of removable
inserts,” states Milovich. “Each insert
is registered to the large outer tools to
ensure exact dimensions.” Although the
tool was clearly intricate and expensive,
it eliminated the multiple tools that
otherwise would have been required
INSIDE MANUFACTURING
4 8 | H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
Complete fuselage section holds promise for future rotorcraft
A completed SARAP fuselage prototype, on exhibit at a helicopter industry trade event. The SQRTM-fabricated roof component is visible as part of the assembly, which also includes other innovative composite designs. Sikorsky is reportedly considering the SQRTM technology for future helicopter manufacturing programs.
for separate parts, had Sikorsky elected
to go with a multipart solution that re-
quires secondary postcure assembly. “It
is complicated to make,” Milovich ad-
mits, “but in the end it creates a single
part, with no assembly tooling required
and no labor required for fastening mul-
tiple parts together.”
To fabricate the roof article, prepreg
was fi rst cut to shape to form the major-
ity of the part. The prepreg used in the
roof article was Cytec 5250-4 from Cytec
Engineered Materials Inc. (Tempe, Ariz.),
which was selected due to its inher-
ent chemical compatibility with Cytec’s
5250-4 liquid RTM resin.
Pregreg/injection resin matchup was
an important consideration for the
SARAP roof article because the typical
SQRTM process was altered somewhat
to include the infusion of some dry tex-
tile materials, discussed below, in com-
bination with the prepreg. The use of the
same base resin system eliminated con-
cerns about intermingling resins and the
potential changes in mechanical proper-
ties that might result, notes Sikorsky’s
Tom Carstensen, chief of Airframe Devel-
opment Programs.
Material Testing Technology
1676 S. Wolf Road—Wheeling, IL 60090 PH: (847) 215-7448
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Sourc
e:
Rad
ius
Engin
eerin
g
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 4 9
Read this article online at http://short.
compositesworld.com/LtO6vh00.
Pi preform technology was developed
by Lockheed Martin (Ft. Worth, Texas)
and demonstrated under the Composites
Affordability Initiative (CAI) program funded by
the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy. See “Market
Trends: The Composites Affordability Initiative,
Part I,” HPC March 2007 (p. 9) or visit http://
short.compositesworld.com/rck4hBDu.
LEARN MORE @
www.compositesworld.com
The kitted unidirectional carbon/ep-
oxy tape and woven fabric prepreg was
debulked separately outside the tool to
remove any entrapped air or local areas
of resin concentration — a step normally
specifi ed for the material. The cut plies
were layed on a heated fl at caul plate or
table, bagged and placed under vacuum,
according to the material specifi cations.
An 11-ply prepreg stack was debulked in
about one hour after reaching a maxi-
mum temperature based on the level
of debulk required. Then the debulked
layup plies, or “books,” were transferred
to the tool and layup commenced, a pro-
cess that took two technicians nearly two
weeks to complete.
In the layup, the prepreg formed the
webs and fl anges of the part. These were
joined by woven three-dimensional dry
“pi” preforms, so named for their resem-
blance to the Greek letter π (see “Learn
More,” this page). These were manufac-
tured by Bally Ribbon Mills (Bally, Pa.)
and Albany Engineered Composites
(Rochester, N.H.). Everywhere a vertical
stiffener web met a beam fl ange or the
part skin, the two legs of the pi preform
formed a slot that accepted the web while
the perpendicular preform element lay
fl at against the horizontal fl ange or skin.
The preforms functioned to fi ll the radii
between the web and caps or fl anges for
each of the part’s numerous beams and
frames, providing needed stiffness and
strength.
As the tool was assembled, the pre-
cisely machined tooling inserts and de-
tails compressed and consolidated each
of these preform details, creating “net
beveled edges,” says Milovich. At three-
way intersections, the preforms were
hand cut prior to insertion into the tool
to form mitered joints. “We have devel-
oped methods to miter the preformed
intersections to create clean and func-
tional joints. The big benefi t is that the
need for edge dressing is eliminated and
subsequent part machining is greatly re-
duced after cure.”
After instrumentation was attached
and a vacuum was drawn on the tool,
the press was heated at the autoclave-
specifi ed ramp rate, and the resin was
injected during a dwell in the ramp pro-
cess. Injection took about 45 minutes,
and cure was accomplished in approxi-
mately four hours. Any concerns about
coeffi cient of thermal expansion (CTE)
issues with the aluminum tool were alle-
viated, says Milovich, by demolding the
part while the tool was still hot, at about
70°F (21°C) below the cure temperature.
From prototypes to programs
To date, three roof assemblies have been
produced successfully with SQRTM.
All surfaces on the parts show tight di-
mensional control, within ±0.005 inch
(±0.125 mm), thanks to the tight toler-
ances of the matched tooling. Only mi-
nor trimming of the edges and the ends
of the beams was required after cure. As
a result, Sikorsky is considering the tech-
nology for future upgrades to the U.S.
Army’s UH-60 helicopter platform and
plans to evaluate the technology in other
programs as well.
Sikorsky is not the only aerospace
OEM interested in SQRTM. The Boeing
Co. (Seattle, Wash.) recently released a
process specifi cation to cover the
SQRTM process, using BMS-8-276
toughened prepreg in a closed molding
process. Radius reports that Boeing and
at least one of its Tier 1 suppliers have
tested panels, subelements and full-
scale parts made via SQRTM and found
equivalence to autoclave processing.
“It’s becoming accepted and will lead the
way for other applications for integrating
multiple parts into a single assembly,
saving considerable resources,” con-
cludes Milovich.
Editor’s note: The Survivable Affordable Repair-
able Airframe Program (SARAP) was partially
funded by the Aviation Applied Technology Di-
rectorate (AATD) and Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.
under Technology Investment Agreement No.
DAAH10-03-2-0003. Use of this information
does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Govern-
ment or Department of the Army.
IN ASSOCIATION WITH:
CARBON
FIBERCA
RBONFIBER
R E G I S T E R T O D A Y a t c o m p o s i t e s w o r l d . c o m / c f
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Tom Lemire | Western Regional Manager, Toho Tenax America
Pre-conference Seminars / December 7th:“Automotive CFRP Challenges & Opportunities”
Moderated by Peggy Malnati | Malnati and Associates
With key contributions by: Gary Lownsdale | Engineering
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Mike Shinedling | Viper Program Manager, Chrysler Group LLC
With others to be determined
“2010 Global Market for Carbon Fiber
Composites: Recovering Markets and
Advancing Supply Chains”
Anthony (Tony) Roberts | Industry Consultant
Christopher Red | Editor & VP of Market Research,
Composite Market Reports
CALENDAR
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 5 1
Sept. 13-24, 2010 Textile Reinforced Composites
Aachen/Leuven, Germany | http://www.rwth-academy.com/
veranstaltung/materials-management-and-geo-resources/1032
Sept. 14-15, 2010 Composites Europe 2010
Essen, Germany | www.composites-europe.com/en-gb.index.cfm
Sept. 15-16, 2010 The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE)
Automotive Composites Conference and Exhibition (ACCE)
Troy, Mich. | www.speautomotive.com/comp.htm
Sept. 15-17, 2010 China International Composites Expo 2010
Beijing, China | www.chinacompositesexpo.com
Sept. 20-22, 2010 SpeedNews 11th Annual Aviation Industry Suppliers Conference
Toulouse, France | http://www.speednews.com/
ConferenceInfo.aspx?conferenceID=21
Sept. 20-23, 2010 25th Annual American Society for Composites Technical Conference
Dayton, Ohio | http://asc2010.udayton.edu/
Sept. 23-24, 2010 High-Performance Resins 2010
Schaumburg, Ill. | www.compositesworld.com/conferences/high-
performance-resins-2010
Sept. 28-30, 2010 IBEX 2010
Louisville, Ky. | www.ibexshow.com
Oct. 6-7, 2010 The Int’l Symposium on Composites Manufacturing (ISCM)
Marknesse, The Netherlands | http://iscm.nlr.nl
Oct. 11-14, 2010 SAMPE Fall Technical Conference 2010
Salt Lake City, Utah | www.sampe.org/events/
2010SaltLakeCityUtah.aspx
Oct. 12-13, 2010 Tooling for Composites
Salt Lake City, Utah | http://www.sme.org/cgi-bin/
get-event.pl?--001974-000007-home--SME-
Oct. 12-14, 2010 JEC Composites Show Asia
Singapore | www.jeccomposites.com
Oct. 20-21, 2010 Manufacturing Innovations – Aerospace/Defense
Orlando, Fla. | www.sme.org/cgi-bin/get-event.pl?--
001949-000007-home--SME-
Nov. 9-10, 2010 High-Performance Fibers 2010
Charleston, S.C. | www.compositesworld.com/
conferences/high-performance-fi bers-2010
Nov. 10-12, 2010 SAMPE China 2010
Shanghai, China | www.sampe.org/events/SAMPECHINA2010(E).pdf
Dec. 7-9, 2010 Carbon Fiber 2010
La Jolla, Calif. | www.compositesworld.com/conferences/
carbon-fi ber-2010
Dec. 27-30, 2010 2nd Int’l Conference on Composites
Kish Island, Iran | http://ccfa.iust.ac.ir
Feb. 2-4, 2011 COMPOSITES 2011
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. | www.acmashow.org
March 1-3, 2011 4th International Composite-Expo 2011
Moscow, Russia | www.mirexpo.ru/eng/exhibitions/composite11.shtml
March 29-31, 2011 JEC Composites Show 2011
Paris, France | www.jeccomposites.com
CALENDAR
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5 2 | H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
APPLICATIONS
APPLICATIONSDeepsea submersible incorporates composite pressure capsule
DeepFlight Challenger’s inner carbon/epoxy
composite pressure capsule. A fi lament-
wound cylinder, the capsule has a thick
glass viewing dome on one end and a tita-
nium foot dome on the other. The domes
would be attached to the composite
laminate via bonded titanium rings. The
tube wall thickness had to be suffi cient to
resist a biaxial stress fi eld exerted by the
deep ocean pressure of approximately
16,000 psi/1,100 bar, with a 1.5 factor of
safety. According to Spencer Composites’
principal Brian Spencer, all other
design factors, which included
water ingress, temperature per-
formance and ability to withstand
handling loads in and out of the
water, were insignifi cant compared
to the external pressure load.
“A vessel for containing inter-
nal pressure, such as a hydrogen
storage tank, puts carbon fi ber
in tension, which is the preferred
loading state to achieve maximum
composite performance. A pres-
sure vessel for external pressure is
more demanding because the com-
posite strength in compression is
Prior to his untimely death in 2007,
record-setting aviator and adventurer
Steve Fossett — the fi rst balloonist to fl y
nonstop around the world — was prepar-
ing to make a solo journey to the bottom
of the Challenger Deep in the Pacifi c
Ocean’s Mariana Trench, the deep-
est point in the undersea world.
He aimed to exceed a 36,000
ft/19,500m dive made in 1960
in the same location by Jacques
Piccard and U.S. Navy lieutenant
Don Walsh in the bathyscaphe Tri-
este. His self-fi nanced, one-person
winged submersible vessel, the
DeepFlight Challenger, was designed
by Hawkes Ocean Technologies
(HOT, San Francisco, Calif.).
HOT subcontractor Spen-
cer Composites Corp. (Sacra-
mento, Calif.) was given the task
of designing and fabricating the Sourc
e:
Sp
encer
Com
posi
tes
APPLICATIONS
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 5 3
Source: Spencer Composites
much less than in tension.” Fiber volume,
voids and delaminations become much
more important, he adds, because these
characteristics signifi cantly impact the
composite’s compressive strength and
buckling resistance.
Using the fi nite element software code
COSMOS/M from Structural Research
and Analysis Corp. (Santa Monica, Calif.),
Spencer developed and optimized a lami-
nate that uses only hoop and axial plies,
in a ratio of about two hoops for every
axial, using a repeated sequence that
reduces strain variation through the lam-
inate wall. “To reduce the strain variation
and allow a higher overall applied load,
we varied the hoop modulus through the
wall thickness,” he explains. “The inner
laminate has higher hoop stiffness than
the outer laminate.” To ensure that the
capsule would withstand full ocean pres-
sure, the hoop compressive strain capa-
bility was targeted at 0.45 percent.
Spencer built a number of half-scale
tubes to test several designs, including
different hoop-to-axial fi ber ratios, varia-
tions of fi ber type and fi bers of different
moduli in the laminate. Tests were con-
ducted at Pennsylvania State University’s
(State College, Pa.) test laboratory, one
of a handful in the U.S. able to generate
the necessary compressive stress loads.
Results were compared to the fi nite ele-
ment model and anticipated failure
modes. Spencer reports that the subscale
samples withstood a maximum fi ber com-
pressive stress of more than 125 ksi/1,250
MPa and exhibited compressive strain
capability that exceeded 0.48 percent.
The full-scale capsule was fabricated
using a Spencer Composites-designed
4-axis CNC machine adapted for fi la-
ment winding. The machine layed down
a 2-inch/50-mm wide band of carbon
fi ber supplied by Grafi l Inc. (Sacramento,
Calif.). The toughened epoxy resin matrix
was custom formulated by Spencer. The
resulting oven-cured laminate, 5.15
inches/130 mm thick, has a fi ber volume
of 67 percent and “essentially zero voids,”
claims the company. The fi nished capsule
was delivered to HOT shortly before Fos-
sett’s 2007 airplane accident.
The capsule is oriented at an angle
within the 17.67 ft/5.4m long, 13 ft/4m
wide, 5.5 ft/1.7m high submersible craft
(see renderings above). The total weight
is 4,730 lb/2,150 kg.
Currently owned by the Fossett estate,
DeepFlight Challenger is capable of diving to
deeper than 36,000 ft and returning to the
surface in about fi ve hours, claims HOT
founder Graham Hawkes.
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5 4 | H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
NEW PRODUCTS
NEW PRODUCTS
Filament winding pattern generation software
Seifert and Skinner & Assoc. Inc. (Salt Lake City, Utah and Brussels, Bel-
gium) has introduced ComposicaD software, designed to generate winding
patterns for fi lament winding machines. The program reportedly enables the
part programmer to build the desired laminate table — the different layers of
circumferential, helical and transition winding — for each type of part (pipes
and tubes, tanks and vessels, pipe tees and elbows and spars and other geo-
metric shapes). It then enables production of each part type in a range of sizes
by varying the part length and/or diameter. The software produces symmetric
laminates, produces a “time optimal trajectory,” controls the fi ber speed and
acceleration, automatically generates minimum length transitions and more.
The software also maintains a database of commonly used fi ber band setups
that includes bandwidth, band thickness, band density, maximum slip potential,
cost and other parameters. These parameters are used to calculate laminate
weights, length of fi ber consumed, and costs, as well as the winding time, not
only on a total-part basis but also for the individual lamina. ComposicaD produc-
es machine output for up to six axes of motion (spindle, carriage, cross carriage,
rotating eye, yaw axis and perpendicular axis) and automatically calculates the
thickness buildup and adjusts the winding contour. Winding speeds are con-
trolled by the machine accelerations and velocities, including the fi ber speed,
and can be varied up to the limits, which are specifi c to the particular winding
machine. The system produces output for all types of CNC winding machines
and has the capability to control other variables associated with the winding
process, such as fi ber tension, resin bath temperature and mandrel pressure.
www.composicad.com
Robotic trimming/machining center
KMT Robotic Solutions (Auburn Hills, Mich.) has developed RoboTrim DRT-
802 for the machining and trimming of composite parts up to 8 ft by 8 ft by
3 ft (2.4m by 2.4m by 0.9m). The DRT (dual rotating table) system uses a
rotating table mounted to each side of a two-position indexing wall. A part-
holding fi xture mounted on each rotating table enables the system operator
to load or unload parts on one side of the wall while the robot is trimming on
the other side. In its standard confi guration, the system comes with a single
KMT AccuTrim R-110 robot and two servo-controlled rotating tables capable of
coordinated motion with the robot. For customers who need increased system
throughput, a dual robot confi guration is available. www.kmtrobotic.com
Hybrid composite for lightweight armor
LCOA Composites (Lake Forest, Calif.) has expanded its product line with a
new ballistic hybrid NIJ Level IIIA composite for ballistic shields, body armor,
automotive armor and any application where lightweight Level IIIA protection
is required. The solution weighs less than 1 lb/ft2 and is reportedly priced less
than a standard woven aramid fi ber solution weighing 1.5 lb/ft2. The manufac-
turer reports that this hybrid material is priced at approximately 20 percent less
than a UHMWP and 5 percent less than a woven aramid product.
www.lcoacomposites.com
Release film, pressure-sensitive tape
Airtech International (Huntington Beach, Calif.) recently introduced Wrightlon
3700, a release fi lm designed for low-cost applications. The fi lm properties
are said to include elongation to 550 percent with a tensile strength of 7,000
psi/48.26 MPa. Designed to release from epoxy, polyester and vinyl ester resin
systems, the fi lm also is available in P16 perforation style for infusion applica-
tions. Also new is Tefl ease MG2E Yellow pressure-sensitive tape, an extruded
polytetrafl uoroethylene (PTFE) fi lm coated with silicone adhesive. It will release
from most resin systems and is designed for use on tooling blocks and any
other application in which high elongation and release is necessary. It report-
edly conforms to critical contours and mold surfaces while offering multiple
releases. www.airtechonline.com
NEW PRODUCTS
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 5 5
The Companies of North CoastCOMMITTED TO ADVANCING THE COMPOSITE INDUSTRY
www.nctm.com www.northcoastcomposites.com
Phone (216) 398-8550
North Coast Tool & Mold Corp.Mold design and manufacturing
North Coast Composites Inc.RTM process development and
serial part manufacturing
ISO9001-2000AS9100B
C o m p o s i t e s
Nano-enhanced matrix resin for CF wind blade spars
3M’s (St. Paul, Minn.) resurgence in the composite market was recently
underscored by the release of 3M Matrix Resin 3381, a high-performance,
nanoparticle-enhanced epoxy designed for use in carbon-fi ber composites.
Compatible with prepreg processes, the resin, according to the company, has a
unique chemistry that, in combination with a proprietary nano-granule additive,
makes it possible for 3M formulators to avoid the traditional tradeoff between
toughness/fl exibility and stiffness/hardness; instead, the resin improves perfor-
mance properties on both ends of the scale. Although slightly more dense than
standard epoxies (1.48 g/cm2 vs. 1.25 g/cm2 in ASTM D792 testing), the resin
reduces linear shrinkage (0.58 percent vs. 1 percent for standard epoxy), yet it
increases fracture toughness by almost 50 percent with a Barcol hardness of
67, compared to 59 for standard epoxy. Moreover, the fi ller helps reduce the
coeffi cient of thermal expansion (44.6 μm/m per °C vs. 59.5 μm/m per °C for
standard epoxy). First applied in carbon composite fi shing rods because of its
effect on rod compression strength (rod owners report unprecedented fl exural
strength and resistance to breakage), the resin is set for commercialization
in construction of carbon fi ber-reinforced spar caps for wind turbine blades.
Because spars on long wind blades necessarily involve thick laminates, the
resin also provides the added benefi t of reducing exotherm during cure by up
to 40 percent. The resin cures at temperatures from 250°F to 300°F (121°C
to 149°C), depending on the service requirements. The recommended cure
cycle involves a vacuum at a minimum of 22 inches/Hg (85 psi/5.86 bar), a
ramp to 260°F/127°C at 10°F (±5°F) per minute, followed by a two-hour hold
at 260°F. www.3m.com
Polyester prepreg for radomes
New from Lewcott Corp. (Millbury, Mass.) is FM5LF, a polyester prepreg sys-
tem for tubular radome applications. It is said to offer structural toughness in
fi nished parts as well as handling characteristics during layup that facilitate
high-volume component production. The company says the new prepreg joins
a stable of products that can be tailored, in terms of manufacturing and dielec-
tric performance, to benefi t laminators, molders and end-users in a variety of
radome and antenna applications. Tailored formulations that incorporate epoxy
or polyester resin systems include general-purpose prepregs for solid lami-
nates, self-adhesive prepregs for cored laminates, autoclavable and/or oven-
curable prepregs and wrapable tapes for tubular radomes. The cure tempera-
tures range from 150°F to 250°F (66°C to 121°C). www.lewcott.com
NEW PRODUCTS
5 6 | H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
Precision Quincy / 1625 West Lake Shore Dr. / Woodstock, IL
Made in USA / 800.338.0079 / www.precisionquincy.com
FEM, FEA machining software
Cutting tool supplier Dormer Tools Ltd. (Sheffi eld, U.K.) cooperated with Third
Wave Systems (Minneapolis, Minn.) to develop AdvantEdge, a fi nite element
modeling (FEM) and fi nite element analysis (FEA) software package to simulate
machining requirements. Reported benefi ts of the software include increased
tool life, predicted shape, shortened product-design cycles and reduced costs.
The FEM/FEA suite is designed to reduce the number of test tools required.
This, in turn, reduces costs and speeds up the simulation process signifi cantly.
www.dormertools.com; www.thirdwavesys.com
Liquid mold-sealing system
Henkel Corp. (Rocky Hill, Conn.) has introduced Frekote Aqualine RS-100T, a
water-based sealer designed to seal microporosity in steel and chrome-plated
molds. The clear liquid provides a base coat and signifi cantly increases mold
release effectiveness. Formulated for high thermal stability, the sealer report-
edly withstands temperatures as high as 698°F/370°C. The product can be
applied to mold surfaces at temperatures between 199°F and 401°F (93°C
and 205°C), and it cures in 15 to 20 minutes. www.henkelna.com
Out-of-autoclave carbon fiber prepreg
Amber Composites’ (Nottingham, U.K.) Multipreg E520-SP, a 245 g/m2 “dif-
ferentially coated,” out-of-autoclave, modifi ed 3K carbon fi ber/epoxy prepreg
system, is designed for use as visible surface plies when a cosmetic surface
must be produced on relatively thin parts during a vacuum-bag oven cure. (A
companion E520 prepreg, a fully impregnated 245 g/m2 3K carbon system, is
recommended for use as backup plies.) The surface prepreg’s drape and tack
are said to ease layup, and in-process parts reportedly require no intermedi-
ate debulks prior to cure. The cure times range from 12 hours at 70°C/158°F
to as little as 30 minutes at 120°C/248°F. The company also reports that it
has increased its unidirectional prepreg manufacturing capabilities with the
addition of a dedicated unidirectional manufacturing line. As a result, its resin
formulations are now available in prepregs with a wide range of woven, multi-
axial and unidirectional formats. The new unidirectional systems are designed
to complement Amber’s range of woven systems and are available in a range
of fi bers and resin systems. www.ambercomposites.com
Noncontact laser inspection system
Dantec Dynamics Inc.’s (Ramsey, N.J.) compact, portable Q-800 Laser
Shearography System reportedly can detect composites defects — delamina-
tions, disbonds, kissing bonds, wrinkling/waving, impact damage and more —
with no surface preparation. The turnkey noncontact/full-fi eld optical system is
run from a laptop PC using new ISTRA 4D software. The interferometric tech-
nique measures microscopic surface deformations caused by internal fl aws
as a small load is applied to the object via thermal, pressure, vibration or me-
chanical excitation. The system’s miniaturized sensor (tripod-mounted or fi xed
to an automated robotic arm) is integrated with a high-resolution CCD camera
and variable, computer-controlled shear optics. Illumination is provided by an
integrated diode laser array. The system can display results in real time, and
images can be processed for export and reporting. Inspection times are typi-
cally 10 to 30 seconds, and the coverage ranges from a few square millimeters
up to several square meters in one pass. www.dantecdynamics.com
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 5 7
AD INDEX
■ Tough epoxy resists up to 425°F■ Convenient cures at ambient and/or elevated temperatures
■ Resists prolonged service up to 425°F ■ Withstands severe thermal
and mechanical shock and vibration■ Outstanding adhesion to metallic
and non-metallic substrates■ Excellent durability and chemical
resistance ■ Superior electricalinsulation ■ Easy to apply
■ Convenient packaging
Prompt Technical Assistance
www.masterbond.com ■ [email protected]
SUPREME 33
154 Hobart St.Hackensack, NJ 07601
Tel: 201-343-8983Fax: 201-343-2132
VERSATILE
802-223-4055
www.cadcut.com • [email protected]
ISO 9001-2000 / AS9100 Certifi ed
KIT CUTTING
COMPOSITE SUPPLY SERVICES
Laser and Knife Cutting Systems
8 Cutting Rooms
Environmentally Controlled Processing
9500 cu. ft. Freezer Storage
ADVERTISERS’ INDEX
A&P Technology Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Abaris Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Aero Engineering USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Airtech International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Amamco Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
American GFM Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
ASC Process Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Automated Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Baltek Inc. a Co. of 3A Composites Core Materials . . . . . . 27
BGF Industries Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Burnham Composite Structures Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
CAD Cut Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
CGTech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Cobham Composite Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
De-Comp Composites Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Diab International AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Evonik Foams Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
General Plastics Mfg. Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Back Cover
HITCO Carbon Composites Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
ICE Independent Machine Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Imperium Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
LAP Laser LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Lectra Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *16
LMT Onsrud LP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Magnolia Plastics Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover
Master Bond Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Material Testing Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Matrix Composites Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
McClean Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
McLube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Mokon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
North Coast Composites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Owens Corning Composite Materials LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Park Advanced Composite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Precision Quincy Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Pro-Set Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Ross, Charles & Son Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Saertex USA LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover
SAMPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Specialty Materials, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
TE Wire & Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Technical Fibre Products Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
TenCate Advanced Composites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Torr Technologies Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
TR Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Verisurf Software Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Wabash MPI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Waukesha Foundry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Web Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Weber Manufacturing Technologies Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
WichiTech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Wisconsin Oven Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Wyoming Test Fixtures Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
*regional insert
MARKETPLACE
5 8 | H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
MARKETPLACEMANUFACTURING SUPPLIES
Available in various temperature ranges
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www.sandgatecorp.com
Toll Free: (877)-264-9711
WEAVING CREELS
PULTRUSION CREELS
TAPE MACHINE CREELS
Diamond and Solid Carbide • Technical Advice
• Rotary Drills/Routers
• C’sinks/Hole Saws
• Stock and Specials
Designed For Composites
www.starliteindustries.com
800.727.1022 / 610.527.1300
Since 1978
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www. tmi-slc.com
e-mail: [email protected]
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AMERICAN EXPRESS®
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800-810-2482 • www.northfield.com
ISO 9001:2000 and AS9100:2001 Certified
Bally Ribbon Mills23 N. 7th StreetBally, PA 19503
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Manufacturer of high-performance tapes, fabrics and 3D preforms: 3D near-net-shape woven preforms, 3D woven preforms, and 3D thick panels utilizing fibers such as ceramic, carbon, silicon carbide, quartz, metallic fibers and aramid fibers. 3D woven fan-blades preforms. 2D/3D braided preforms. Utilizing RTM and VARTM techniques for composite fabrication. 3D woven “drape-able” fabrics for complex shaped structures.
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S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 5 9
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TOOLING SERVICE/SUPPLIES
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Manufacturers and molders of
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PERFORMANCE PTFE RELEASE AGENTS/DRY LUBRICANTS FOR COMPOSITESPTFE Release Agents provide a superior release forcomposite molding and fabrication. These products aredesigned to give multiple releases between applica-tions. They have no discernible transfer, no migrationand contain no silicones. We offer a complete line ofEPONTM epoxy resins/curing agents as well as chillersfor composite forming.
For technical information and sample, call 203 743-4447
MILLER-STEPHENSON CHEMICAL COMPANY, INC.
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S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 5 9
RTM enables molding of
geometrically complex
one-piece structure
Comolded aluminum
mounts for front crush
structures
Attachment points for
aluminum rear subframe
(see photo, p. 62)
Wide, hollow side sills
stiffen the tub, minimize
weight and ease passenger
ingress/egress
Special coating and resin layer
prevent galvanic corrosion at all
comolded metal/CRFP interfaces
FOCUS ON DESIGN
6 0 | H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
W
F1-INSPIRED MONOCELL:
Resin transfer molding makes CFRP passenger cell mass-producible
ell known for its winning For-
mula 1 racing cars, McLaren
Racing Ltd. (Woking, Surrey,
U.K.) was the fi rst race car
builder to use carbon fi ber-re-
inforced polymer (CFRP) in Formula 1
cars, a strategy subsequently adopted
by all F1 teams. In fact, the company
can claim to be the only auto manu-
facturer that has never used anything
else for its cars’ primary structures.
McLaren’s pioneering concept of a
strong carbon fi ber-reinforced driver’s
cell, protected by other energy-absorb-
ing structures, has led to a massive im-
provement in motor racing driver safety
over the past two decades.
McLaren Racing’s sister division,
McLaren Automotive Ltd., has taken
steps to transfer the cell technology to
the MP4-12C, the fi rst of a new family
of exotic road cars. Although the latter
are made by a separate division, the
racing and production car manufactur-
ing plants are both housed in the same
building, the McLaren Technology
Centre, facilitating an inevitable cross-
fertilization of ideas. The MP4-12C will
be manufactured in volumes of 4,000
per year — a very large number for a
DESIGN RESULTS
• One-piece carbon-composite
passenger cell optimizes overall
vehicle stiffness.
• RTM process cuts labor by 90
percent and enables unit
production of 4,000 per year.
• MonoCell meets all requirements for
crashworthiness, stiffness, repair cost
reduction, corrosion prevention and
passenger ease of access.
¾-VIEW FROM
RIGHT REAR
Hollow side section
created with
removable mandrel
Comolded aluminum inserts
facilitate attachment of extruded
aluminum crush structures
FRONT ¾-VIEW
Tub forms primary chassis
structure/passenger safety
cell, carrying road, seat-belt
and crash loads
CFRP fl oor eliminates risk of
corrosion, extending vehicle life
McLAREN MP4-12C CFRP PASSENGER MONOCELL
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0 | 6 1
BY BOB GRIFFITHS
ILLUSTRATION / KARL REQUE
RACING SAFETY FOR THE ROADfor new-model supercar.
supercar. This necessitated the design of
composite structures suited to volume
production. As a result, McLaren recon-
sidered the aerospace approach — auto-
claved prepreg — historically used by its
racing division and many competitors.
Relying on experienceClaudio Santoni, McLaren Automo-
tive’s function group manager for Body
Structure, has been responsible for or-
chestrating this shift in the structural
architecture of the new sports car and
for making volume production a reality.
His background is in the Italian automo-
tive composite industry where, as the
head of Composites Structures Develop-
ment at ATR Group (Colonnella, Italy),
he directed the development of ATR’s
pioneering approach to a prototype all-
carbon composite road car chassis (see
“Learn More.” p. 62).
Although Santoni’s history and the
fact that McLaren has carbon compos-
ites in its DNA might testify otherwise,
Santoni has a very pragmatic view of ma-
terial selection. Under Santoni, McLaren
Automotive uses composites only where
they bring major benefi ts and prove to
be cost-effective. Santoni still uses met-
al in many areas where other automotive
companies have started to use CFRP. For
example, the rear structure, which carries
the rear suspension, engine and gear-
box, is a spaceframe made from welded
aluminum extrusions. Cost and early
uncertainty about engine operating tem-
peratures drove this decision. Similarly,
the front energy-absorbing tubes are alu-
minum extrusions that can be replaced
inexpensively after a minor impact. And
unlike the Aston Martin DBS (see “Learn
More”), which makes use of Gurit’s (New-
port, Isle of Wight, U.K.) CBS composite
panels, most of McLaren’s body panels
are aluminum or sheet molding com-
pound (SMC). In particular, the rear quar-
ters and the doors, which have a complex
double curvature, are manufactured by
Sotira (Change, France) from glass fi ber-
reinforced SMC.
When it came to the passenger cell,
however, CFRP was clearly needed to
take the high loads from the varied de-
sign requirements. In keeping with the
principle of a strong composite driver’s
cell developed in McLaren’s racing cars,
the new road car has a monolithic CFRP
cell structure known offi cially as a Mono-
Cell, but nicknamed the “tub.”
Protecting the investmentThe tub forms the main structure of the
car. It takes most of the road loads via a
subframe at the front, but it also handles
the seat belt loads and, ultimately, the
crash loads. The main mechanisms for
passenger protection are the previously
noted aluminum front and rear crush
structures, which crumple to absorb im-
pact energy, leaving the tub undamaged to
protect the occupants, even during severe
impacts. The success of this design fea-
ture has been demonstrated in the crash
test program. A single tub has been used
in no less than three high-speed impacts,
without sustaining signifi cant damage.
The one-piece structure incorporates
several hollow sections. Some smaller
voids are fi lled with Rohacell foam from
EVONIK Röhm GmbH (Darmstadt, Ger-
many), but the biggest sections are left
hollow with removable mandrels. The to-
tal volume of these cavities is a massive
120 liters/33 gal (US), keeping tub weight
to a mere 176 lb/80 kg.
Although the tub’s immediately appar-
ent function is to carry the main operat-
ing loads between the front and rear of
the car and protect the passengers, San-
toni developed other criteria for its de-
sign, including the less obvious require-
ments of corrosion prevention, overall
structural stiffness and ease of access to
the passenger compartment.
One-piece passenger cell for new supercar
McLaren Automotive
Ltd. (Woking, Surrey,
U.K.), has transferred
its winning F1 carbon
composite race car
chassis technology to the
MP4-12C, the first of a
McLaren’s new family of
exotic road cars.
Sourc
e:
McLare
n A
uto
mo
tvie
FOCUS ON DESIGN
6 2 | H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
Read this article online at http://short.
compositesworld.com/wobzzFEv.
Read more about the Aston Martin DBS
in HPC’s sister magazine, Composites
Technology: “Gurit CBS for the Aston Martin
DBS,” CT February 2010 (p. 24) or visit http://
short.compositesworld.com/DvXgteYR.
Read about ATR Group’s use of carbon
fi ber in a chassis prototype, under Claudio
Santoni’s leadership, in “Innovative composite
design may replace aluminum chassis,” CT
February 2006 (p. 44) or visit http://short.
compositesworld.com/PqUwwLwG.
LEARN MORE @
www.compositesworld.com
Corrosion has been a problem in some
expensive cars that are made in small
numbers, especially when there is a rea-
sonable customer expectation that the ex-
pensive new car will survive long enough
to become a classic car. McLaren’s use of
a composite tub avoids corrosion in the
fl oor and hollow structural sections where
metals are most likely to fail.
The hollow sills along the tub sides en-
hance the stiffness of the tub and, there-
fore, the car’s overall structure. The sills’
unusual width overcomes one problem
common to most supercars, that of get-
ting in and out of a low passenger com-
partment over a high sill. In the MP4-12C,
exiting passengers can sit on the sills as
they slide out of the seats.
Although the tub is well protected by
crush structures, most areas of the tub
are repairable, if necessary. But the de-
sign philosophy is that in most moder-
ate frontal accidents, the damage will be
limited to the extruded aluminum energy
absorbers, the body panels and, possibly,
the subframe.
In any case, tub maintenance is ex-
pected to be minimal. “The service inter-
vals of modern carbon fi ber aircraft have
doubled those achieved by aluminium
designs,” Santoni points out, noting that
this is “a testament to the superior lon-
gevity of a carbon-based structure com-
pared to aluminium.”
In line with the company’s policy that
carbon fi bers are in the vehicle to do a
job, not perform cosmetic or marketing
functions, McLaren designers resisted
the temptation to have CFRP in the
MonoCell visible to the customer. The
interior of the tub is covered almost en-
tirely with good-quality carpet.
Minting the MonoCellThe greatest challenge was molding the
large, complex tub in one piece. The easy
design decision would have been to re-
peat the successful solution used on a
previous program, the Mercedes-Benz
SLR McLaren Roadster. For the SLR’s tub,
an out-of-autoclave prepreg system from
Advanced Composites Group Ltd. (ACG,
Heanor, Derbyshire, U.K.) was hand layed
and cured in an oven. However, only 500
SLRs are produced per annum, a quantity
practical for prepreg layup and autoclave
processing. Given the need to reduce
cost on the MP4-12C and build eight
times as many cars each year, McLaren
elected to manufacture the MonoCell via
resin transfer molding (RTM), using tex-
tile preforms. Why abandon a successful,
low-risk method in favor of developing
one that pushes the boundaries of RTM
in both size and complexity? Santoni ex-
plains that the manufacturing hours for
the new tub were reduced by a factor of 10
compared to those of the prepreg part. Of
that time, about half is consumed in mak-
ing the preform. The remainder is allotted
to resin injection, inspection and machin-
ing operations.
During the RTM process, aluminum
components are comolded with the tub
at positions of high load input (see draw-
ing on p. 60). To prevent galvanic corro-
sion at the interface between carbon fi ber
materials and aluminum components,
the aluminum inserts are prepared with
special primers, and the infusion process
ensures that there is a thin layer of pure
resin between the carbon fi bers and the
metal parts. Extensive salt spray testing
has shown no sign of corrosion.
The RTM resin system is supplied
by Huntsman Advanced Materials (The
Woodlands, Texas). Preforms are made
from high-strength carbon fi bers manu-
factured by Toray Industries (Tokyo, Ja-
pan). The preforms are made in two for-
mats — noncrimp fabric (NCF) and woven
unidirectional (UD) tape — with a small
amount of cross-stitching to hold the
assembled reinforcements together. For
now, preforms will be assembled by hand
from automatically cut layers of NCF and
UD material, but McLaren is looking at
automating the preform assembly to re-
duce cost and increase consistency.
Notably, these fi ber forms are pur-
chased against a performance specifi -
cation, without a nominated supplier.
Three material suppliers, thus far, have
demonstrated that they can meet the
McLaren specifi cation.
Outsourcing mass manufacturingThe RTM process and the tooling were
developed by McLaren engineers. They
have, to date, produced more than 100
tubs, used for structural and crash test-
ing and prototype cars. Production tubs,
however, will be molded by Carbo Tech
Industries GmbH (Salzburg, Austria).
Carbo Tech has installed an automated
system that will transfer the mold, with
preform in place, to a press for injec-
tion and cure. The press can handle two
molds simultaneously.
Finished tubs will be incorporated into
the car at the McLaren Technology Centre
assembly line in a facility currently under
construction. Production will begin early
in 2011, and the cars will be available in
spring of that year.
Editor’s note: McLaren’s Claudio Santoni
will deliver a keynote address at the 2010 SPE
Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition
(ACCE) in Troy, Mich., Sept. 15-16.
Beauty that gets under the skin
The MP4-12C and its rolling chassis, side by side. The “tub” is the chassis centerpiece. Out
front are the steering/suspension assembly and extruded aluminum crush structures. The
trailing structure is an aluminum space frame for the rear suspension, engine and gearbox.
So
urc
e:
McLare
n A
uto
mo
tvie
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6 4 | H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E C O M P O S I T E S
OUT OF THE MOLD
OUT OF THE
othing gives you a better appreciation of general
aviation (GA) than actually fl ying — yes, I have been
quietly taking fl ight lessons from an excellent instructor at
Centennial Airport in Colorado (identifi er: KAPA). I under-
took the mission at the behest of my pilot husband, who
wanted me to be able to fl y our plane and land it in the case
of an unanticipated problem. And I am forced to confess
that our plane is not made of composites (sorry, couldn’t
convince him). But, my aviation education process, as well
as our fl ights to various airports, has driven home the re-
ality that general aviation is a very important segment of
our economy, and one in which composites plays a big
role. Consider these facts, supplied by the General Avia-
tion Manufacturers Assn. (GAMA), the National Business
Aviation Assn. (NBAA, www.noplanenogain.org) and other
business aviation proponents:
• GA contributes more than $150 billion to the U.S. econo-
my annually and employs more than 1.265 million people.
• GA now accounts for roughly one-fi fth of the $100 billion
worldwide civil and military aircraft market.
• In the U.S., GA aircraft fl y more than 26 million hours and
carry 166 million passengers annually.
• There are at least 4,000 GA airports with paved runways
open to the public in the U.S. alone. Commercial scheduled
airlines serve less than 500 of those.
But this industry suffered one of its toughest years ever
in 2009, according to GAMA — not only because of the
global economic downturn, but also because of the unnec-
essary mischaracterization and even demonization of pri-
vate jet owners and users. The negative public perception
of bizjets was, of course, prompted by the trips to Wash-
ington undertaken by Detroit’s auto execs seeking public
bailout money in late 2008, and the subsequent fallout
has been severe. Many company fl ight departments were
eliminated, new orders were canceled and older planes
were sold off. While market watchers today are cautiously
upbeat, citing FAA data showing increases in business jet
takeoff-and-landing activity in 2010 compared to 2009, the
industry still has a big hole out of which to climb.
I don’t want to give the impression that I’m a defender of
“fat cats” or wasteful practices. What I do want to point out
are the benefi ts of general and business aviation. Studies
have shown that the use of GA aircraft saves a lot of time.
On our own recent fl ight from Colorado to the upper Mid-
west, the trip of 900 nautical miles took about fi ve hours
N in the air (it’s a piston aircraft). Our destination airport
supports commercial fl ights, but I would wager that, even
without jet power, we made the door-to-door trip faster
than our traveling counterparts on Frontier Airlines. For a
company, it means many hours saved, particularly for key
personnel in a situation such as a factory visit for a critical
machine repair or a client meeting. In addition, point-to-
point trips to smaller airports are often closer to the fi nal
destination and afford privacy and the ability to discuss
proprietary or sensitive information with associates. Pri-
vate fl ight eliminates time-wasting baggage hassles, secu-
rity delays and any number of other potential commercial
airline snafus.
Private planes are productivity tools that companies
around the world have deemed key to their business strat-
egies. Warren Buffet, the Oracle of Omaha, defends busi-
ness jets (full disclosure: his company Berkshire Hathaway
does own NetJets, an enterprise that promotes fractional
jet ownership) and says that a company is “better off” us-
ing business aviation resources, even given the operation-
al costs. Myriad small businesses operate jet and piston
aircraft to carry passengers to less-traveled cities or towns
that commercial carriers see as unprofi table; or to ship
documents, freight or food to roadless destinations; or to
carry patients on medical ambulance fl ights. Then there
are the Civil Air Patrol’s search-and-rescue missions; and
humanitarian aid, like Angel Flight; and … I could go on,
but you get the picture.
Further, the GA sector breeds innovation. The Gulfstream
650 thermoplastic composite rudder is one recent example
(see HPC’s “2010 SAMPE Europe/JEC Paris Product Show-
case,” July 2010, p. 26, or visit http://short.compositesworld.
com/ew7ulVV1). Another is the ongoing research into elec-
trically powered aircraft and rotorcraft, aimed at eliminat-
ing aircraft carbon
emissions. Terrafu-
gia’s fl ying car and
ICON’s new sport-
plane (see p. 26) are
exemplary entrepre-
neurial efforts that
are expanding the
GA market. There are
many more. The facts
clearly demonstrate
that GA contributes
to a healthy global
economy. Those who
design, build and fl y
GA aircraft deserve
respect, apprecia-
tion and support.
sara@composi teswor ld.com
Sara Black is HPC’s technical editor and
has served on the HPC staff for 11 years.
GA suffered because of the unnecessary
mischaracterization and even demonization
of private jet owners and users in 2009.
• custom formulations
• syntactics
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• composites & repair resins
• RTM resins
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