Fuselages get a makeover
Composite materials have traditionally been restricted to the secondary structure of aeroplanes, but are now being applied to the primary structure. The main problem with this, however, is that it increases costs due to more expensive materials and assembly procedures. 'Full barrel composite fuselage' (Fubacomp), an EU-backed project, aimed to find a solution to this through a reduction in the number of parts and assembly steps needed to construct a fuselage component. It targeted the small civil, business and tilt-rotor aircraft, as well as the helicopter sector. By introducing improved fibre placement technology, most of the joints in previous structures were eliminated, giving the fuselage less weight, and thereby making the aircraft more fuel efficient. Mechanical tests were carried out on a business jet's front fuselage as a reference point. The methodology to manufacture a 4.5 metre piece of fuselage using fibre placement was developed and proved effective. However, further optimisation work is needed to bring the production time and costs down to acceptable commercial levels.
