Production and evaluation of secondary composite aircraft components - A comprehensive case study

For the production of blister fairings that form part of the thrust-reversing unit of a Rolls Royce RB211 propulsion system, a double-diaphragm forming technique was used suitable for processing continuous-fibre-reinforced thermoplastic prepregs. Within the optimization of the forming process, differences between draping and deep-drawing were investigated with respect to achievable finish quality of the components. Utilizing a grid strain analysis and a surface-fitting program, the blank shape and fibre architecture of the laminates was optimized prior to forming. Employing Plytron(TM) and Tepex(TM) prepregs a series of prototypes was manufactured and tested, first on a laboratory scale and later on a civil aircraft. For assessment of the feasibility of both the diaphragm-forming technique and the manufactured components, Activity-Based Costing was applied to compare the glass-fibre-reinforced thermoplastic parts with their currently used carbon-fibre-reinforced thermosetting counterparts. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Limited.