The Next Decade of Carbon Fiber Composites: Challenges and Opportunities

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1 Engineering, Test & Technology Boeing Research & Technology The Next Decade of Carbon Fiber Composites: Challenges and Opportunities Sam Tucker Next Gen Composites Boeing Research & Technology

2 100 Years of Innovation Boeing Research & Technology

3 Boeing Research & Technology Growing Market and Competition in Commercial Airplanes Green Denotes Study Airplanes Great market, but new and existing competitors taking a share

4 The Pace Of Progress Composite Innovation Boeing Research & Technology It took 40 years to get from the Wright Brothers to widespread air transport. It took 50 years for implementation of the composite wing and fuselage. Composites timeline: 1950s: Invention of fiber reinforced plastics 1960s to 1970s: Use in secondary structure 1980s to 2000: Use in empennages, subcomponents 2003 to present: Use in wing and fuselage

5 Growing Use of Composites in Aerospace Boeing Research & Technology Boeing produces >1.4M LBS of composite structure per month

6 Boeing Research & Technology Challenges Complex Multidimensional Optimization Geo-political constraints / uncertainty Changing market Value streams and business models Customer needs Designing for composite materials Structural efficiency, manufacturability Speed of introducing new materials/processes Material development fitting into product design cycle Qualification/certification of material and production system Trading all the materials and processes available Safety concerns addressed Molecular Continuum materials understanding Designing materials for processing and performance Cost reduction Cost break-down for composite parts How do we address these challenges: Solve for creating value deliver improved performance at lower costs Innovation: New business models; new design, qualification and certification ideologies and tools; new materials and processes

7 Boeing Research & Technology BR&T Composite Research & Development Initiatives Improving Cost, Quality and Schedule for Production Systems Design for Manufacturing and Structural Efficiency Industrialization of Composites Lead Implementation of 21 st Century Technology

8 Boeing Research & Technology Improving Cost, Quality, Schedule for Production Systems Optimizing for automation and increased Rate Increased automation rates through: Understanding of material capabilities Reducing defects and inspection time Advanced forming Innovative approaches to enable defect free fabrication of stringers and spars Characterization of prepreg for forming (tack, friction, drape) Increased material and process robustness Enhanced producibility assessments Flexible processing windows Design requirements aligned to the manufacturing process Acceptance criteria (Composites Part A, 43,(2012), ) Continued innovation in our production systems leads to improved quality and reduced defects at a lower cost

9 Design For Manufacturing Boeing Research & Technology Increased material and process suite enabling the Right Material, Right Process and Right Design Out-of-autoclave Rapid cure Automation Thermoplastics Manufacturing influenced designs Reduced part complexity Well-defined material limits and design guides Part count reductions and reduced assembly Integrated co-cures and resin infusion Structural bonding 16-ft Curved Qtr Panel (PRSEUS) Integrated system architectures EME direct and indirect effects Disruptive EME materials (i.e. conductive composites) Capturing the advantages of new materials and processes is essential to deliver value

10 Industrialization of Composites Boeing Research & Technology Leverage low-cost, high performance materials Industrial fibers and chemistries understand performance vs. price Disruptive: prepreg successor(s) Implement rapid and tailorable manufacturing processes for production of affordable small composite parts: High pressure resin-transfer molding Continuous forming of thermosets and thermoplastics Stamp forming of composites Develop rate-independent manufacturing technologies through reduction of non-recurring cost: Adaptive manufacturing cells Low-cost, innovative tooling Increased automation of material handling and fabrication Increased rate and decreased cost of composite parts

11 Boeing Research & Technology Industrialization of Composites: Thermoplastic Composites Production cost savings through: Flexible part fabrication enabling high-rate, continuous manufacturing Infinite material shelf life Weight savings enabled by high performance High interlaminar properties / damage tolerance Flam, smoke & toxicity resistance Thermoplastic Components Save Weight and Cost for Wide-scale thermoplastic implementation from focused materials and process innovation

12 Implementation of 21 st Century Technology Boeing Research & Technology Multi-scale modeling Computational chemistry Process modeling Integration to macro-scale structural analysis Processing/manufacturing science and prediction Increased understanding of the production systems Prediction of geometries and post process deformation Digital inspection In-process inspection instead of post process inspection Additive manufacturing Digital manufacturing for rapid prototypes (parts and tooling) Flexible customization Digitization Real-time manufacturing data / capturing the digital thread (Industry 4.0) Increased use of the digital lab Forward innovation must focus on digital concepts for accelerated materials and process decisions and insertion

13 Boeing Research & Technology Implementation of 21 st Century Technology Computational Materials & Processes Leveraging computational methods to inform materials and process decisions Computational and Experimental Approach: Accelerated insertion through informed decisions and reduced trial and error M&P process variability understanding from chemistry to structure Iterative approach to continue to refine/improve approach

14 Boeing Research & Technology Implementation of 21 st Century Technology Processing Science and Prediction Adapted and accepted methods for process prediction Residual strain understanding and prediction Part distortion Cure cycle optimization for controlled dimensional stability Thermal analysis and prediction Cure cycle optimization for thermal loads Decreased manufacturing uncertainty and reduced trial and error Leveraging computational methods to inform materials and process decisions

15 Implementation of 21 st Century Technology Polymer Digital and Additive Manufacturing Boeing Research & Technology Polymer additive manufacturing as a compliment to composites Prototypes Low-Rate / complex shapes Localized stiffening Flexible customization Disruptive additive manufacturing Structural components? What material performance is required? Additive manufacturing is a valuable compliment to traditional composites manufacturing

16 Boeing Research & Technology Implementation of 21 st Century Technology Continued Digitization Industry 4.0 The Four Industrial Revolutions By ChristophRoser. Please credit "Christoph Roser at AllAboutLean.com." - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Industry 4.0 and Composites Enhanced Accuracy and Tracking Through Live Metrology Real-Time Manufacturing Data For Resource and Inventory Tracking Automated Digital Inspection Improved Safety Through Intelligent Human- Machine Interactions Realization of the Digital Thread /07/the-coming-industrialrevolution-the-internet-of-thingsand-industry-4-0.html How do we define the Future of composites?

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