RENG 1005 Engineering Materials Technical Writing 2016

Materials used in Aircraft

The first engine powered flight was conducted by the Wright brothers during the early twentieth
century. Since then, aircraft designers proposed theoretical designs so that the aircraft can be
sustainable for long time. The design of the aircraft has to meet specific requirements such as
efficiency, comfort, safety and reliability. The most commonly used material for aircrafts are wood,
metals, and composite materials such as FRP (The Atlas Group 2013). The use of these materials
may be discused in the design depending on their mechanical properties such as strength, elasticity,
specific weight and corrosion resistance.
Wood
Wood is one material which has mechanical and physical properties which meet the criteria required
for the manufacture of aircraft components. Wood was the most popular demand as material of
choice in the construction of early aircrafts due to its low cost. Wood crafted aircrafts are most
commonly used for World War I and II battle aircrafts, and can be seen in air shows.
However, it has a tensile strength ranged at 2.1 ~ 31.0 MPa, with a density of 0.2 ~ 0.9 kg/m3
which makes wood very vunerable material to counter high temperature during flight (Matweb,
2016). Also, wood will always split and have cracks when it is not maintenanced because when it
dries, the cells within the wood collapse and wither like a dry sponge (Preservation Solutions, 2015).
Thus, it is no longer used to create modern day aircrafts as there are other available materials, both
metallic and non-metallic, which have higher strength to weight ratios for lightweight and corrosion
resistant structures (Chemgeneration, 2011).
Although it may be weak, wood can be maintanenced in specific way to sustain harsh conditions.
Such as pentacryl reinforces the cells within the wood so they retain their shape even they are dry.
As a result, very little stress builds up in the wood and cracks rarely occur (Preservation Solutions,
2015). This causes the material to possess intermediate strength to weight ratio and becomes resistant
to adverse environmental conditions.

Figure 1: Most noticeble aircraft made with wood DH-98 Mosquito

(Airliners, 2016).

Metals
In 1930s, aircraft designers incepted the use of metals such as steel, aluminium, and titanium in the
aircraft manufacturing industry.
Metal

Yield Stress (MPa)

Tensile Strength
(MPa)

Elastic Modulus (GPa)

Density
(kg/m3)

Aluminium

276

310

68

2700

Steel

270 ~ 1070

570 ~ 1170

200 ~ 210

7810~7850

Titanium

140

220

116

4500

Aluminium are characterised by having lower density values compared to steel alloys (refer to figure
2), which makes aluminium approximately three times lighter than steel. Unlike steel, aluminium
have high resistance to corrosion because aluminium forms an oxide layer when it is placed in humid
or wet conditions. The oxide layer that is formed around the aluminium prevents further corrosion
protecting the interior of the metal (Experimentalaircraft, 2016). Yet they lose their strength at high
temperatures, thus they cannot be used for skin surfaces that become very hot on airplanes that fly
properties
of metals 2016).
(Matweb, 2016)
faster than twice theFigure
speed 2:
of Mechanical
sound (Aluminum
Association,
Steel alloys have a greater tensile strength, as well as a higher elastic modulus. As a result, steel is
used in the parts of aircraft for which strength is required, such as in the design of landing gears.
Steel can be up to four times stronger and three times stiffer than aluminum, but it is also three times
heavier and have less corrosion resistance than aluminium. Steel has also been used for the skin of
some high-speed airplanes, because it holds its strength at higher temperatures better than aluminum
(The Atlas Group 2013).
Similar to aluminium, titanium is also used in the design of aircraft structures as it is a lightweight,
strong and corrosion resistant metal far superior than steel and aluminium. This material is
employed in the manufacture some of the engine components, together with specifically designed
heat resistant alloys, such as Nickel-based superalloys. Despite being expensive, titanium is used in
aircraft construction due to its excellent material properties. It is used in panel and swivel wing
assemblies, hydraulic systems and engine components.

Figure 3: Example of an aircraft made with metals F22 Raptor

Aviationist. (N/D).

(The

Composite materials (FRP)

Wood and metals are the standard material used to make an aircraft since 1930s. Composite materials
on the other hand, are highly advanced and it consists sophisticated components which is built up
from individual components that take the form of continuous, straight fibres (eg. carbon, glass, and
aramid) embedded in a polymer matrix (eg. phenolic, polyester, and epoxy). Which then they are
laminated layer to layer in order to form a strong and thermosetting structure (ScienceDaily, 2008).
Out of many composite materials, fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) is an ideal material to make
aircrafts.

Fibre reinforced plastic

Yield stress
(MPa)
N/A

Tensile strength
(MPa)
70 ~585

Elastic Modulus
(GPa)
5,100 ~ 84,000

Density (kg/m3)
2,000

Aircraft manufacturing company such

as Boeing
favors FRP
in the production
of aircrafts due2016).
to its
Figure
4: Mechanical
properties
of FRP (Build-on-Prince
high tensile strength, high compression resistance, low weight and high resistance to corrosion.
Composite materials in general (including FRP), are composed by a base material and resin that
strengthens the material as a whole. Composite materials improve fuel efficiency and performance of
the aircraft as well as lessen direct operating costs of aircrafts (The Atlas Group, 2013). The most
common composite material used is fiberglass that is made up of glass fibers as the base material and
a resin matrix.
However, the cost for FRP is highly expensive and immediate repair are needed in case of damage.
Also FRP emits toxic fumes when it is placed in a very hot conditions, and the resin used to harden
the plastic weakens (ScienceDaily, 2008).

Summary

Figure 5: Example of an aircraft made with FRP Boeing 787

Honors Hub, 2016)

(CofC

Since the Wright brothers, wood were commonly used to manufacture aircrafts due to its ease of
access and low cost. Yet due to weak structure, metals are now predominantly used until now as they
have strong structure and easy to manufacture. FRP on the other hand, is the most expensive material
out of all, yet it have gained significant attention from big aircraft manufacturing componies because
of its high tensile strength, elastic modulus and low mass. The selection of the material is depended
on the purpose of the aircraft whether it is for defence, transport or commercial.

Reference Lists:
Airliners (2016). Photos: De Havilland DH-98 Mosquito FB26 Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net.
[Accessed 11 May 2016]. [online] <http://www.airliners.net/photo/De-Havilland-DH98/2230121/L/>
Aluminum Association (2016). Aircraft & Aerospace Aluminum | The Aluminum Association.
[Accessed 13 May 2016]. [online] < http://www.aluminum.org/product-markets/aircraft-aerospace>
Build-on-Prince (2016). Fiber Reinforced Polymers - Characteristics and Behaviors. [Accessed 13
May 2016]. [online] <http://www.build-on-prince.com/fiber-reinforcedpolymers.html#sthash.Bqarpc9C.dpbs>
Chemgeneration (2011). Construction materials for aircraft and rockets. [Accessed 12 May 2016].
[online] <http://chemgeneration.com/milestones/construction-materials-for-aircraft-androckets.html>
CofC Honors Hub. (2016). Boeing Scholarships. [Accessed 15 May 2016]. [online]
<http://blogs.cofc.edu/honorshub/2016/04/19/boeing-scholarships-available-ssm-majors/>
Experimentalaircraft (2016). Boeing Corrosion Protection | Boeshield T-9 Sealant. [Accessed 13 May
2016]. [online] < http://www.experimentalaircraft.info/articles/aircraft-corrosion-protection.php>
Matweb (2016). Matweb.com | Plywood. [Accessed 10 May 2016]. [online]
<http://www.matweb.com/search/DataSheet.aspx?MatGUID=bd6620450973496ea2578c283e9fb80>
Preservation Solutions. (2015). Pentacryl: the Wood Stabilizer that Prevents Cracks - Preservation
Solutions. [Accessed 13 May 2016]. [online] <http://www.preservation-solutions.com/productreviews/wood-stabilizer-prevents-cracks/>
ScienceDaily (2008). Self-repairing Aircraft Could Revolutionize Aviation Safety. [Accessed 12 May
2016]. [online] <https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080519105052.htm>
The Atlas Group (2013). Latest Materials Used for Aircraft Manufacturing - The Atlas Group.
[online] [Accessed 10 May 2016] <http://theatlasgroup.biz/latest-materials-used-aircraftmanufacturing/>
The Aviationist. (N/D). U.S. may deploy F-22 Raptor stealth jets to Europe to counter Russian
threat. [Accessed 14 May 2016]. [online] <https://theaviationist.com/2015/06/17/f-22s-may-soonbe-deployed-to-europe/>