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<ref name="FokkerAirbus2016">{{cite news |last1=Canaday |first1=Henry |title=Airbus, Fokker Seek Less Expensive Fiber Metal Laminate |url=https://aviationweek.com/advanced-machines-aerospace-manufacturing/airbus-fokker-seek-less-expensive-fiber-metal-laminate |accessdate=13 December 2018 |work=AviationWeek.com |publisher=Aviation Week Network |date=March 30, 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925095653/aviationweek.com/advanced-machines-aerospace-manufacturing/airbus-fokker-seek-less-expensive-fiber-metal-laminate |archivedate=September 25, 2017 |dead-url=no |language=English}}</ref>
<ref name="FokkerAirbus2016">{{cite news |last1=Canaday |first1=Henry |title=Airbus, Fokker Seek Less Expensive Fiber Metal Laminate |url=https://aviationweek.com/advanced-machines-aerospace-manufacturing/airbus-fokker-seek-less-expensive-fiber-metal-laminate |accessdate=13 December 2018 |work=AviationWeek.com |publisher=Aviation Week Network |date=March 30, 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925095653/aviationweek.com/advanced-machines-aerospace-manufacturing/airbus-fokker-seek-less-expensive-fiber-metal-laminate |archivedate=September 25, 2017 |dead-url=no |language=English}}</ref>
<ref name="CACT">{{cite book |last1=Breuer |first1=Ulf Paul |title=Commercial Aircraft Composite Technology |date=2016 |publisher=Springer International Publishing Switzerland |location=Kaiserslautern, Germany |isbn=9783319319186 |page=51 |edition=corrected publication May 2018 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z60qDAAAQBAJ&lpg=PR1&dq=inauthor%3A%22Ulf%20Paul%20Breuer%22&pg=PA51#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=11 December 2018 |language=English |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-31918-6 |chapter=Material Technology}}</ref>
<ref name="CACT">{{cite book |last1=Breuer |first1=Ulf Paul |title=Commercial Aircraft Composite Technology |date=2016 |publisher=Springer International Publishing Switzerland |location=Kaiserslautern, Germany |isbn=9783319319186 |page=51 |edition=corrected publication May 2018 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z60qDAAAQBAJ&lpg=PR1&dq=inauthor%3A%22Ulf%20Paul%20Breuer%22&pg=PA51#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=11 December 2018 |language=English |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-31918-6 |chapter=Material Technology}}</ref>
<ref name="ICAF2011">{{cite journal |title=Recent Advancements in Thinwalled Hybrid Structural Technologies for Damage Tolerant Aircraft Fuselage Applications |date=June 1–3, 2011 |url=http://calvinrans.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Paper_ICAF_2011.pdf |accessdate=15 December 2018 |publisher=26th ICAF Symposium |location=Montréal, Quebec, Canada |language=English |format=PDF}}</ref>
<ref name="ICAF2011">{{cite book |title=ICAF 2011 Structural Integrity: Influence of Efficiency and Green Imperatives |pages=105-117 |chapter=Recent Advancements in Thinwalled Hybrid Structural Technologies for Damage Tolerant Aircraft Fuselage Applications |date=June 1–3, 2011 |url=http://calvinrans.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Paper_ICAF_2011.pdf |publisher=26th ICAF Symposium |location=Montréal, Quebec, Canada |language=English |format=PDF |author1=R.C. Alderliesten |author2=C.D. Rans |author3=Th. Beumler |author4=R. Benedictus |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109045346/calvinrans.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Paper_ICAF_2011.pdf |archive-date=November 9, 2016 |dead-url=no |access-date=14 December 2018 |editor-surname=Komorowski |editor-given=Jerzy |isbn=978-94-007-1663-6 |doi=10.1007/978-94-007-1664-3_8 |publisher=Springer, Dordrecht |oclc=800760887}}</ref>
<ref name="GLARETypes">{{cite web |title=Glare types & configurations |url=http://fmlc.nl/research-development/glare-types-configurations/ |website=Fibre Metal Laminates Centre of Competence (FMLC) |accessdate=13 December 2018 |dead-url=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220092201/fmlc.nl/research-development/glare-types-configurations/ |archivedate=February 20, 2018 |location=Delft, The Netherlands |language=English}}</ref>
<ref name="GLARETypes">{{cite web |title=Glare types & configurations |url=http://fmlc.nl/research-development/glare-types-configurations/ |website=Fibre Metal Laminates Centre of Competence (FMLC) |accessdate=13 December 2018 |dead-url=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220092201/fmlc.nl/research-development/glare-types-configurations/ |archivedate=February 20, 2018 |location=Delft, The Netherlands |language=English}}</ref>
<ref name="GlareIsKey">{{cite news |title=Glare is key: Perhaps the best known technological innovation aboard the A380 is the Glare (glassfibre reinforced aluminium) composite material which will be used for much of the upper fuselage skins. |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/glare-is-key-165705/ |accessdate=13 December 2018 |work=Flight International |date=May 20, 2003 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181213184512/https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/glare-is-key-165705/ |archivedate=December 13, 2018 |dead-url=no |language=English}}</ref>
<ref name="GlareIsKey">{{cite news |title=Glare is key: Perhaps the best known technological innovation aboard the A380 is the Glare (glassfibre reinforced aluminium) composite material which will be used for much of the upper fuselage skins. |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/glare-is-key-165705/ |accessdate=13 December 2018 |work=Flight International |date=May 20, 2003 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181213184512/https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/glare-is-key-165705/ |archivedate=December 13, 2018 |dead-url=no |language=English}}</ref>

Revision as of 20:10, 15 December 2018

Glass reinforced (GLARE) is a fiber metal laminate (FML) composed of several very thin layers of metal (usually aluminium) interspersed with layers of S-2 glass-fiber pre-preg, bonded together with a matrix such as epoxy. The uni-directional pre-preg layers may be aligned in different directions to suit predicted stress conditions.

Though GLARE is a composite material,[1] its material properties and fabrication are very similar to bulk aluminium metal sheets. It has far less in common with composite structures when it comes to design, manufacture, inspection, or maintenance. GLARE parts are constructed and repaired using mostly conventional metal working techniques.

Its major advantages over conventional aluminium are:

  • Better "damage tolerance" behavior, especially in impact and metal fatigue. Since the elastic strain is larger than other metal materials, it can consume more impact energy. It is dented more easily but has a higher penetration resistance.
  • Better corrosion resistance.
  • Better fire resistance.
  • Lower specific weight.

Furthermore, the material can be "tailored" during design and manufacture so that the number, type and alignment of layers can suit the local stresses and shapes throughout the aircraft. This allows the production of double-curved sections, complex integrated panels, or very large sheets.

While a simple manufactured sheet of GLARE is more expensive than an equivalent sheet of aluminium, considerable production savings can be made using the aforementioned optimization. A structure properly designed for GLARE is significantly lighter and less complex than an equivalent metal structure, requires less inspection and maintenance, and has a longer lifetime-till failure, often making it cheaper, lighter, and safer in the long run.

History

GLARE is a relatively successful FML, patented by Akzo Nobel in 1987. It has entered commercial application in the Airbus A380. The several patents mention among others as inventors Vogelesang, Schijve, Roebroeks and Marissen,[2][3] then professors and researchers at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology, where much of the research and development on FML was done in the 1970s and 1980s.

The development of FML reflects a long history of research that started in 1945 at Fokker, where earlier bonding experience at de Havilland inspired investigation into the improved properties of bonded aluminium laminates compared to monolithic aluminium. Later, NASA became interested in reinforcing metal parts with composite materials in the Space Shuttle program, which led to the introduction of fibers to the bond layers. Thus, the concept of FMLs was born.

Further research and co-operation of Fokker with Delft University,[4] the Dutch Aerospace Laboratory NLR, 3M, Alcoa and various other companies and institutions led to the first FML, the aramid fiber-based ARALL. This material had some cost, manufacturing, and application problems; while it had very high tensile strength, the compressive strength, off-axis loading, and cyclic loading proved problematic. These problems led to an improved version with glass fiber instead of aramid fibers.

Over the course of the development of the material, which took more than 30 years from start to the major application on the Airbus A380, many other production and development partners have been involved, including Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, Bombardier, and the US Air Force.[5] Over the course of time, companies withdrew from this involvement, sometimes to come back after a couple of years, like Alcoa who withdrew in 1995 to come back in 2004 and withdrew once again in 2010. These strategic decisions show the dynamic nature of innovation processes.[6]

Applications

Beside forming part of the Airbus A380 fuselage, GLARE has many other applications. GLARE is also the material used in the ECOS3 blast-resistant freight container. This unit load device contains the explosion and fire resulting from a bomb such as that used over Lockerbie. Other applications include the application in the Learjet 45 and previously in the cargo floors of the Boeing 737.

Current production

There are six standard GLARE grades (GLARE1 through GLARE6), with typical densities ranging from 2.38 to 2.52 grams per cubic centimetre (0.086 to 0.091 lb/cu in).[7] These densities are smaller than the 2.78 g/cm3 (0.100 lb/cu in) density of 2024-T3 aluminium alloy,[8] a common aluminium alloy in aircraft structures that is also incorporated into all but one of these GLARE grades. (GLARE1 uses the 7075-T6 aluminium alloy instead.)[9] The GLARE grades differ by the number and complexity of prepreg plies and orientations within a composite layer,[7] since the strength of the composite varies with fiber direction. Each GLARE grade has A and B variants that have the same number of plies but with alternate fiber orientations.[10] The standard GLARE grades are cured in an autoclave at 120 °C (248 °F) for 3.5 hours under 11-bar pressure (11 atm; 160 psi; 1,100 kPa), and they use the FM94 epoxy pre-preg.[9]

A newer class of GLARE, called High Static Strength GLARE (HSS GLARE), incorporates the 7475-T761 alloy and cures at 175 °C (347 °F) using FM906 epoxy pre-preg. HSS GLARE comes in three grades (HSS GLARE3, HSS GLARE4A, and HSS GLARE4B), mirroring the plies and orientations of their corresponding standard GLARE grades.[9]

Airbus also has alternative designations for these grades based on the underlying aluminium alloy, using prefixes such as 2024-FML, 7475-FML, and 1441-FML[9] (which incorporates the 1441 aluminium-lithium alloy).[11]

GLARE is currently made by GKN-Fokker and Premium AEROTEC for 485 square metres (5,220 sq ft)[12] of fuselage and empennage leading edges on each A380 plane.[13] GKN-Fokker manufactures 22 of the 27 A380 GLARE shells at its 12,000-square-metre facility (130,000 sq ft) in Papendrecht, The Netherlands, where they produce sheets of 4.5 by 11.5 metres (15 by 38 ft), including the milling of doors, windows, and more on a 5-axis milling machine with a movable bed. Premium AEROTEC manufactures the remaining five A380 GLARE shells in Nordenham, Germany[14][13] at a rate of 200 square metres (2,200 sq ft) per month as of 2016.[15] The shells have a minimum thickness of 1.6 millimetres (0.063 in).[11]

Since around 2014, Airbus and its fuselage suppliers GKN-Fokker, Premium AEROTEC, and Stelia Aerospace are currently collaborating to manufacture GLARE in a high-volume, automated production setting that will deliver larger panels to aluminium aircraft other than the A380. The belief is that the material will reduce fuselage weight by 15 to 25 percent compared to the aluminium sections they would replace on single-aisle aircraft such as the Boeing 737 and the Airbus 320.[16][17] With a goal of manufacturing panels of 8 by 15 metres (26 by 49 ft) in size, GKN-Fokker planned to open an automated production line at its site in 2018.[12] In targeting a fifty-fold increase of GLARE production capacity to 10,000 square metres (110,000 sq ft) per month, Premium AEROTEC[15] planned to update its automated test cell in summer 2018 to manufacture demonstrator panels of 4 by 12 metres (13 by 39 ft). This size will match the largest GLARE panels to be potentially used by Airbus in short-range and medium-range aircraft.[17] The GLARE automation process has reached technology readiness level (TRL) 5 as of 2018,[18] with an eventual goal of TRL 6.[19]

See also

Bibliography

  • Vermeeren, Coen, ed. (2002). Around Glare: A New Aircraft Material in Context. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers. ISBN 1-4020-0778-7. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  • Vlot, Ad (2001). Glare: History of the Development of a New Aircraft Material. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers. ISBN 1-4020-0124-X. Retrieved 13 December 2018.

References

  1. ^ King, David; Inderwildi, Oliver; Carey, Chris. "Advanced aerospace materials: past, present and future" (PDF). Aviation and the Environment (March 2009): 22–27. ISSN 1755-9421. OCLC 500326779. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Garesche, C. E., Roebroeks, G. H. J. J., Greidanus, V., Gunnink, J. W., Oost, R. C., & Greidanus, B. (1994). Laminated panel for aircraft fuselage - comprises metal layers with splices in staggered relation in adjacent layers and fibre-reinforced adhesive layers between the metal layers.
  3. ^ Schijve, J., Vogelesang, L., & Marissen, R. (1982). Laminate aluminium contg. metal sheets and aramid fibre sheets - bonded together by thermosetting adhesives, used in spacecraft and aircraft.
  4. ^ Morinière, Freddy D.; Alderliesten, René C.; Tooski, Mehdi Yarmohammad; Benedictus, Rinze (26 July 2012). "Damage evolution in GLARE fibre-metal laminate under repeated low-velocity impact tests". Central European Journal of Engineering. 2 (4): 603–611. doi:10.2478/s13531-012-0019-z.
  5. ^ Berends, H., van Burg, E., & van Raaij, E. M. (2011). Contacts and contracts: Cross-level network dynamics in the development of an aircraft material. Organization Science, 22(4), 940–960.
  6. ^ Van Burg, E., Berends, H., & van Raaij, E. M. (2014). Framing and Interorganizational Knowledge Transfer: A Process Study of Collaborative Innovation in the Aircraft Industry. Journal of Management Studies, 51(3), 349–378.
  7. ^ a b Sang Yoon Park and Won Jong Choi (November 5th 2018). The Guidelines of Material Design and Process Control on Hybrid Fiber Metal Laminate for Aircraft Structures [Working Title], IntechOpen, DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.78217. Available from: https://www.intechopen.com/online-first/the-guidelines-of-material-design-and-process-control-on-hybrid-fiber-metal-laminate-for-aircraft-st/
  8. ^ Breuer, Ulf Paul (2016). "Material Technology". Commercial Aircraft Composite Technology (corrected publication May 2018 ed.). Kaiserslautern, Germany: Springer International Publishing Switzerland. p. 51. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-31918-6. ISBN 9783319319186. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  9. ^ a b c d Alderliesten, René. "2: Laminate Concepts & Mechanical Properties". Fatigue and Fracture of Fibre Metal Laminates (PDF). Springer, Cham. pp. 7–27. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-56227-8_2. ISBN 978-3-319-56226-1. OCLC 1048940338. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  10. ^ "Glare types & configurations". Fibre Metal Laminates Centre of Competence (FMLC). Delft, The Netherlands. Archived from the original on February 20, 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ a b R.C. Alderliesten; C.D. Rans; Th. Beumler; R. Benedictus (June 1–3, 2011). "Recent Advancements in Thinwalled Hybrid Structural Technologies for Damage Tolerant Aircraft Fuselage Applications". In Komorowski, Jerzy (ed.). ICAF 2011 Structural Integrity: Influence of Efficiency and Green Imperatives (PDF). Montréal, Quebec, Canada: Springer, Dordrecht. pp. 105–117. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-1664-3_8. ISBN 978-94-007-1663-6. OCLC 800760887. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 9, 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2018. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ a b "Fokker to automate FML production". Inside Composites. 2nd International Composites Conference, Düsseldorf, Germany. December 5, 2016. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: location (link)
  13. ^ a b Gardiner, Ginger (August 16, 2016). "The resurgence of GLARE: Airbus pursues fiber metal laminates for future narrowbody construction, citing cost, weight, repair and lightning strike benefits". CompositesWorld. ISSN 2376-5240. OCLC 943597826. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "Glare is key: Perhaps the best known technological innovation aboard the A380 is the Glare (glassfibre reinforced aluminium) composite material which will be used for much of the upper fuselage skins". Flight International. May 20, 2003. Archived from the original on December 13, 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ a b Gardiner, Ginger (July 31, 2016). "Day One highlights from 2016 CFK Valley Stade Conference: Automotive and aerospace developments led Day One including bio-inspired designs, BMW 7 Series firsts and amping GLARE fuselage production to meet 70 aircraft/month". CompositesWorld. ISSN 2376-5240. OCLC 943597826. Archived from the original on January 1, 2018. Retrieved December 13, 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ Black, Sara (July 12, 2017). "Fiber-metal laminates in the spotlight: Interest in FMLs is growing again as aeroengineers search for lightweight solutions adaptable to new narrowbody commercial aircraft". CompositesWorld. ISSN 2376-5240. OCLC 943597826. Archived from the original on September 19, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ a b Apmann, Hilmar; Busse, Matthias; Du, Jia-Yang; Köhnke, Patrick (August 31, 2017). "Automated Manufacture of Fibre Metal Laminates to Achieve High Rate of Production". Lightweight Design Worldwide. 10 (4). Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden: 28–33. doi:10.1007/s41777-017-0037-x. ISSN 2510-2877. OCLC 974210407. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (IFAM) (November 14, 2018). "Automated adhesive film placement and stringer integration for aircraft manufacture". Stade, Germany. Informationsdienst Wissenschaft (idw). Archived from the original on December 13, 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ Canaday, Henry (March 30, 2016). "Airbus, Fokker Seek Less Expensive Fiber Metal Laminate". AviationWeek.com. Aviation Week Network. Archived from the original on September 25, 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

External links