Michael Grese

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• Michael Grese
• Michael Hawley
• Michael Lyrenmann
• Timothy Smith

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Dreamliner 787

• Boeings latest aircraft, the Dreamliner 787, is
  pushing the barriers of aircraft construction and
  component technologies.
• The biggest departure from previous aircraft is
  the use of composite structures in its design,
  about 50 by weight. The highest amounts of
  composites used before the Dreamliner were about
  12 in Boeings own 777.

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Material make-up of the 787
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Carbon FiberComposites
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Making Carbon Fiber
Figures courtesy of The Macrogalleria
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Making Carbon Fiber (contd)
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Carbon Fiber woven ribbons
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The lay-up process
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Thermally Conductive Plastics

• Thermally conductive plastics are becoming viable
  solutions for handling heat in some specific,
  high-tech applications.
• Some modified plastics can approach the thermal
  conductivity of die-cast aluminum, one of the
  most widely used heat sink materials today.
• Considerations lightweight, moldable, cost, etc.

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Traditional Aircraft Interior Applications
Figure courtesy of SABIC Innovative Plastics
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Typical Airplane Composites

• Ultem 9085 resin
• Polyetherimide
• Decompression
• grilles, window revels, bezels
• Extruded, thermoformed, injection molded
• Noryl LS6010 resin
• Polyphenylene ether Polystyrene
• Rub strips and seat track covers
• Injection molding, profile extrusion,
• sheet extrusion

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Examples
(Left) Vacuum-formed panel (Ultem), overhead bin
(Noryl)
(Below) Cabin seat on the 787
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Typical Airplane Composites

• Lexan FST9705 resin
• Polycarbonate copolymer
• Personal service units, window revels, and bezels
• Injection molding
• Bismaleimide (BMI) resins
• External structural applications
• Autoclaving process

PR Domain GE Plastics Launches Three New
High-performance Materials for Aircraft Industry.
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Assembly - A Global Undertaking
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Reprocessing Techniques

• Thermoplastics can be repaired using a number of
  different techniques
• Fusion Bonding
• Heat, molecule diffusion, cooling
• Frictional, thermal, electromagnetic welding
• Patch Repair
• Wide variety of techniques
• Mechanical fastening, adhesive bonding, focused
  infrared

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Reprocessing Techniques

• Thermo-reforming
• Heated to create viscous polymer
• Use same technique as when originally formed

Vodicka, Roger. Thermoplastics for Airframe
Applications A Review of the Properties and
Repair Methods for Thermoplastic Composites
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Advantages over Metals

• Lightweight
• Density of composites about 1.4 g/cm3
• Density of aluminum 2.7 g/cm3
• Density of titanium 4.5 g/cm3
• Large single-piece construction
• 80 reduction in number of fasteners
• Resistant to corrosion and fatigue
• Lower maintenance cost

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Disadvantages

• High material cost
• Difficult repairs (composites)
• Specialized tools needed

Figure courtesy www.compositecarbonfiberprop.com
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Cost of Boeing 787
767 Family 767 Family 767 Family 767 Family
767-200ER 127.5 -- 139.0 Million 255 passengers 6,385 nmi
767-300ER 144.5 -- 161.5 Million 350 passengers 5,990 nmi
767-400ER 158.0 -- 173.0 Million 375 passengers 5,625 nmi.
787 Family 787 Family 787 Family 787 Family
787-3 150.0 -- 155.5 Million 290-330 passengers 2,500 to 3,050 nmi.
787-8 161.0 -- 171.5 Million 210-215 passengers 7,650 to 8,200 nmi.
787-9 194.0 -- 205.5 Million 250-290 passengers 8,000 to 8,500 nmi.
Source www.boeing.com
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Weight/ Maintenance Costs

• Boeing Dreamliner 787 will be 20 more efficient
• Light weight also affects landing taxes
• Boeing 30 reduction in maintenance costs over
  aluminum fuselage airplane

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Electrical Improvements

• 8 efficiency improvement from engine design GE
  GENX and Rolls Royce Trent 1000
• Electrical Reconfigurations more reliance on
  electrical starters
• Bleed air-hot compressed air
• from engines used in de-icing,
• cabin pressurization
• 787 will use pneumatic
• compressors

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Problems with Cost Estimates

• Cost estimates released by Boeing incentive to
  make the plane sound better
• Boeing 787 has yet to actually be released
• So many new innovations

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Questions?