|
Composites
Modern aviation
demands the use of high-performance fabrics, making most of the
early aviation fabrics practically obsolete. Newer, high-strength
and fire resistant fibers have been developed for myriad applications,
ranging from seating to insulation to replacements for metal
and other structural materials.
Addition of special molecular features, such as aromatic rings
and ladder-like structures, allows the formation of fibers and
fabrics with excellent resistance to heat and fire.
 High
strength fibers, such as aramid
and specially engineered polyethylene, are based on spinning
techniques which cause the long molecular chains to orient along
the fiber axis in a very regular arrangement. This type of structure
allows closer packing of the polymer chains to give improved
inter-chain bonding and, thus, higher tensile strengths. When
these high-strength fibers are imbedded in a plastic matrix,
they give the resulting composite physical properties which allows
them to function as lightweight alternatives to metals and other
structural materials. These composite materials are increasingly
important to aviation. The “Beech Starship” was the
first commercial, all-composite airplane
|