Questions tagged [aerospace-materials]

Asp materials are materials, frequently metal alloys, that have either been developed for, or have come to prominence through, their use for aerospace purposes.

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What are the key differentiating factors between the flight control systems employed in unmanned drones and those utilized in piloted aerial vehicles?

"I've come across open-source projects like ArduPilot that are commonly used with microcontrollers like Pixhawk for unmanned aircraft. However, I'm unsure whether these systems can be adapted for ...
Rohit Anand's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
141 views

How common is the use of "quick-set asphalt" on runways such that flights may begin just a few hours after paving?

In the DCist's August 8, 2023 At DCA, Crews Race Each Night To Repave A Bit Of Runway Before The Next Day’s Flights they describe how runway repaving at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) ...
uhoh's user avatar
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1 answer
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How conductive is Carbon fibre in aircraft skins?

I ask this question in relation to radar cross section returns, Are the EM reflection properties of carbon epoxy composites similar to aluminum? Also how well are EM shielding characteristics of CF ...
Mridul's user avatar
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23 votes
4 answers
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Why was the SR-71 made of titanium?

The temperature of the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird's fuselage never exceeded 500 Celsius, which, to my knowledge, would be perfectly tolerated by stainless steel. So, why titanium?
Miki's user avatar
  • 333
4 votes
1 answer
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Why are spins not allowed below 10k ft msl in the T6b?

Reading through the manual I see that spins are not allowed below 10000 msl in this turboprop aircraft, the t6b, the reason that is written in the manual is as follows, quote: "Spins below 10k ...
YamchaAviator's user avatar
20 votes
6 answers
7k views

Why are Li-ion batteries not being used in aircraft but are widely used in electric vehicle industry?

This might seem a very naïve question. Maybe the comparison of electric vehicle to aircraft is hugely inappropriate. But I couldn't find a clear answer in web search. Lithium-ion batteries have a high ...
Divya K.S's user avatar
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2 answers
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Why are liquids for cooling not allowed when drilling on CFRP/Al or CFRP/Ti stacks for aeroplane wings?

I recently did some research on the effect of cooling on CFRP/Al7075 drilling. 7075 is used for aeroplane main wing upper skin, and the plates need to be overlayed and drilled for flush riveting. But ...
Mohamad Ghasemiyan's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
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What are all the composites used in the making of fighter jets? What is the green and yellow material on the aircraft in the pictures below? [closed]

Below given are images of various fighter jet manufacturing.
SRIMON .S DILEEP's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
179 views

Which parts of an airplane are made of buoyant material?

Which parts of an airplane (to make this question more specific: accessible in the main fuselage where the passengers are aboard) are made of buoyant material. Imagine a plane is about to crash into ...
Valay_17's user avatar
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2 votes
3 answers
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Can control surfaces for slow aircraft be 3D printed?

Can control surfaces for slow aircraft be 3D printed or even just printed as a core and then wrapped in fibreglass or carbon fibre? I understand that 3D printing of wings, etc. is pretty common in the ...
Fred's user avatar
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Why doesn't a hot jet engine crack at 10,000 metres and -50 C air temperature?

I have seen videos of red hot jet engines being tested at sea level in a building. But even in a building the temperature difference between the engine and the room is large. Most materials would ...
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1 answer
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Could an F-35 really be 3% rare-earth?

The Financial Times' China targets rare earth export curbs to hobble US defence industry states: Fighter jets such as the F-35, a Lockheed Martin aircraft, rely heavily on rare earths for critical ...
uhoh's user avatar
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1 answer
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Deicing Rod for Propellers

Similar to a card hitting the spokes of a bicycle, the card is soft enough to knock the dust off the spokes with no damage. What material would be best to impede the propellers to chip off the ice. ...
Justintimeforfun's user avatar
13 votes
1 answer
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Was wood used in the construction of the TU-144?

This image the Yegoryevsk crash of the TU-144 CCCP-77111 appears to show a part of the wreck made of wood: (picture source) The inside looks like wood slats with rafters. Wood is sometimes used in ...
Peter - Reinstate Monica's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
651 views

Materials usually used in dorsals fins specifically in the ATR 72

I am an aerospace engineering student and I am having problems finding information about the materials usually used in the dorsal fin of an aircraft. I would also like to know the kind of stress and ...
Martin Moreno Vega's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
215 views

How to know the material of key-top?

Posted it here originally. There are keys (push buttons) on the front panel of an avionics device that fits inside the aircraft cockpit. I need to know the material of which those key-tops are made ...
scico111's user avatar
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What is the most recent turbofan engine that used steel for its bypass fan blades?

I haven't been able to locate any engines that use steel for the bypass fan. All sources suggest Ti and composites are used for blade construction. Apart from the weight steel could partially make up ...
usernamechecksout's user avatar
4 votes
4 answers
696 views

Why did wings start to be made with aluminium skin instead of fabric?

Why did engineers start designing planes with aluminium skin on the wings instead of fabric covering? While the force of lift acts on the skin, to my knowledge it is not subject to high stresses
Francis L.'s user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
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What material is the B737 wing skin made out of?

What material is the B737 wing skin made out of? I actually couldn't find much information on the wing skin upper and lower panel materials for the B737, the general guess is of course aluminium, but ...
Salmonbeing00's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
112 views

Can UHMWP be used as composites for aircraft impact susceptible areas?

Can Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWP), be used as composites for aircrafts impact susceptible areas? I did some research but could only see UHMWP being used as a hybrid with graphite/ ...
Salmonbeing00's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
180 views

Which connector and cables are recommended for CAN?

Which mechanical connector(s) and cable(s) is/are recommended to arrange a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus communication or its aerospace counterpart ARINC 826 in the aerospace industry (civil & ...
cyberdyne's user avatar
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2 answers
242 views

Why don't the noses have the same de-icing metal surface like that of the wing's leading edge, engines, tail, etc.?

For reference, let's take the A320. The nose is painted like the rest of the body. Image Source
Firee's user avatar
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0 votes
2 answers
396 views

Why do we use composite aluminium or titanium stacks in airplanes? [closed]

Why do we use composite aluminium or titanium stacks in airplanes? What are their machining conditions?
Mohamad ghasemian's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
427 views

Why is there such a low level of automation in the aerospace industry (compared to other industries such as automobile)?

I have been watching some episodes of the documentaries made by National Geographic lately and I have noticed something that I can't find an explanation for. In this episode of Megafactories - ...
Abanob Ebrahim's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
590 views

Did the Phantom F-4 contain "polychron" or other synthetic materials as a replacement for rubber circa 1969?

update: In order to make it easier to answer this question, use of "synthetic materials as a replacement for rubber circa 1969" in any aircraft might be good enough. Michael Crichton's 1969 ...
uhoh's user avatar
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19 votes
2 answers
3k views

How strong is aircraft-grade spruce?

I have been trying to find some real numbers on how strong a single solid piece of aircraft graded spruce wood timber is, but haven't had much luck and the numbers that I have found so far were either ...
Mahdi's user avatar
  • 617
6 votes
1 answer
1k views

What is the material of snubber brakes?

What is the material of snubber brakes that is used for stopping the spin of the nose landing gear? KC-135, Boeing 747, 727 are the aircraft that I saw with these snubbers.
Ali Yılmaz's user avatar
8 votes
8 answers
13k views

Why don't they build airplanes from 3D printer plastic?

I'm not an expert in this field. My assumption is that there are plastics lighter and stronger than the materials used to build planes. So that would make plane lighter and thus would consume less ...
Dick Jones's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
2k views

Are turbine and compressor blades and vanes cast or forged?

I was wondering how blades and vanes are typically made in commercial jet engines. Would you typically use investment casting to make compressor blades or just in the turbine section to accommodate ...
Greg M's user avatar
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1 answer
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What materials are used in a Rolls-Royce RB211-524 Engine?

I am trying to know what materials (Specifically metals) are used in making a Rolls-Royce RB211-524 Engine. I already found what is used in engines in general, but is it the same for all? And if so, ...
Sanad's user avatar
  • 13
2 votes
0 answers
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How do composite aero structures compare against metallic structures in crash resistance?

is there any information available comparing the difference in crash resistance between composite mainly carbon or fiberglass polymers etc vs conventional metallic mainly aluminum aircraft structures.
Christophe Pochari's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
181 views

How is a composite fuselage repaired when structurally damaged?

In case of FOD, a fuselage puncture for example, what is the repair process? Considering time, complexity and cost, how is compared if it was an aluminium fuselage?
Anton's user avatar
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18 votes
3 answers
12k views

Why would a jet engine that runs at temps excess of 2000°C burn when it crashes?

Airline engines are designed to work at very high temperatures. Yet, when a plane crashes they're burnt (see below). Is it something in their design? (bostonherald.com)
Regmi's user avatar
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6 votes
3 answers
564 views

Why don't short-haul regional jets go for composites?

We have seen Airbus and Boeing going all the way for composites on their A350 and 787, but when it comes to smaller planes like the Embraer E-jets or the Bombardier C-series, they choose to use ...
Anton's user avatar
  • 108
4 votes
1 answer
2k views

What material is used to make the interior sidewalls panels, ceiling as well as luggage bins in a commercial aircraft?

What material is use to make the interior sidewalls panels, ceiling as well as luggage bins? All these elements seems to be made of similar material. What is the weight these cabin interior elements ...
fxswiss's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
11k views

What material is used for the skin of a modern fighter jet?

Modern passenger jets/airliners use aluminum 2 to 3 mm thick as their skin, their maximum speed is 900 km/h give or take. Modern fighter jets travel at twice that speed on average. What material is ...
securitydude5's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
182 views

3-D Printed Carbon Fiber UAV Skin

aviation pros! New to the aviation/RC world and would like to ask a serious question about using composites for the skin of a UAV I am developing my first time out. Want to use carbon fiber for a ...
VSS Defense's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
1k views

What is the material and font used on the panels of most cockpits?

I am working on a project for one of my aerospace engineering classes and was curious to see if anyone knew what type of material is used to make the panels of a cockpit (preferably a 737) as well as ...
carlos garza's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
251 views

aircraft display Processors

what kind of Processors and GPU are used for Aircraft display ? Is it possible to use single processor to run all three displays (Primary flight display, Navigation display and EICAS)?
santosh kumar's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
270 views

Is there a flexible "cloth-like" material that can be used as "skin" for a non-conventional wing?

I am in the very early stages of playing with the idea of an ornithopter derived aircraft. The intention is to be able to scale the resulting aircraft, to passenger (or useful payload) carrying ...
Homunculus Reticulli's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
56 views

Could a airship be built using vacuum as the lighter-than-air “material”? [duplicate]

Could an airship be built that uses instead of a very light gas a vacuum to keep it floating? Or would the materials needed to keep its volume even without the pressure from the inside always be ...
Florian's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
633 views

Is it possible to build a honeycombed vacuum balloon? [closed]

Is it possible to build a vacuum balloon with a near perfect void that can lift heavy objects and doesn't collapse and buckle under the atmosphere? I expect perhaps a honeycombed or lorimerlite ...
Pecos's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
440 views

How did the windshield technology evolve?

I would really appreciate it if someone could please explain the differences and similarities between the cockpit windows of a Boeing 747-400 and Douglas DC-3. I am just trying to figure out how the ...
Nauman Shahid's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
3k views

Which aluminium alloy is used in the Boeing 747's fuselage?

Which aluminium alloy is used in the Boeing 747's fuselage?
engineering student's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
1k views

What were the J47's turbine blades made of?

What materials were used to make the General Electric J47 turbine blades in the 1960's?
Phillip Casey's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
3k views

What components of the Boeing 787 are made out of titanium?

Inspired by the question, Why is the 787 tail cone made out of titanium?, I want to know what other parts of a Boeing 787 are made out of titanium. We now know, the APU exhaust cone is made out of ...
Noah Krasser's user avatar
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41 votes
1 answer
9k views

Why is the 787 tail cone made out of titanium?

In this question there is a drawing of a 787 that shows that the tail cone is made of titanium. Why is such a heavy-duty material like titanium required for the tail cone? I do not see how there ...
h22's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
870 views

Which are the main aluminium alloys used in airliner construction?

The proportion of composites used in airliner construction has increased in the last decades, with the B787 and the A350 being the first ones with composites making up the majority of wing and ...
Koyovis's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
544 views

How does the rotor blade material affect aircraft performance?

Helicopter rotor blades in newer helicopter designs are made from composite materials. This results in improved performance. Is this simply because they are lighter or is there another reason behind ...
mike's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
3k views

What is the average weight difference between composite and metal airliners?

Is there any rule of thumb for weight savings using composite materials. For example, is there an early model large airliner like the B747 or even B737 that later was modified with composite wings or ...
jwzumwalt's user avatar
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