TABLE OF CONTENTS This chapter deals with the application of the technologies and materials described in preceding chapters. Its purpose is to highlight the interpretation of the strengths and limitations of polymer composites and to provide some examples of generally accepted design rules and guidelines. Although a vast amount of research has been undertaken on composite materials and structures, much of this has been done by the major aircraft manufacturers and is proprietary. Consequently, design rules vary somewhat from organization to organization, reflecting the different experiences within each. The rules of thumb given here are therefore rudimentary and should be checked with the relevant design authorities before being applied to any particular project.
The chapter also includes some examples of the applications of mainly carbon/epoxy composite structures, and it is hoped that this will show the evolution of their use, which is an inference of the experiences gained by manufacturers. More details on applications can be found in Refs. [1] and [2].
Initially, mention is made of applications with glass-fiber-reinforced polymer laminates, which were the first composite materials used in aircraft structures.
[1]Niu, M. C., Composite Airframe Structures, Comilit Press Ltd, Hong Kong, 1992.
[2]Middleton, D. H., (ed), Composite Materials in Aircraft Structures, Longmans, UK, 1990.
Glass-fiber composites were first used during World War II, which was about 20 years before carbon- and boron-fiber composites were used in aircraft structures. The earliest composites were made of E-type glass fabric and...
