OVERVIEW

The nature of "philosophy" evolved in the sixties for designing "new" composite structure was that it had to have, "equivalent or better level of safety than the structure it replaced." It sounds like a good approach to innovation, and it would be, if pursued without compromise.

The metal world of design, especially the aluminum world, has achieved its safety through "trial and error." Service experience has had a large influence on existing safety records. The feedback has been preserved in terms of empirical methods, rules of thumb and corporate know-how, and has been very successful.

However, very little from the metal world carries over to composites in terms of "knowledge base" and methods, and most of the "new" safety concerns have a very typical composite quirk. But we must have "lots of composite experience by now." True for many composite materials (different composite materials) and specific applications. The composites world, though, is in a state of transition. New materials, new processes, new structural concepts are arriving in a steady stream. The technology is in a constant state of innovation.

Historically, the metal quest was a pursuit of ductile, tough, strong, durable, stiff and light materials, and the technology development produced vastly improved properties and superior processes, and served our safety and economy objectives well. But we have reached out further than metal all by itself can take us.

In order to go further, we have been forced to give up some of our measures of "goodness" as at least...