Engineering news
Several exhibitors at the international event are displaying new materials, which manufacturers are using to cut costs. British company Sigma Components is one example, using a thermoplastic composite – material which is melted before cooling and hardening – to create ultra-lightweight but durable plane parts.
Chief executive Mark Johnson demonstrates with two pipes: one made of steel, one braided thermoplastic. The two pieces are exactly the same size, but the thermoplastic is half the weight. Despite the reduction, the plastic tube is just as strong, says Johnson.
“Clearly everyone wants to lower costs, but with the pressures on OEMs they also want them lighter,” says Johnson to Professional Engineering. “Everyone focuses on wings and fins, but not many people focus on some of the smaller components like tubes. They are always spending time on the big stuff... but if you make savings on small things, and a lot of them, it makes a big difference.”
Using thermoplastic pieces in an engine could save 10kg, says Johnson. For a whole plane, 100kg could be saved – enough to take on another passenger. “If we do that on all of the components, just imagine the savings,” says Johnson. “It is the power of many.”
Sigma also uses traditional materials in non-traditional ways, such as 3D printing metal alloys. Johnson shows the difference with two nuts of the same diameter, but one has been 3D printed. It is far lighter, using less material – and therefore costing less money – but has been intelligently engineered and printed to be of the same strength. “Everybody wins,” says Johnson.
Other companies at the air show are also demonstrating techniques which let them use less material but keep the same strength when making parts. Dassault Systèmes showed PE software that simulates aircraft parts based on a set of constraints – set by an engineer – and a virtual model of the objects the part must link.
The result is noticeably streamlined, with more organic-looking structures replacing the sharp lines and hard corners of the human-designed pieces. The lighter parts are virtually stress-tested before real-world testing, revealing the same strength as the outdated part.
Cutting aircrafts’ weight is a major focus at the show, with concern around the huge amount of fuel required to power increasing numbers of heavy commercial planes. “Every time you think about an airplane design, you think of weight,” said Bob Guirl from UTC Aerospace Systems. “The first thing you think about is weight. The last problem you address is weight. Every model-change factors in weight. How can we increase efficiency by reducing weight?”
Manufacturers must take an integrated approach to cutting weight, Guirl added, considering everything from reducing miles of cable to using lighter hydraulic pumps simultaneously.
Our reporter Joseph Flaig is at the Paris Air Show this week. To contact him, email joseph.flaig@caspianmedia.com or follow him on Twitter @Joseph_Flaig.