Aerostructures: Enabling Aviation Through lightweight Composite Materials
Aerostructures a focus on reducing fuel burn and emissions, aircraft manufacturers started exploring lightweight composite materials. Composites like carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) and glass fiber reinforced polymers (GFRP) offer higher strength-to-weight ratios compared to metals. They allow designers to build stiff, durable airframe parts that are 20-50% lighter. The use of composites in aerostructures has significantly increased from around 20% in 2000 to over 50% today in many new aircraft models.
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