Developments in Aerospace Composites and the impact on MRO and MRO training requirements March 13, 2013, Lugano Rob Bosgraaf, Fokker Services Jeroen de Vries, KVE Composites
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Developments in Aerospace
Composites and the impact on MRO
and MRO training requirements
March 13, 2013, Lugano
Rob Bosgraaf, Fokker Services
Jeroen de Vries, KVE Composites
Agenda
2
1. Introduction
2. Composites materials & processes
3. From conventional repair to future generation
composites repair
4. Conclusions
• Presentation by Fokker and KVE Composites
• The Dutch industry is a frontrunner on composite
innovation
• Currently a Consortium being setup:
– Fokker Technologies
– KLM E&M
– KVE Composites Group
– NLR (Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory)
• Goal:
– To set up a center of competence on composite repair
Introduction
3
4 4
Built on entrepreneurial spirit
1911 Anthony Fokker’s first flight in home-built ‘Spider’
1919 Foundation of Fokker Company (Netherlands)
1920’s Largest aircraft manufacturer in the USA
1940’s Destruction of Netherlands facilities
1950-90’s Major player in 50-100 seats segment (F-27, F-28, Fokker 50, 60, 70, 100)
1996 Acquisition by Stork
2009 Fokker 90th anniversary
2010
5
Fokker Technologies today
• Innovative leader in the aerospace and defense industry,
from design to support services
• Dedicated specialist in Aerostructures, Electrical Systems,
Landing Gears, MRO and aircraft support services for
in- and out- of production aircraft
• Partner in international innovation networks
with a strong focus on sustainability
• One integrated aerospace organization,
with a regional approach and a global presence
6
Key figures Fokker
2011 2010 2009 2008
Turnover (€ million) 685 616 602 597
Orders received (€ million) 836 805 840 831
EBITDA ( € million) 74 77 72 62
Employees 4220 3722 3573 3700
KVE Composites Group
• Group business:
– Using knowledge and experience on composite materials and
processes to:
– Design and development
– Manufacturing
– Repairs
– Advanced Composite Structures
• Markets:
– Aerospace
– Medical technology
– High performance machine construction
– Defence industries
KVE Composites Group
• Engineering capabilities
– From concept design to engineering for
manufacuring
• Manufacturing capabilities
– Wide range of processes and materials
• Supported by R&TD
– Cooperation with f.e. Technical University Delft and
NLR
• Facility: The Hague
KVE Composites Repair
• Dedicated repair shop for composite aircraft components
– Both In-shop and On-wing composite repairs
– Support from KVE Composites engineering group
– Provide training on composite repairs
• Facility located on Maastricht Aachen Airport
• The term composites goes back in time
• Composites today are mostly a combination of fibers
and resin
• The range of fiber/Resin combinations is enormous,
with tailorable properties (a great feature of composite
technology) being able to deliver precise engineering
characteristics in a way unimaginable twenty years
ago.
Composites in general
10
• Resins in a composite or also called matrix is used to
bond the fibers together
• Different types of resins are used although epoxy
resins are the most common
1. Epoxy resin
2. Thermoplastics
3. Phenolic resins
4. Polyester resins
5. Vinylester resins
Resins
11
• Fibers in a composite are giving strength to the
composite structure
• Most commonly used Fibers can be divided in three
groups
1. Glass fibre
2. Carbon fibre
3. Kevlar fibre
Fibers
12
Confidential/Proprietary Stork Fokker Information
13
External factors to control during composites
manufacturing
1. Temperature
2. Humidity
3. Pressure
4. Dust
5. Time
• There is a large variety in methods to manufacture a
composite part
• Going back in time most of the structures were made
with a hand lay-up using a moulding tool
Production processes- Hand lay-up
14
Disadvantage is
the low fiber
content in the
laminate and the
hard to control
quality of the
composite part
• To control the quality of the laminate a prepreg was
invented
• Prepregs are specially formulated resin matrix
systems that are reinforced with man-made fibres
such as carbon, glass and aramid
Production processes- using pre-preg/autoclave
15
Confidential/Proprietary Stork Fokker Information
16
Resin Transfer Moulding
• Dry fibers are placed in a mould and infused with
resin
• There are several variants on this concept developed
over time
Confidential/Proprietary Stork Fokker Information
17
Production process-Braiding / infusion
• Dry fibers are braided
into a form and infused
with resin ( oven or
autoclave)
• Mostly used on thick wall
composites
Industrialization composites manufacturing
18
• Composite industry is making a transition from skilled
manual labour to highly automated manufacturing
• Over the years more predictable and affordable methods
were developed
• Higher amount of robotic steps
• Less human interaction
• Higher level of quality
Confidential/Proprietary Stork Fokker Information
19
Fibre Placement Machine
• To eliminate human intervention and speed up the
production process several types of robotic fibre or
ply placement machines were developed
• The plies/fibers are places in a female/male mould
before curing ( autoclave or oven)
Confidential/Proprietary Stork Fokker Information
20
Tape Laying / Filament winding
• Tapes are winded over a mandrell and cured in a
autoclave or oven ( under pressure)
• Many variants on fiber / Resin combinations are used
into aerospace composites
• A variety on production processes are used in
aerospace composites
• Composite part production always occur in
environmentally controlled workshops
• All composite parts are tailored by engineering with
regards to fiber content and fiber direction
• Materials used on current structures are not new in the
industry
Conclusion on materials and processes
21
Why all the fuzz on composites?
• 1969: B747-100: ~4% weight composites
• 2012: B787: >50% weight composites
• 2035 B???: 65% weight composites ?
(R)Evolution of the use of composites
• From mainly secondary structures
• To large primary structures
Methodology on component MRO
• 4 M’s required for a repair capability:
– Materials
– Methods
– Machines
– Men
• Discuss current and future characteristics
Materials
• Conventional repair technology:
– Sheet metals and fasteners: standard available materials from
many suppliers
– Generic knowledge on used materials available
– Wide environmental envelope for storage and handling
• Composite repair characteristics
– Repair material composition and repair at the same time
– Material knowledge not common knowledge
– Many different materials specified by OEM’s
– Few suppliers: long lead times and high costs
– Materials have limited shelve life
– Materials need conditioned storage
• Future Composite materials
– Thermoplastic composites
Methods
• Conventional repairs methods
– Sheet metal repairs
– Drilling and mechanical fastening
– (fairly) standard and widely know repair methods
• Composite repair characteristics
– Damage assessment methods in-shop
– More different repairs: flexible and easy access to Approved
Maintenance Data
– More temporary repairs on-wing repairs
• Future composite repairs
– Inspections in operations and line maintenance
– Newly developed NDT methods
– More on-wing temporary repairs
– Access to Approved Maintenance Data on-wing
Machines
• Conventional machines in repairs:
– Widely known equipment
– Available in-shop and on-wing versions
• Composite repair characteristics
– In-shop: ovens and autoclaves for resin cure
– On-wing: heat blankets for resin cure
– NDT equipment: in-shop and large
– Specific (hand) tools for composite material handling
• Future requirements
– Inspection equipment for damage assessments
– For line maintenance: easy to interpret (go/no-go) and large
surfaces
– On-wing repair may require environmental control
(temperature, humidity, dust)
– (Fully) automated repairs
Men
• Conventional repairs:
– Whole training infrastructure organised
• Current composite repairs:
– Who is involved:
– Inspecting line maintenance personnnel
– Inspectors and technicians at base maintenance
– Specialist composite repair technicians
• Future requirements
– Who is involved:
– Maintenance personnel: all line and base maintenance
personnel
– Inspectors involved in damage assessment: release of
aircraft for operation
– (Much) more and further specialized training
• Two steps to take:
– From conventional materials/repairs to composite repairs
– From current composites secondary structures to tomorrows
large primary structures
• Challenges already in current repairs
– Current transition to composite awareness at specialist sites
– Efficiency of repairs needs to increase
– Fast access to repair materials
• Challenges in future composite repairs
– More on-wing repairs needing dedicated equipment
– More generic knowledge on composite materials and
processes required
– Standardization on materials
– Automation on repair methods
Challenges in composite repairs
29
• Transition from conventional aircraft to new
generation aircraft needs a different mindset
– Knowing how to drill a hole in composites does not mean
that you understand the material
– More generic knowledge throughout MRO organisations
– All technicians involved in new generation aircraft operations
and maintenance need basic awareness on composites
• Misalignment between highly controlled production
facilities and MRO capabilities
• More focus on inspection using NDT
• IMPACT : Training organizations need to align with the
new generation composite production processes
Conclusions
Project Review presentation Nov 2011 30
• Thanks to EAMTC for the invitation
• Thanks to you for your attention
• Any questions?
• More information @
– Fokker Technologies: www.fokker.com
– KVE Composites: www.kve.nl
Project Review presentation Nov 2011 31
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