NCAMP releases Polyimide material selection results

Tag : Unidirectional Fabric


The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory Composite and Hybrids Branch(AFRL/RXBC) has announced the selection of Renegade MaterialsFreeForm®14 Polyimide to be coordinated by the National Centerfor Advanced Material Performance (NCAMP) at Wichita StateUniversity's National Institute for Aviation Research.

The program will generate a material properties database forqualification of a high-temperature polyimide composite for use inboth airframe and engine applications. NCAMP will also identifyfabricators with the capability and experience to process polyimidematerials, who will participate in the panel fabrication activity.

NCAMP will seek the FAA's oversight in the qualification programsto create the pedigree necessary for the materials to be used incertified aerospace applications. As part of the FAA's process,panel fabricators will need to have their panel fabrication processand panels conformed by the FAA.

Both the AFRL and NCAMP believe that polyimide composite materialsare a viable substitute for many aerospace parts operating atservice temperatures above 375°F that currently made out oftitanium and BMI composites. Polyimide composites can replacetitanium and other materials in many applications up to 500°Foperating temperature, while offering potential advantages such aslower cost and significantly reduced weight. The advantages ofpolyimide over epoxy and bismaleimide include a higher operatingtemperature, which reduces maintenance costs and may eliminate theneed for thermal insulation or protective coatings in someapplications.

Many aerospace manufacturers have expressed interest in usingpolyimide composites to replace titanium, CRES or inconel parts tosave cost and weight; however they require a useful database of thepolyimide material properties. The material property dataacquisition and qualification test plan will generate basicmaterial allowables typically needed for airframe and engineapplications and material properties typically needed to establishmaterial control. Aircraft manufacturers will be able to designsimple parts with the data from NCAMP, and sub-contract the partfabrication to companies that have participated in thequalification process or have shown process equivalency.

Material Selection Process

NCAMP Industry Advisory Board members and the Naval Air SystemsCommand (NAVAIR) assisted the Air Force in the material selection. The ballots were received from designated representatives of memberorganizations including Airbus, ATK Space Systems, Bell HelicopterTextron, Boeing IDS/Phantom Works, Bristol Aerospace Ltd-MagellanAerospace Corporation, Cessna Aircraft Company, EADSCASA/Eurocopter, Embraer, GE Aviation, Gulfstream AerospaceCorporation, Honeywell Aerospace, Lockheed Martin Aero, NorthropGrumman Corporation, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce Corporation,Sikorsky Aircraft, Spirit AeroSystems, and Toyota Aviation. Therepresentatives were asked to discuss their votes with otherindividuals and composite organizations within their company,regarding the five polyimide material candidates. The questionsasked in the ballot were:

• Would your company like to see this material qualified intothe NCAMP shared database?

• Does your company have an immediate need for this material?

• Is your company or your sub-contractor willing to make testpanels for this candidate?