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fuel costs and help reduce global warming.
One strategy is to reduce the weight
of planes. And an increasingly popular
method of weight reduction is the use of
composites, especially carbon fiber reinforced
plastics, in place of the metals that
have been standard throughout the
history of aviation.
These composites consist of plastic
that has been impregnated with filaments
of carbon fiber to form a thin fabric. To
create structures such as those used in
airplane parts, these fabrics are layered
into a mold, with the weave aligned in
particular directions to ensure optimal
strength. The composite is then cured and
checked, usually with ultrasound, to
ensure that each piece has no interior
imperfections. The resulting material is
light, strong, durable, and resistant to
swings in temperature.
Spain began developing its expertise
in carbon fiber composites when Spanish
companies created parts for the
European space launcher decades ago.
Though the aeronautics industry has
long relied on sturdy metals that have
been tested and employed for decades,
Spanish companies bet on investing in
further research on carbon fiber, a bet
that has paid off as these materials gain
wider use in aviation. The Airbus 400
military plane will be the first Airbus
plane to be made with carbon fiber
wings. About a quarter of the structures
in the new Airbus 380 will be made of
carbon fiber, and the A350, still in the
design stages, is expected to contain
even more. Boeing is increasing the
carbon fiber percentage of its 787 to 50
percent. Spanish companies are in a
unique position to capitalize on this
growth.
Much of the research on carbon fiber
in Spain takes place at the sprawling
Airbus
and EADS-CASA facilities
located in Madrid, Toledo, and Seville.
These facilities are some of the largest in
Europe. In Toledo, research at the Airbus
Advanced Composites Center has
focused on how to design and manufacture
large curvature panels from carbon
fiber. Because of this research, the
material has been used in large sections
of the fuselage of major commercial
aircraft for the first time.
Another top player in the Spanish
market is Aernnova, formerly Gamesa
Aeronáutica. The company began
operations in 1993, building parts for the
aviation company Embraer and soon
thereafter for the helicopter company
Sikorsky.
By developing, designing, and
building major parts for planes out of carbon
fiber and titanium, Aernnova created
new methods and techniques to ensure
product strength and safety.
The company today is taking its expertise
to American aviation giant Boeing,
with hundreds of engineers in both Seattle
S2 www.technologyreview.com/spain/aero
The presence of major international companies such as EADS and Airbus
has propelled the rapid growth of the aerospace industry in Spain.
photos courtesy of eads-casa
www.technologyreview.com/spain/aero S3
and Madrid working to make planes
lighter (thus more environmentally
friendly) and designing structures for the
fuselage. As part of its continuing work,
Aernnova is part of a new European
consortium working on “clean skies”—
the design and production of environmentally
friendly aircraft.
“From a technological point of view,
we are developing and continuously
applying R&D to new product development,”
says Ignacio López Gandásegui,
president of Aernnova. “Logically these
activities are primarily taking place in
structures, which is our main activity. We
are continually working with new materials
and new production systems for
these materials.”
The focus on carbon fiber has also
led a number of supplier companies to
develop expertise in designing and
manufacturing components out of this
material. One major production and
research center in the south belongs to
SACESA, which has been in existence
since 1995. The company has produced
structural parts for Airbus, for EADSCASA’s
military planes, and most
recently for Boeing’s B-777; the company’s
research department has developed
proprietary tools to analyze and
test the structural integrity of these
parts. Through its success in designing
and manufacturing major composite
pieces, produced both in fiber molds
and in sandwich panels in a honeycomb
structure, SACESA predicts 33 percent
growth this year.
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