Giving aeroplanes the power of self-healing

Date:

25/01/2016

The multifunctional composite materials being researched by the projects IASS and HIPOCRATES could revolutionise aircraft structural components and have a major effect on many aspects of the aerospace industry.

Their advantages include enhanced reliability and service life for aeroplanes, which could cut accident rates by more than 60%. In addition, aircraft operating costs could drop to 50% of those of today, as inherent protective and smart abilities could help to significantly extend inspection intervals and reduce need for repair. This would result in less downtime – which could also substantially reduce disruption to air travel. Finally, they could help make aeroplanes lighter, thus reducing fuel consumption and related CO2-emissions.

The importance of damage tolerance in aircraft was recognised as long as 400 years ago by Leonardo da Vinci. The quest to improve tolerance continues, with much of the focus today on materials. Two EU-funded projects are developing advanced materials with the potential to both improve damage tolerance and the durability of composites.

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