Report
Teaser, summary, work performed and final results
Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NEODAMP (New Enhanced Acoustic Damping Composite Materials)
Teaser
The idea is to design future multifunctional composite fuselages so that the structure itself is capable of efficiently minimizing noise and vibration propagation without the relevant weight and cost penalty of current add-on parts used as acoustic-dampers. The use of layered...
Summary
The idea is to design future multifunctional composite fuselages so that the structure itself is capable of efficiently minimizing noise and vibration propagation without the relevant weight and cost penalty of current add-on parts used as acoustic-dampers. The use of layered composites in aircraft fuselage structural components offers the opportunity to embed interleaved layers of different materials in the skin laminates so that additional performances may be added while maintaining the structural efficiency. In this sense, the presence of layers of damping materials inside the composite laminate normally results in an important reduction of mechanical properties. The goal, therefore, is to design composite laminates with integrated acoustic insulation without compromising the mechanical performance of the composite structure, maintaining in turn the automatic process-ability.
The main objective of NEODAMP project is to develop a structural composite material with an additional functionality: acoustic damping. The drivers for this development are the cost decrease and a high production rate. Specifically, most important targets that the composite material is expected to reach are:
• Acoustic-vibration damping: in the concerned frequency range to be covered (to be agreed with the TM).
• Structural performance: maintaining the same level as current fuselage materials.
• Automatic process-ability: suitable for automatic fuselage production by means of AFP.
The combination of these two functionalities in the composite material (structural and acoustic), together with the capability to be automatically produced, will lead to weight savings in aeronautic structures that are directly translated into a reduction of fuel consumption and therefore, contributing to reduce CO2 and NOx emissions.
Work performed
Third semester of NEODAMP project has been completed. The test plan for the characterization/validation of the vibration damping composite material has been defined. Most important and challenging task has been successfully accomplished: vibration-damping material modification. Preliminary characterization tests of the new damping material were also performed. However, there is a delay in coupons manufacturing task since the concerned material was not ready at the time planned. Reason behind this delay is that there have been extra challenges for Hexcel to obtain the desired new damping material due to the complexity inherent to the re-formulation/manufacturing process, although these have been overtaken already. The consequences are translated into a small delay regarding the original chronogram presented in the Description of Action (mainly tasks 3.4_Coupons manufacturing and 4.2_Test results), with no impact on the estimated budget, members or any other topic.
Transversally to technical WPs, management is running adequately through WP7.
Final results
The exploitable product foreseen from NEODAMP is the development of a structural composite material with the added functionality of acoustic / vibrational damping. The main advantages compared with respect to the current SoA solution will be the weight saving, cost decreasing and high-production rate.
The consortium of NEODAMP is constituted by two partners, FIDAMC and HEXCEL, the exploitation market of each partner is as follows:
• On the one hand, HEXCEL is willing to promote such technology to fill a gap in the market for multifunctional advanced composite materials, thus meeting with strategic objectives of existing customers, and also to offer the product to potential customers.
• On the other hand, FIDAMC will exploit project results by implementation in other end-users. This will become tangible through trainings for AIRBUS first-tier suppliers, consolidation of collaborations with train manufacturers in the railway sector, launching of manufacturing process patents and giving technical advice related to the use of industrial machines to other suppliers, among others.
In regard of the potential customers, the aeronautics industry is one of the targeted sectors. The weight saving shall enhance the performance of the aircrafts in regard of the emissions of CO2 and NOx, and operative costs, due to the reduction in fuel consumption. Besides, the production rate shall be highly improved since the current process is quite manual. However, the exploitable results shall be targeted to other industries as well, not only the aeronautics, for instance the automotive and the railway sectors may be interested in the product.
Website & more info
More info: http://fidamc.es/Projects/Project-Detail/Article/87/NEODAMP.