The Evolution of Aerospace Materials
https://www.tstar.com/blog/materials-engineering-in-aerospace-history\
Milestone One: From Wood to Steel
The Wright Brothers’ pioneering aircraft was no exception; all early aircraft were made from the lightest materials available at the time, wood (the Wright Flyer used spruce) and canvas, with steel wires used for primitive control surfaces. Even as the applications for aircraft exploded during World War 1, wooden construction remained the only option for aircraft manufacturers.
Milestone Two: Aluminum Lets Aerospace Metal Go Mainstream
At about a third of the weight of steel, aluminum offered the perfect material to kickstart a new era in aerospace engineering. This material would dramatically expand the possibilities for air transportation, and Junkers released the world’s first true airliners, like the F13, by 1919. The Ford Trimotor (often considered the first mass-produced airliner) followed close on Junkers’ heels, and the 1930s would see an explosion in more practical, cost-effective commercial aircraft designs. By 1935, the legendary Douglas DC-3 entered service (it remains so to this day), and the modern airline era was in full swing.
Milestone Three: Composite Materials
According to Airbus’s history, fiberglass was the first lightweight composite material to be used in aircraft, first employed in the 1940s for fairings, noses, cockpits, and later for the rotor blades of early helicopters in the 1960s. Since this early application, carbon fiber composites have become increasingly critical to aerospace designs. Offering a weight advantage over aluminum, composite materials are taking over as a higher and higher portion of total airframe structures. In 2009, the 787-8 Dreamliner became the first aircraft to have wings and fuselage made from carbon-fiber polymers. Advanced military designs like the Tiger helicopter are made from over 80% carbon fiber, while even civilian aircraft like the Airbus A350X WB are over 50% composite material. Ceramic metal composites, meanwhile, are critical for withstanding the extreme temperatures found within jet engines.
Milestone Four: The Space Race Fuels New Material Innovations
The space race fueled an incredible quantity of R&D spending, and materials engineering was no exception. One important example is polyimide materials, which have a long history that dates back to the 1960s, when they were originally developed by NASA and the Langley Army Research Center (LARC) as a space program heat shielding material. Today, TriStar leverages the Meldin® 7000 series polyimides, developed by St. Gobain, in a variety of aerospace applications (you can even find Meldin in space!). Learn more about this versatile family of materials in our overview here.