Advanced materials for manufacturability

The big three-aluminum, titanium, and composites-duke it out in the sky.

The strength, flexibility, and maintainability of advanced materials are driving development of next-generation aircraft and powerplants by paving the way to maintenance-free structures for long life and hotter engine operating temperatures for fuel efficiency and performance.

Where the 1990s can be considered the decade of electronics with the wide-spread acceptance of advanced flight management and safety systems like EGPWS (enhanced ground proximity warning system) and TCAS II (traffic alert and collision avoidance system), the first decade of the century will arguably be the decade of advanced materials like carbon composite, titanium, aluminum alloys, and Glare (glass-reinforced aluminum laminate).