mehrotraprince
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Re: Indian Medium Lift Helicoper
Many people think that composite just means carbon fiber, glass fiber or something related to that so first let me clear that doubt.
Composite: A material made up of two or more constituent materials, and those constituent material could be combination of non-metals, metals or combination of metals as well as non-metals.
This is very important to note that basically Al-Li is also a composite. The aluminum alloy used in high performance cars are also composites to be more specific metal composite.
Since my knowledge about aerospace is limited so pardon my ignorance but this statement that "We all know the problems being faced by F-22/F-35 while flying thru rains and thunderstorms" is not true, 1st generation stealth planes like F-117 (due to special tiles which at that time needed lot of maintenance and expertise on part of maintenance crew) had such problems but that is not the case with F-22 or F-35, they have much more advanced radar absorbing coatings which are not affected by poor weather.
Gone are the days of pure metal aircraft just like Stone age and then Iron age, future belongs to composites, be it non-metal, metal or combination of both.
I disagree on few things, so I will only comment about those points which I feel is not right.One of the biggest advantages of composites were the lower weight. This has now been completely offset by Al-Li composites which weigh same as composites but are cheap and easily maleable. The 3d printing tech has also added to reduced weight of components and most composites can't be used today in 3D printing. Metal for metal, a 3D printed component is 5%-7% lighter and in case welding is reqd, the 3D printed componant is not only stronger but also lighter by nearly 10%. Alcoa has perfected the tech for Al-Li alloys and today we can't weld them easily but soon we will have the tech to do so.
The other advantage was lower RF reflection compared to metals. But the problem is that metals can withstand higher tempratures than composites allowing much higher speeds for an aircraft and are thinner while providing excellent electrical conductivity. This aspect is of biggest use when we talk of all weather flying abilities. We all know the problems being faced by F-22/F-35 while flying thru rains and thunderstorms. The electrical lining which needs to be added to composites which do not conduct electricity, adds more weight to the aircraft than what they save.
Americans are known to sell their shit calling it cancer defeating drug and ultimate drug to youthfulness and sexual power. But the truth is far from it. I have done tons of research on these techs for my own stealth design and I can tell you that within five years you will see that composites content in an aircraft will become much lower as Al-Li alloys take over.
Just to tell you guys, the thickness of an Al skin for an aircraft fuselage can be as low as 1.5mm but it rises to 3-6mm to provide same kind of strength when composites are used. I do not wish to share much of my research work here but it shud suffice to say that people in HAL & NAL are completely foxed with what I sent them and their frustration can be gauged from the letters they have written to me.
Many people think that composite just means carbon fiber, glass fiber or something related to that so first let me clear that doubt.
Composite: A material made up of two or more constituent materials, and those constituent material could be combination of non-metals, metals or combination of metals as well as non-metals.
This is very important to note that basically Al-Li is also a composite. The aluminum alloy used in high performance cars are also composites to be more specific metal composite.
Since my knowledge about aerospace is limited so pardon my ignorance but this statement that "We all know the problems being faced by F-22/F-35 while flying thru rains and thunderstorms" is not true, 1st generation stealth planes like F-117 (due to special tiles which at that time needed lot of maintenance and expertise on part of maintenance crew) had such problems but that is not the case with F-22 or F-35, they have much more advanced radar absorbing coatings which are not affected by poor weather.
It depends upon the type of composite material you are talking about, sometimes weight is not the reason to prefer composites over simple metals but other properties like non-conductivity, strength, ease of production, cost, maintenance, high resistance to heat, high resistance to corrosion............. in short it purely depends upon the type of use. Glass-ceramic matrix systems reinforced with silicon carbide or carbon fibers for Heat-Resistant is one such example.One of the biggest advantages of composites were the lower weight.
Gone are the days of pure metal aircraft just like Stone age and then Iron age, future belongs to composites, be it non-metal, metal or combination of both.