Abstract
The application of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) composite materials instead of metals, due to the low density of FRP materials, results in weight savings in the base plates of aircraft pallets. Lower weight leads to lower fuel consumption of the aircraft and thereby less environmental damage. The study aimed to investigate replacing the currently used aluminum base plates of aircraft pallets with composite sandwich plates to reduce the weight of the pallets, thereby the weight of the unit loads transported by aircraft. The newly constructed sandwich base plate consists of an aluminum honeycomb core and FRP composite face-sheets. First, we made experimental tests and numerical calculations for the investigated FRP sandwich panel to validate the applicability of the calculation method. Next, the mechanical properties of 40 different layer-combinations of 4 different FRP face-sheet materials (phenolic woven glass fiber; epoxy woven glass fiber; epoxy woven carbon fiber; and hybrid layers) were investigated using the Digimat-HC modeling program in order to find the appropriate face-sheet construction. Face-sheets were built up in 1, 2, 4, 6 or 8 layers with sets of fiber orientations including cross-ply (0°, 90°) and/or angle-ply (±45°). The weight optimization method was elaborated considering 9 design constraints: stiffness, deflection, skin stress, core shear stress, facing stress, overall buckling, shear crimping, skin wrinkling, and intracell buckling. A case study for the base plate of an aircraft pallet was introduced to validate the optimization procedure carried out using the Matlab (Interior Point Algorithm) and Excel Solver (Generalized Reduced Gradient Nonlinear Algorithm) programs. In the case study, the weight of the optimal structure (epoxy woven carbon fiber face-sheets) was 27 kg, which provides weight savings of 66% compared to the standard aluminum pallet. The article’s main added value is the elaboration and implementation of an optimization method that results in significant weight savings and thus lower fuel consumption of aircraft.
Highlights
This study aimed to investigate the replacement of the currently used aluminum base plate of aircraft pallets with a composite sandwich plate
The result of the weight optimization of the fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) composite sandwich structure for a base plate of aircraft pallet is 27.069 kg/piece, which provides the minimum weight. This optimal base plate consists of epoxy woven carbon fiber face-sheets consists of two layers with fiber orientation cross-ply (0◦, 90◦ ) and aluminum honeycomb core. This optimal sandwich plate provides 66% weight saving compared to recently used aluminum base plate pallet (80 kg/piece)
One of the most important advantages of the application of FRP composite materials compared to traditional metals is that their low density results in weight savings for base plates of aircraft pallets, which causes lower fuel consumption of aircrafts, thereby less environmental damage
Summary
The most commonly used type of composite is the fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP). Composite, in which the materials consist of a basic matrix (e.g., resins) and a strengthening phase, i.e., fibers. FRP composite materials are much more advantageous than traditional metal materials (e.g., steel, aluminum) for many purposes. The main significance of the research topic is that the application of FRP composite materials compared to metals results in a significant weight savings due to their low density. FRP composite materials’ further advantageous characteristics include high strength, high bending stiffness, corrosion resistance, good thermal insulation, and high vibration damping. The application of composite materials in transport vehicles (air, water, and road) and loading units results in weight savings of vehicles and loading units. In the case of transport vehicles, this weight savings causes lower fuel consumption, thereby lower emissions and less environmental damage
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
