Wings of “Black Gold”. History of Fibre-Reinforced Materials

Abstract

Only very few studies exist so far concerning the development of fibre-reinforced plastics (FRP). These materials have come into the focus of attention in recent years because of their applications in aircraft design. In Germany their foundations were laid in the interwar period with the emergence of new plastics in macromolecular chemistry and the development of pressed materials. Guided by economic interests, the producers of pressed materials, such as Dynamit AG, promoted the production of FRP in aircraft construction, at first officially, and during the Second World War behind closed doors under the supervision of the German Air Ministry. However, due to a lack of resources the progress achieved in this field could not be implemented before the end of the war due to a lack of resources. The prominence of metallic materials in military aviation research was another impediment. Because of restrictions imposed by the Allies, the first FRP were used in gliders by students after World War II. Carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP), currently the best known fibre-reinforced plastic, was first applied serially in Germany in 1974 in the fighter “Alpha Jet” of the aircraft manufacturer Dornier, financed by the Federal Ministry of Defence. The article analyses these developments, thereby highlighting the continuities before and after 1945.