Analysis of Aircraft Wardrobe using Honeycomb Composite over Aluminium using Nastran Software

Reduction of mass has always presented a challenge to the Design Engineer. A typical example of this is in the Aircraft Industry, where every extra kilogram of structural mass costs the Airline operator thousands of rends each year. This led engineers to look to more efficient structures, and in 1938, a patent application went through for Honeycomb manufacture, by a company in the U.K called Aero Research Limited. The basic idea was to use the Honeycomb as a shear web between two skins. At this stage the Adhesive Technology was not yet sufficiently developed to bond skins directly on to Honeycomb. The engineers, seeing the benefits of a lightweight expanded core with integral skins, carried on with the development of using end grain balsa as a core, bonded to plywood skins. This particular sandwich or bonded structure was used extensively on the Mosquito and Vampire Aircraft. The development of Epoxy Resin made possible the bonding of aluminum skins to Aluminum Honeycomb. This occurred in 1954. Since then many developments in the Honeycomb field have taken place. One of the most common materials used in Aircraft structures today is *Nomex Honeycomb. One such development is the Fibrelam Panel which has a Nomex Honeycomb core with integral epoxy glass skins. This panel is used extensively for flooring in many of the world's major Airlines. The material is also used for partitions, Aircraft galleys, and overhead bins. This paper describes the technology developments created by composite material.