Mechanical comparison of new composite materials for aerospace applications

Abstract Composite materials are becoming the most useful material for aircraft structures. Their main advantage is connected to the possibility of deeply reducing weight and costs by maintaining high performances in terms of strength and security. The second major advantage in using this them depends on the possibility they could be proper designed to guarantee services they are made to. Many ways to combine them lead to the necessity of planning experimental tests in order to evaluate the real both elastic and plastic mechanical properties and to compare their variability as function of the fiber type, matrix type and manufacturing technology involved for realizing them. In this paper, a comparison between two innovative Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic materials was done. They differ, one from each other, for the matrix type (PEEK and BENZOXAZINE) and for the manufacturing process used to assemble the matrix with the reinforcement (Compression Molding and Resin Transfer Molding). On the other hand, the resin percentage weight content of both materials is maintained constant for all the tests: it is 42% for PEEK matrix and 64% for BENZOXAZINE matrix. The aim of the work is to critically analyze the results in order to get useful information for choosing the best one intended for designing and making the back section of fuselage of a regional aircraft. The component will consist of a front portion with structural aims (zoom phase) and a back part able to withstand to elevated temperatures.