Aircraft Foam Views
Solid core foam or veneered foam called Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) makes up the flexible parts of the radio controlled foam aircraft--like wings--while expanded polypropylene (EPP) forms the sturdier portions of the body. EPS consists of monomer styrene, a hydrocarbon made from petroleum, whereas EPP is a combination of polypropylene resin and a product called magic dust.References:Radiation-X: Eight Things About Foam RC Planes
Composites are increasingly used in aerospace technology as a replacement for metals. In airplanes and helicopters, composites are an improvement over metals as they are lightweight, strong, durable and can be manufactured economically. Many aircraft composite components are comprised of a foam core surrounded with a composite skin as this provides a lightweight rigid structure.
This disclosure is directed to aircraft composite components that have foam cores with improved shear strength. Aircraft composite components comprise a composite skin surrounding a foam core. The foam core comprises alternating layers of at least two layers of sheet foam and at least one layer of honeycomb. The honeycomb layer has a greater compressive strength than the sheet foam layers. The layers of sheet foam have substantially equal compressive strengths and are in contact with each other. The layer of honeycomb cells extend a substantially equal depth into and generally perpendicular to each of said two layers of sheet foam to form a foam-honeycomb-foam sandwich.
Another aspect of this invention is a method of making an aircraft composite component that has increased shear strength. At least two foam sheets are joined to make a core, which is then surrounded by resin impregnated fibers and cured. The improvement comprises joining the foam sheets by aligning a layer of honeycomb so that its cells are between and generally perpendicular to two layers of sheet foam. A compressive force is applied generally perpendicular to at least one layer of sheet foam so that the honeycomb cells penetrate each of the two layers of sheet foam to a substantially equal depth so that the layers of foam contact each other to form a foam-honeycomb-foam sandwich. The honeycomb cells have a compressive strength great than that of the sheet foam.
Aircraft Foam Images
