Effectiveness of Nanotechnology Treatments in Composite Aircraft Applications

Abstract

This paper aims to verify the effectiveness of a process of superficial protection based on nanotechnologies produced by 4Ward360 and specifically developed for aeronautical applications on composite material aircraft. The Dardo aircraft, a composite VLA category manufactured by CFM Air, was taken as a reference case and two application/investigation areas were identified. The potential anticorrosive behavior of the nanotechnology treatment was investigated when applied to the metal joints of the aircraft, such as the wing–fuselage attachments usually made of Al-2024-T3 aluminum alloy. Furthermore, the potential increased effectiveness in cleaning was investigated as another possible application concerning the parts made of composite material both solid and in a sandwich configuration and the plexiglass parts of the canopy.

Keywords

• composite aircraft
• nanotechnology treatment
• corrosion
• fatigue life