STUDIO DI UN’APPLICAZIONE IN CAMPO AERONAUTICO DI COMPOSITI STRUTTALI IBRIDI RESISTENTI AL FUOCO

Abstract

In the aeronautical/aerospace structural design the increasing demands of materials having high mechanical performance, has led to the a wide use of Polymeric Matrix Composites (PMCs) mainly reinforced by carbon fibers (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics, CFRP). The main drawbacks in the use of such composites are due to high sensitivity to environmental features and low working temperatures; moreover, these materials do not tolerate the fire exposure because of the inflammability of both the matrix and the fibers. In order to develop a composite that combines the structural performance of CFRP with a good strength to high temperatures and fire, in the present work the use of a hybrid composite consisting of a CFRP laminate joined to proper layers of ceramic matrix composite (CMC), has been investigated. Preliminary experimental tests carried out to assess the numerical model, and subsequent mechanical and thermal numerical simulations, have corroborated the reliability of the hybrid composite proposed.