Nanotechnology:

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Nanotechnology multifunctional engineered
materials in Alenia Aeronautica
Ing. Erika Calvi - Alenia Aeronautica ecalvi_at_aeron
autica.alenia.it
Rusnanotech 2008 Conference 3-5 Dicember Moscow
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Long term targets of air transportation
development

• Air Transportation
• Demonstrate an automated and integrated air
  transportation capability that would triple
  capacity by 2025
• Reduce aviation noise and emissions by 90
• Reduce aviation fatal accident rate by 90
• Reduce transit time between any two points on
  earth by 50
• Time to Market and Product Cycle Time
• Reduce the transition time from technology
  demonstration to operational capability from
  years-decades to weeks-months.

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Major needs of next generation vehicles

• Ability to build large lightweight structures
  with properties based on high performance
  materials and innovative manufacturing and
  assembly processes with the objective of weight,
  cost and schedule containment
• Envisaged solutions
• Use of materials, with stronger and tailorable
  properties associated with lightness
• Approach design solutions to reduce global
  failure and improve life-cycle costs of
  components
• Define assembly and manufacturing approaches for
  net shaped components without machining
• Introduction of multifunctional and adaptive
  materials (e.g. SMA, nanoparticles, embedded
  electronic devices)
• Acquisition of a multi-scale modeling capability
  that introduces innovative analysis and design
  methods
• Development of neural networks and Information
  Technology techniques for the structure control.

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Nanotechnology Opportunity for Next Generation
Commercial Aircraft
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Composite manufacturing in Alenia products
For aeronautical products are mainly
used Thermosetting matrix Long and continuous
fibers
Lay up
Vacuum bag

• Optimization of the stiffener and strain through
  the orientation of the fibers
• Staking sequence according to deformation
• Improving of the toughness through the right
  choosing of the polymers and controlling of them
  morphology

Prepreg materials
Curing in autoclave
Polymerized structure
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Nano-reinforced composites

• The promise of multi-functionality. By creating
  nm scale structures, it is possible to control
  fundamental properties of materials like melting
  temperature, magnetic properties, charge
  capacity, mechanical properties.
• The promise of true engineered materials.
  Utilizing this potential will lead to new,
  high-performance products and technologies that
  were not previously possible, by circumventing
  traditional performance tradeoffs.

Standard composite
Nano-reinforced composite
nano-composite



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NanoComposite potential applications
Boeing Courtesy
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Development activities on multifunctional
materials in Alenia Aeronautica

• Investigation on innovative materials
• Polymers with dispersion of MWCNTs or SWCNTs
• Polymers with dispersion of Nanoclays
• Nanostructured Alloys
• Polymers with disperion of nanocrystals
• Self-healing polymers
• Shape Memory Alloy

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Design of the Material Multiscale Modelling
Tailoring of material properties starting from
the properties of the basic components

• Homogenisation
• Molecular modelling and dynamics Interaction of
  compounds, ageing behaviour, cure reactions
• Mesoscale Modelling Diffusion and Dispersion
  properties of nano-particles, nano-tubes in
  polymer matrices.
• Interface Properties
• Macrokinetic Modelling for simulation of
  transport degradation phenomena

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• Alenia Nanotechnology research evolution

Green Regional Aircraft - LWC -
RENATA
FST requirements
Weight saving
Impact resistance
EM protection
Environmental resistance
Thin coating able to reduce the radar signature
of a target based on nanotechnology features,
particularly CNTs
Noise reduction

• Improvement of CRFP aerostructures trhough
  nano-modification of matrix with
• - MWCNTs
• Nanoclays
• Self-Healing materials

• Flying platform to demonstrate innovative
  composite technologies
• - Sensor to continuously control accidental
  damage, environment effects, and in service
  structural degradation
• Multi layer/multi-function architectures concept
  to decrease the negative weight impact depending
  on multiple functions requested to the structure

FUSELAGE EMPENNAGES PROJECTS
SALINA
Integration of Structural and Functional
requirements with the aim to obtain
multifunctional structures
Development of innovative technologies to realise
composite materials with a polymeric matrix
embedding nanodispersions (nanocomposite) The
presence of nanoparticles will allow to obtain
both high structural performance (damage
tolerance) and tailored EM properties

• Development of
• New Frequency Selective Surfaces
• Nano-structured improved performance metallic
  materials

AEROCOMP TATIANA
Nanotechnology Multiscale Project
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• Thank you