Porcher Industries (Badinieres, France)has been working withStelia Aerospace (Toulouse, France)during its recent Arches BoxTP research project.Stelia Aerospace has developed a full-scale thermoplastic fuselage demonstrator to allow an internal evaluation of the use of high performance thermoplastics - as opposed to thermosets within a next generation single aisle aircraft. The demonstrator featured all the typical characteristics of a primary fuselage airframe those being thin skin, lightning protection, stringers and frames, to allow a detailed evaluation of these technologies in a true industrial environment.

For the ArchesBox TP project, Porchers Industries technical team developed an organosheet from the Pipreg range of thermoplastic solutions as the optimal material for the frames based on the initial Stelia Aerospace specification.

The PEKK based Pipreg laminates, supplied use a specific carbon reinforcement, providing a reportedexceptional combination of mechanical and fatigue properties from cryogenic to very high temperatures. Thanks to a cutting-edge and disruptive development mixing chemistry and processing, Porcher Industries has been able to develop an improved and unique interface between fibers and PEKK.

Porcher Pipreg laminates satisfied all testing, engineering and processing targets for the Arches BoxTP project and were used by Stelia Aerospace to produce all composite frames in the demonstrator module, as well as being incorporated into an overmolded access door component.

Porcher Industries has worked with Stelia Aerospace for more than two years. Following on from the success of this recent project they look forward to working with Stelia Aerospace to continue the development of innovative high-performance thermoplastic composite components in aerospace applications.

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Porcher works with Stelia Aerospace on thermoplastic fuselage - CompositesWorld