The World's Largest Carbon Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composite Fuselage Successfully Manufactured

The world’s largest carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite fuselage has been successfully manufactured.

Recently, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Applied Materials (IFAM) in Germany announced that it and its partners have jointly completed the left and right weld seams of the upper and lower fuselage sections for the Thermoplastic Composite Fuselage Demonstration Verification Device (MFFD), and will send the 8 × 4 meter full-size components to the Applied Aviation Research Center in Hamburg, Germany for integration and testing with the cabin top module.

As part of the “Clean Sky” program’s “Large Passenger Aircraft” (LPA) validation subprogram, funded by the European Union, the Fraunhofer Institute and its international project partners have developed an 8-meter long, 4-meter diameter aircraft fuselage – the Multi-functional Fuselage Demonstration Verification Device (MFFD), which utilizes automatic positioning and welding technology to complete the longitudinal seam connection of upper and lower fuselage components. The MFFD is considered the world’s largest carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite (CFRTP) aircraft fuselage component, representing a new model for automated manufacturing of thermoplastic composite aircraft fuselages on a 1:1 scale. The materials and manufacturing techniques used in this project can reduce structural weight by approximately 10% and cut costs by 10% during high-speed production.

Upper and lower body shells: As part of the “Intelligent Multi functional Integrated Thermoplastic Composite Body” (STUNNING) project, the lower body shell of the thermoplastic composite material is cured and formed by hot pressing tanks under high temperature and high pressure conditions. The upper body shell of thermoplastic composite materials is manufactured using fiber strip laying and in-situ consolidation technology, which is jointly completed by multiple teams.

The upper and lower body shells both have a high degree of pre integration and are designed with an almost rivet free architecture, reducing weight by 10% compared to existing traditional bodies. Automated pre integration further improves manufacturing efficiency and enhances local manufacturing flexibility, eliminating the need for all components to be placed inside enclosed bodies and manually installed in narrow space conditions.

In addition, the reduction in aircraft structural weight significantly improves fuel efficiency during flight.