Composite Crew Module, HyperSizer both pass NASA tests

07-Jan-2010 16:54 GMT

The design and construction of the NASA Composite Crew Module (CCM) was optimized with the help of HyperSizer
structural sizing and design analysis software. The module is pictured here with sensors attached in preparation for
pressure testing. NASA

A series of critical, full-scale, physical tests have recently been completed by the NASA Engineering and Safety
Center (NESC) at Langley Research Center accurately predicting the Composite Crew Module (CCM)’s
successful performance under simulated flight conditions. The CCM is an all-composite alternative for the flight
crew module Orion, which is part of NASA’s Constellation program to return man to the Moon and/or Mars.

The NESC is using the CCM project to study material trade-offs between metals and composites in space
structures, and the tests’ successful outcome clears the way for increased use of lightweight composites in space
vehicles.

HyperSizer, a structural sizing and composite analysis software fromCollier Research Corp., was used
throughout the almost three-year project to optimize the design, weight, and manufacturability of the CCM, which
is constructed of honeycomb sandwich and solid laminate composites. HyperSizer was the first NASA software
to be licensed and commercialized as part of the agency’s effort to transfer technology to U.S. business and
industry.

“The CCM is an alternative for the metallic crew module, but it has also represented an opportunity for the NASA
family to get up the curve on experience with composites,” said CCM Project Manager Mike Kirsch. “Our
analytical models predicted the response very well, and now we’re much better informed to make good material
trade-offs for future spacecraft.”

HyperSizer works in a feedback loop with FEA to automatically search for solutions that minimize weight and
maximize manufacturability. Although able to be used on metallic structures, HyperSizer is particularly applicable
to complex composite materials, providing the capability to optimize the architecture of large structures—such as
space vehicles, aircraft, railcars, ships, or wind turbine blades—ply-by-ply and element-by-element.

HyperSizer guided design and manufacturing decisions throughout development of the CCM.

“HyperSizer gave us a view into what the physics were doing,” said Kirsch. “We could zoom in on the
architecture, refine the design, trade solutions, and evaluate mass and manufacturability very quickly.” The
software was also used to display analytical results during five different technical reviews with industry and
agency experts.
“I’ve been working with composites for 25 years, and the CCM is the most complicated structure I’ve ever dealt
with,” said Jim Jeans, Chief Architect for NASA on the project. “The sizing and strain predictions all held up as
the software predicted.”

For load testing, the CCM was blanketed with 280 linear strain gauges—fiber-optic cables generating about 3000
channels of data—and 80 acoustic sensors that listened for fiber breaks in the composite lay-ups. The structure
withstood tests of loads applied to the structure to simulate launch abort and parachute deployment.

An internal pressure test required the CCM to withstand twice standard atmosphere pressure of 31 psi to meet
the required NASA safety factor of two. Additional testing involving intentional damage of the CCM will continue
into early 2010; however, passage of the internal pressure test was essential for keeping the module
development program on track.

Matt Monaghan

Quickstep counters the autoclave

02-Mar-2010 23:08 GMT

Quickstep Technologies uses a process built around a low-pressure curing chamber that resembles a stamping press.
A flexible membrane separates the circulating heat transfer fluid from the mold and composite component.

A significant move is afoot in the aerospace industry to find alternatives to effective yet expensive autoclaving for
curing composite parts.

Quickstep Technologies from Australia has developed an out-of-autoclave (OOA) process built around a low-
pressure curing chamber that resembles a stamping press. A flexible membrane separates the circulating heat-
transfer fluid from the mold and composite component. The system employs optional vibration while applying
balanced pressure, vacuum, and heat to compact the part and remove air during cure.

The company advertises cycle times between 40 to 120 min for many traditional autoclave-qualified materials.
One comparison test usingHexcel 914C demonstrated a 110-min cure time using Quickstep vs. 300 min for a
comparable autoclave cure.

“In general, any thermoset system that cures at 200°C or below can be cured in Quickstep. This includes all
epoxy systems and most BMI resins, as well as polyester and vinyl ester,” explained Dale Brosius, Chief
Operating Officer, Americas and Europe, Quickstep. It consolidates a limited number of thermoplastics as well.
“We have processed polypropylene and several other low-temperature thermoplastics.”
Because it uses fluid circulating around a part, the Quickstep process is suited for parts of modest curvature,
such as airfoils, helicopter blades, and spars, according to Brosius. And the process is scalable. “We designed a
system that could cure a commercial aircraft wing skin, using larger tanks and multiple curing zones,” he said.

To date, Quickstep has processed certain carbon-fiber prepregs in fewer than 30 min total cycle time.

The company recently signed a memorandum of understanding withLockheed Martin and Northrop
Grumman for the companies to work toward finalizing a long-term agreement for Quickstep to supply 19,325
composite parts for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

“The components covered by the MOU are currently qualified for autoclave production, and Quickstep in
Australia will use the autoclave process to make these production parts,” said Brosius.

Quickstep’s U.S. subsidiary and Vector Composites, both located in Dayton, OH, recently teamed up to
complete a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research project for the BMI resin used in the Joint Strike Fighter,
supplying panels for testing. The companies are currently in discussions regarding a multiyear Phase II effort that
would include manufacture of representative components.

“Out-of-autoclave technology is evolving,” said Gordon Emmerson, Product Development Manager in R&D for
out-of-autoclave resin systems for Cytec Engineered Materials. “Current systems meet performance
requirements for aircraft primary structure applications, but new generations will continue to strive for much
higher toughness, compression, and impact resistance.”

Emmerson believes resins of the near future will have shorter curing and longer working times. He also points to
development of bonding methodologies, such as “co-cure over core,” that would allow OOA technology to
develop lighter, tougher structures using honeycomb panels

An ABB robot with a push-pull torch assembly arc-welds a component.

An advance seen increasingly in robots used for aerospace manufacturing is the application of force control. This
is the ability of the machine to monitor and react to forces exerted on the robot end effector. Many aerospace
manufacturing processes require a "soft touch"—as in polishing or grinding turbine blades. More sensitive force
control helps the robot create more uniform finishes.

"It's not uncommon to get a flat spot or a high spot in grinding," said Nick Hunt, Manager of Product Support
for ABB Robotics-North America. "With force control, we can direct the grinder to maintain a certain [level of]
force across the entire surface of the blade."

The speed of the system has always been the primary limitation of force control.
"The robot has to respond quickly to changes in force," said Hunt. "When we see the smallest amount of change
in force, we have to respond very quickly so the process doesn't recognize the change in force. You don't want
the process to know that a change has occurred because if the process did recognize the change, then it would
result in a flat or high spot on the turbine blade. With force control, we can be more sensitive than the process
we're dealing with."

Force control can be especially important when drilling holes in a wing structure or fuselage, particularly if a
combination of composite and other materials is involved.

"Drilling has to be done in an exact way, and when you drill a hole in a composite wing you would initially
encounter composite material and then maybe aluminum," said Hunt. "You have to make sure that when you
puncture through the wing that the hole is normal [perpendicular] to the surface. Even though robots are rigid,
they tend to flex during the drilling process, and force control keeps the drill properly positioned."

Manufacturers strive to build stiffness into their robotic systems to minimize flex when the robot applies a tool to a
workpiece. If they don't, then they have to compensate with expensive features such as vision that guide the tool.

A concept similar to force control is also being developed for motion control, where a welding robot, for example,
can sense changes in material thickness and compensate by altering the current used in the welding process.

"Combining motion control with welding control opens up a new realm of possibility, such as joining thick and thin
materials," said Panasonic's Kevin Pagano, Engineering Manager for Panasonic North America's Robotics
division, which specializes in arc-welding robots, particularly gas tungsten arc-welding robots for metal joining in
aerospace manufacturing. "The robot can move from side to side between the two materials and apply a low
current to the thin material and a higher current to the thicker one. The synchronization of the welding current
with motion control hasn't been possible before because of the communications lag between the two."

Such a capability is now being used for the manufacture of instrument panel beams that run across a car
dashboard, for example, where the beam is built from aluminum and a variety of metallic brackets have to be
attached.

"Companies that do TIG [tungsten inert gas] welding in aerospace like the idea of an integrated, automatic
voltage control that adjusts the height of the electrode and controls the path of the robot as the material distorts
due to the heat of the welding process," Pagano said.

Barry Rosenberg
Irish wings go composite for Bombardier
04-Mar-2010 02:55 GMT

Bombardier has now successfully assembled a preproduction demonstrator wing at its Shorts facility at Belfast using the
RTI process and is on track to begin testing early this year.
A new regional jet, the Bombardier CSeries, has had a prolonged launch stage, but the program is now making
rapid progress toward reality. The 110- to 140-seat aircraft offers up to 20% lower operating costs compared to
today’s smaller jet airliners and could become one of the biggest civil sellers in the next decade.

Final assembly will be at a new facility at Mirabel, Montreal, Canada, and an all-new wing manufacturing and
assembly facility is under construction at the company’s Shorts airport at Belfast, Northern Ireland. The total
value of the wing factory, when complete and fully equipped with new plant and machinery, will be in the region
of $250 million to $300 million. To address the environmental impact of the factory, the structure is being
optimized to ensure maximum energy efficiency, and a number of low energy solutions have been incorporated
into the mechanical and electrical infrastructure design. There has also been particular focus on waste
segregation and recycling.

The CSeries aircraft program builds on Bombardier Belfast’s track record of almost 40 years of experience in
composites technologies. The current wing program involves testing and proving the design, manufacturing, and
assembly processes relating to the resin transfer infusion (RTI) advanced composites process. The first test wing
will be delivered in 2011.

The RTI process is different to the composite technologies used in most other aircraft programs, although the
basic materials are very similar. Instead of using materials supplied pre-impregnated with resin, the RTI process
involves laying down “dry” fabrics to create the structure, and the resin is injected into the structure after it is
placed in the autoclave.

Benefits of this process during production are significant material savings and reduced cycle times. For the
customer, the benefits of a composite wing include reduced inspection and maintenance activities, due to the
corrosion-free properties of the materials, and significant weight reduction compared to a conventional metal
wing. Such features will contribute to reduced fuel burn and associated environmental benefits.

Richard Gardner

Global aerospace manufacturer cuts material-approval time by 75%

17-Feb-2010 19:58 GMT

Automating workflows around today’s detailed materials data gets planes off the ground quicker, according to Actio.

The aerospace industry is known for inventing, driving, and implementing advanced technology to solve complex
engineering problems. Processes are implemented throughout design and manufacturing to ensure that
chemicals, parts, and systems:

• comply with design specifications

• meet military/customer criteria

• are compatible with existing or proposed materials.

Processes can be extremely sophisticated, such as CAD systems linking to product lifecycle management tools
for drawing automation. There are prototype functions for keeping all components neatly specified and cataloged.
Other processes use the old manila interoffice mail envelope.

A leading aerospace manufacturer was using the interoffice mail envelope for approving new chemicals/materials
being brought into a plant. This was a highly structured process, albeit manual, done on a plant-location basis.
An employee would fill out a lengthy written request form to reorder or procure a chemical. The request would be
joined with the chemical/material material safety data sheet (MSDS).

The first stop in the interoffice mail journey was Materials Engineering, where the contents of the new material
were analyzed for applicability of use and to ensure it was compatible with materials currently in use. Materials
Engineering would assign an ID number and fill out a form either approving or rejecting the material. If the
material was approved, the request and paperwork was forwarded to Safety, where the components of the
material were examined to determine if the personal protective equipment needed for handling the new material
was in place. Industrial Hygiene and Environmental were the other stops.

Each department had its own chemical/material reference lists to evaluate the material and could review the
compendium of pages from past evaluators. If at any point the material failed to get approval, the request was
sent back to the requestor.

The average time to complete a chemical request was 3 h—not turnaround time, but completion time. Vacation
time, sick days, and holidays wreaked havoc on the timeline, making the whole approval process inefficient.
Moreover, approval processes were location-specific, so all material evaluations were siloed at individual plants.
Frequently, other locations within the manufacturing group were evaluating the same material for the same use
but didn’t have access to the material approval evaluation information or to the subsequent approval/non-
approval status of the material.

While the material-approval process was working, the company, a pioneer in Six Sigma, decided to examine
what would constitute a “best practices” approach to material approval. Based on a number of Kaizen events, the
company identified key attributes of the new solution. The solution would:

• convert from the paper-based to an online solution

• automatically link hazardous communication standard requirements (MSDS, labels, and training) to the
material-approval process

• have a robust library of regulatory content for screening chemicals and provide the means to upload customer-
specific requirements

• enable simultaneous approvals among different departments

• provide a real-time audit trail of historical and pending requests.

In addition, plants had different versions of their main ERP solution. So, rather than pursue a costly, business-
disruptive upgrade, the solution needed to be an external application that would bolt on to the existing IT
infrastructure as an online module.

After evaluating a number of vendors, the global aerospace giant chose two of Actio’s material information
management (MIM) modules: Gatekeeper and MSDS Vault. These two products are delivered via the Internet
and are deployed with no disruption to existing business processes.

Material requestors now click on a link to initiate a material request. A new request form determines if the
material is in use at the company or has been evaluated previously. If the material has not been evaluated
previously, then additional fields on the form are required and an MSDS is attached to the request. Once
submitted, the new request is sent to Materials Engineering, which issues an ID number and completes the first
stage of the approval. If approved, the request then goes to Safety, Industrial Hygiene, and Environmental at the
same time.

Each approver during the evaluation cycle can click on a department tab to read comments added by other
departments. Conditional approvals can be granted for materials that need special equipment or handling
measures. Once approved, the MSDS for the material is automatically inserted into MSDS Vault for the location
where the request was made, thereby complying with the OSHA Hazardous Communication Standard. And, if
desirable, the MSDS can be viewed by individuals in other locations.

Another attribute of the Actio solution is that the requested material is automatically evaluated against a
comprehensive regulatory content library that is managed and kept up to date by Actio and that often includes
customized regulatory data requested by particular aerospace manufacturers. If the material is included on any of
these lists, it is immediately flagged for the approver so the request can be immediately declined. Historically,
thumbing through lists and looking up reference information on CDs was the most time-consuming part of the
evaluation process.

The entire material information management solution was configured and operational within 90 days. Metrics for
the project indicate a 75% reduction in approval time. If a material approval process takes 3 h per request to
complete, and requests are made at a rate of 13 per week, then approval time equates to one full-time employee
per year.

Implementing a material information management solution has enabled this aerospace company to complete up
to 53 chemical approvals per week without an increase in overhead. These impressive efficiencies do not include
additional savings in turnaround time, reduction of risk, and compliance with the Hazardous Communication
Standard.

Russell McCann, Co-founder and CEO of Actio Corp., wrote this article for AEM