Boeing’s bet that plastic composite is the aerospace material of the future is a step nearer being put to the test.
Assembly of Boeing’s 787 kicked off last week at its plant near Seattle following delivery of two carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) fuselage sections by Italian company Alenia Aerospace. The airframe of the 250-seat 787 will be half composite by weight – the highest percentage of plastic used in any commercial jetliner. It is due to enter commercial service in 2008.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Transportation Safety Board is completing a two-year probe into the safety of CFRP. In March 2005, a CFRP…
