MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT TENDENCIES AT AIRBUS

Airbus Operations is facing the challenge to balance between incremental development of Materials & Processes for the benefit of derivative aircraft programs and their increasing demand in terms of cost- and time efficient, robust manufacturing on one hand-side, and the needs of potential future programs with game changer potential on the other hand side.

Emerging materials and their related processing are key enablers for innovative sizing and design which will overcome the traditional boundaries of structure, interior and systems. The race is again open between metal and composites, and opening new doors for hybrid material applications and completely new material approaches like e.g. Graphene. An overview will be given on recent efforts in additive manufacturing, advanced metal materials and processing technologies, multifunctional composite material developments, advanced joining technologies but also technological approaches in surface- and non-destructive evaluation technologies which are mandatory elements to overcome today’s boundaries of material applications.