Boeing鈥檚 bet that plastic composite is the aerospace material of the future is a step nearer being put to the test.
Assembly of Boeing鈥檚 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 鈥� 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 rudder snapped off a Canadian Airbus A310 in mid-flight. One theory is that a hydraulic fluid leak may have weakened the composite (New 杏吧原创, 14 July 2006, p 38).
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