This technological development is an illustration of the Group's expanded offering in composite materials and their assembly. It complements the Group's activities in aeronautical maintenance, production monitoring (mechanical testing and non-destructive testing), expertise, inspection and training.
The Arches Boxes TP research project
Stelia Aerospace has invested several million euros in the "Arches Box TP" research project (2015-2017) at the Corac platform.
This project to deploy high-performance composites based on thermoplastic resins represents both a technological challenge, since they are at a much lower level of maturity than thermosetting composites, and an economic challenge, since the overall cost of Low Cost High Volume applications will have to be demonstrated to be more competitive than aluminum metal technologies for the fuselage application of a future medium-haul aircraft.
By developing a generic thermoplastic structure demonstrator with all the typical features of a primary fuselage aerostructure (thin skin, lightning protection, stringers and frame), Stelia Aerospace wanted to carry out an initial in-house evaluation of these technologies in a real industrial context.
As both architect and prime contractor for the project, Stelia Aerospace produced the skins using automatic fiber placement (AFP: carbon deposition and lightning protection) with OOA consolidation. (Out of Autoclave) on its own R&T resources located at Stelialab (Méaulte), as well as the final integration of elementary parts.
Stelia Aerospace has selected and brought together leading French players to provide additional technological building blocks, such as dynamic induction welding, rapid stamping of frames and stringers, and the manufacture of hybrid short/long fiber parts by overinjection.
Dynamic induction welding, the technological backbone of the Institut de Soudure group
Groupe Institut de Soudure was responsible for the dynamic induction welding of the stiffeners to the skin. To achieve this, the group developed specific inductors for Stelia Aerospace, taking into account the technical characteristics of the materials used.
Over the years, the Institut de Soudure group has developed recognized expertise in the welding of carbon fiber-reinforced composite materials with high-performance thermoplastic matrices (PEEK, PEKK, PPS), which can also be applied to more conventional matrices such as PA or PP.
These welds were carried out on the Group's own premises, which feature an automated cell dedicated to induction welding, with robot arms carrying the welding head, inductors, pyrometer, cooling and pressure system. Developments have led to the creation of specific tooling in terms of geometry and materials used.
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