Toray and Bell collaborate on new NCAMP design allowable dataset for 3960 prepreg system
Allowable design dataset establishes conformity requirements and process specifications for traditional hand layup and AFP of the 3960 prepreg system in aerospace applications.
Toray Composite Materials America Inc. (TCMA, Tacoma, Wash., U.S.), a manufacturer of advanced carbon fiber and composite prepreg materials, has entered into a collaborative arrangement with Bell Textron Inc. (Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.) to support a new National Center for Advanced Materials Performance (NCAMP) design allowable dataset for Toray’s 3960 prepreg material system. This prepreg system uses Toray’s T1100 intermediate modulus plus (IM+) fibers, providing high toughness and exceptional tensile performance ideal for aerospace applications.
In 2016, Toray and Bell began efforts to refine the performance of the 3960 prepreg material to meet Bell’s design requirements for high-performance and low-risk airframe solutions for efforts such as the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) programs. In 2019, Toray says it began producing allowable design data for this material with guidance from the National Institute for Aviation Research’s (NIAR, Wichita, Kan., U.S.) NCAMP engineering team. This comprehensive plan establishes conformity requirements and process specifications for traditional hand layup and automated fiber placement (AFP) manufacturing processes for the 3960 prepreg system. Toray notes that the data will serve as a foundation for certification, enabling aerospace companies to achieve airworthiness approvals and bring products to market faster and at a lower cost.
“Toray’s T1100/3960 composite material offers the right balance of characteristics that enable Bell engineers to design the most efficient and reliable structures that meet our customer’s mission requirements including speed, range and agility,” according to Bell’s Vince D’Arienzo, technical fellow. “We, together with our partners, continue to optimize airframe performance attributes by building full-scale risk reduction and validation articles with Toray’s 3960 prepreg system.”
Jeff Cross, Toray director of business development adds that the company remains “committed to providing a full range of products with publicly available design data for the design and certification of aerospace and defense applications.”
Related Content
-
Infinite Composites: Type V tanks for space, hydrogen, automotive and more
After a decade of proving its linerless, weight-saving composite tanks with NASA and more than 30 aerospace companies, this CryoSphere pioneer is scaling for growth in commercial space and sustainable transportation on Earth.
-
Novel dry tape for liquid molded composites
MTorres seeks to enable next-gen aircraft and open new markets for composites with low-cost, high-permeability tapes and versatile, high-speed production lines.
-
PEEK vs. PEKK vs. PAEK and continuous compression molding
Suppliers of thermoplastics and carbon fiber chime in regarding PEEK vs. PEKK, and now PAEK, as well as in-situ consolidation — the supply chain for thermoplastic tape composites continues to evolve.