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. 2021 Sep 24;13(19):3258.
doi: 10.3390/polym13193258.

Innovation in Aircraft Cabin Interior Panels. Part II: Technical Assessment on Replacing Glass Fiber with Thermoplastic Polymers and Panels Fabricated Using Vacuum Forming Process

Edgar Adrián Franco-Urquiza  1 , Perla Itzel Alcántara Llanas  2 , Victoria Rentería-Rodríguez  2 , Raúl Samir Saleme  2 , Rodrigo Ramírez Aguilar  2 , Cecilia Zarate Pérez  2 , Mauricio Torres-Arellano  2 , Saúl Piedra  1
Affiliations

Innovation in Aircraft Cabin Interior Panels. Part II: Technical Assessment on Replacing Glass Fiber with Thermoplastic Polymers and Panels Fabricated Using Vacuum Forming Process

Edgar Adrián Franco-Urquiza et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

The manufacturing process of the aircraft cabin interior panels is expensive and time-consuming, and the resulting panel requires rework due to damages that occurred during their fabrication. The aircraft interior panels must meet structural requirements; hence sandwich composites of a honeycomb core covered with two layers of pre-impregnated fiberglass skin are used. Flat sandwich composites are transformed into panels with complex shapes or geometries using the compression molding process, leading to advanced manufacturing challenges. Some aircraft interior panels are required for non-structural applications; hence sandwich composites can be substituted by cheaper alternative materials and transformed using disruptive manufacturing techniques. This paper evaluates the feasibility of replacing the honeycomb and fiberglass skin layers core with rigid polyurethane foams and thermoplastic polymers. The results show that the structural composites have higher mechanical performances than the proposed sandwich composites, but they are compatible with non-structural applications. Sandwich composite fabrication using the vacuum forming process is feasible for developing non-structural panels. This manufacturing technique is fast, easy, economical, and ecological as it uses recyclable materials. The vacuum forming also covers the entire panel, thus eliminating tapestries, paints, or finishes to the aircraft interior panels. The conclusion of the article describes the focus of future research.

Keywords: aircraft cabin interior panels; non-structural composite panels; thermoplastic face sheets; vacuum forming.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pictures of the ABS (left) and GF prepreg (right) sheets used to manufacture distinct sandwich composite panels.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Photograph corresponding to the arrangement for the flexural test in reference panels according to the ASTM C393/C393M-20 standard.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Schematic representation of the V-shaped mold to produce composite sandwich panels: (a) Two layers of GF prepreg (step two), (b) HC placement (step three), (c) complete sandwich structure (step three), (d) preheated process (step four), (e) manufacturing of V-shaped panel (step five), and (f) digital rendering of the V-shaped mold.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Schematic representation of the V-shaped mold to produce composite sandwich panels: (a) Two layers of GF prepreg (step two), (b) HC placement (step three), (c) complete sandwich structure (step three), (d) preheated process (step four), (e) manufacturing of V-shaped panel (step five), and (f) digital rendering of the V-shaped mold.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Schematic representation of the V-shaped mold to produce the foam sandwich panels: (a) Unbending foam specimen, (b) foam specimen adapted to the V-shaped mold, (c) preheated process, and (d) manufacturing of V-shaped foam panel.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Picture corresponding to the gridding foam specimen placement in the V-shaped mold before the preheated process.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Pictures corresponding to the V-shaped panels of: (a) GF/HC/GF, (b) GF/Foam/GF, and (c) GF/griding foam/GF.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Pictures corresponding to the V-shaped panels of: (a) GF/HC/GF, (b) GF/Foam/GF, and (c) GF/griding foam/GF.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Pictures of the three-point bending test performed to: (a) GF/HC/GF, (b) GF/Foam/GF, (c) GF/Gridding foam/GF. The pictures present the damages that occurred during the test.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Pictures of the three-point bending test performed to: (a) GF/HC/GF, (b) GF/Foam/GF, (c) GF/Gridding foam/GF. The pictures present the damages that occurred during the test.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Representative load vs. displacement (left) and stress vs. strain (right) curves registered during the bending tests of GF/HC/GF, GF/Foam/GF, and GF/Gridding foam/GF panels.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Pictures corresponding to the V-shaped panels after bending tests of (a) GF/HC/GF, (b) GF/Foam/GF, and (c) GF/griding foam/GF.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Pictures corresponding to the manufacturing procedure of V-shaped ABS panels: (a) spraying adhesive mist aerosol to the foam and ABS sheets, (b) ABS/foam/ABS compression molding process, and (c) V-shaped sandwich panels with face ABS sheets.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Pictures corresponding to the manufacturing procedure of V-shaped ABS panels: (a) spraying adhesive mist aerosol to the foam and ABS sheets, (b) ABS/foam/ABS compression molding process, and (c) V-shaped sandwich panels with face ABS sheets.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Pictures of the three-point bending test performed to (a) ABS/HC/ABS, (b) ABS/Foam/ABS, and (c) ABS/griding foam/ABS. The pictures present the damages that occurred during the test.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Representative load vs. displacement (left) and stress vs. strain (right) curves registered during the bending tests of: ABS/HC/ABS (green line), ABS/Foam/ABS (red line), and ABS/gridding foam/ABS panels (blue line).
Figure 13
Figure 13
Schematic representation of the V-shaped vacuum forming panels: (a) foam core lays on the work platform, (b) ABS sheet places in the reduced processing window, (c) ABS-T/Foam/ABS-T panel, (d) bottom of the vacuum forming panel, and (e) panel after removing the excess of material. The panel is covered with the ABS sheet.
Figure 14
Figure 14
Mechanical behavior and failure: (a) representative load vs. displacement curves, (b) representative stress vs. strain curves registered during the bending tests, (c) failure of the ABS-T/Foam/ABS-T panels, and (d) failure of ABS-TA/Foam/ABS-TA panels. The pictures present the damages that occurred during the test.
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