The intermediate material using Teijin carbon fiber "TENAX®" is applied to the wing spoiler of Airbus's main airliner "A320neo".
The carbon fiber intermediate materials used this time are "TENAX Dry Reinforcements Non-Crimp Fabrics" (non-crimp fabrics, hereinafter referred to as "TENAX DRNF") and "TENAX Dry Reinforcements Braided Fibers" (fabrics, hereinafter referred to as "TENAX DRBF").
TENAX DRNF
"TENAX DRNF" is a type of NCF (*1). Its smooth surface allows the base resin to easily and uniformly penetrate the sheet, giving it the same physical properties as conventional high-performance thermosetting prepregs for aircraft.
TENAX DRBF
"TENAX DRBF" is a braid made of three-strand carbon fiber, which has high elasticity due to its shape and can fill the space created in aircraft parts made of composite materials composed of sheet-like intermediate materials.
The carbon fiber composite spoiler made by the combination of "TENAX DRNF" and "TENAX DRBF" is molded by Spirit's RTM (* 2), and its productivity and cost efficiency are higher than traditional autoclave molding. These aspects have been highly praised, so it was adopted by Airbus A320neo.
Application of Teijin Carbon Fiber on Aircraft
Teijin Group has more than 30 years of stable supply history and quality advantages of carbon fiber products, and has become the top supplier of Airbus. Among them, carbon fiber "TENAX®" is used as the main structural material of Airbus "A380" and the auxiliary structural material of various models. In addition, in recent years, intermediate materials have also been used as the main structural material of "A380" and "A350XWB".
(* 1) NCF: The carbon fiber bundles are arranged in one direction to form a sheet, then laminated at various angles, and sewn with polyester or nylon threads to prevent the fibers from flying.
(*2) RTM: Abbreviation for Resin Transfer Molding, a molding method in which a carbon fiber sheet is placed in a mold, and then resin is injected and cured.