Yep, yep I do know quite alot about them. As far as aircraft use I am not aware of it being used for complete PRESSURIZED commercial aircraft fuselages. Do you? For control surfaces, panels, etc. they are perfect.
When the field test for delamination consists of tapping with a quarter and listening for audible differences is changed to a more scientific method I will become more of a believer. When thousands of pressure cycles, inspections, and decades of successful flight operations are completed I will become more of a believer.
The Comet exibited what can happen when things are overlooked and we do not need a 787 coming apart with 300 or so souls on board, perhaps, even several aircraft. I know, I know, the computers say it can’t happen but the computers are only as good as the people programming and running them. People are involved in making this thing and they can make either design or manufacturing mistakes as well as field service/inspection/maintenance mistakes.
Boeing is “all in” on the 787. They did the same on the 707 and 747 and came out very, very big winners. Only time will tell if they win big again or lose the farm. Only time will tell if the payload, economy figures and aircraft lives are correct. I just know I nor my family will never fly on a plastic airplane.
PS-Airbus still has a problem with their composite tails falling off.
That is all.
Rejoice! Your dream has been realized....
The RD3 Electronic Digital Tap Hammer has arrived!
It is still pretty much a tap test, but the striker is electronically actuated and the "listening" is recorded, digitally, so you do can get a much less subjective read-out of of the result....
As for use of carbon, or even fiberglass, in a pressure vessel.....that is kind of old technology, too....pressure tanks, and the like are regularly filament wound. It is a pretty well matched application to the material properties.
I understand that carbon fiber tape laying is a slightly different and bit more technologically advanced methodology than plain old filament winding....but the manufacturing princples are pretty much the same.
If you were to step backward in time and look again....Say you had begun making aircraft out of fiber reinforced plastic materials....and the aluminum salesman showed up at your airplane factory, today, and he was peddling a material with the chrystalizaton, cyclic fatigue problems and plastic deformation characteristics of aluminum....would you be buying?
I didn't think so...
