are a lightweight material that’s environmentally progressive, Lapeña- Rey said, explaining that thermoplastics create far less scrap during production, have virtually an infinite shelf life, and can be welded, which eliminates fasteners and allows for automating the manufacturing process. They also offer damage tolerance, reducing the total weight of the assembly. The collaboration and partnership between Boeing’s research center in Europe and the composite center in the Netherlands is supported by the Composites team at Boeing’s research and technology center in St. Louis. The team is working on defining the optimal conditions such as temperature and curing time for producing high-quality thermoplastic aircraft components. Boeing’s center in Australia also is doing research on other areas of lightweight aerospace composites. The Boeing Research & Technology teams in the United States, Australia and Europe all are working together to make the most out of the synergies across their various research portfolios. “Working globally and having different teams work on a project is an advantage because there is never only one solution to a problem,” Lapeña-Rey said. At the same time, Lapeña-Rey also is leading a project with nonprofit research institute IMDEA Materials in Spain, focusing on developing new 22 Boeing Frontiers quick-cure thermoset resin chemistries for the production of composite aircraft parts made quickly and affordably without an autoclave. It’s the type of innovation that will help drive Boeing’s success and industry leadership in its second century, she said. “If we are successful, this could go straight into a program,” Lapeña-Rey said. “Whoever gets there quickest, it’s a competitive advantage.” But “quick” for Lapeña-Rey is glacial speed for Jeff Roach and his quest to give Boeing another competitive advantage. He’s measuring time in thousandths of a second. Roach works at Boeing’s research and technology center in St. Louis, where he’s chief engineer of the Integrated Vehicle Energy Technology program at the Facility for Integration and Research of Subsystems Technologies. As part of the Integrated Vehicle Energy Technology team, Roach improves the energy optimization for next-generation aircraft. The lab examines electrical power and actuation system testing. It collaborates with partners such as the Air Force Research Laboratory and shares results with the rest of Boeing Research & Technology, as well as throughout Boeing. Today’s aircraft have three to five times the heat load of older aircraft, Europe
Frontiers July 2015 Issue
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