Originally Posted by
Mechta
The composite centre section involves lots of double curvature (door apertures etc.), and if made in metal, a lot of separate pieces. By making it in composite, the fibres in the layup will put the strength exactly where it needs to be from a crashworthiness point of view, i.e. producing a strong safety cell, assuming they modelled it properly. The tailcone on the other hand, is a simple single curvature structure, easily and cheaply made in metal. The rounded corners and taper give it stiffness, plus it would be a lot of area to make in composite, when it doesn't need to be. In the event of a very heavy landing in which something has to break, the tailcone maybe designed to fail first; acting as the cheap and easily replaceable fuse in the system, thus preserving the more expensive composite parts and avoiding an expensive composite repair.