Composite fuselage
This might be one for the more technically able amongst the group;
I was having a discussion with my father, who’s completely non aviation interested, about the A380 and “new plastic Boeing” 787 regarding whether they were safe to fly on.
He’s a bit of a luddite so wasn’t too pushed to be a passenger in either. The 380 argument was about “so many people in one place”, but the point he made about the 787 was interesting … new technology in the fuselage design and he started to ramble on about it being the next Comet. This last comment got me thinking …
So, my question to all out there is this, how much do we know about using composites in large pressure vessels? Particularly where we then punch holes in the structure and subject it to external forces (aerodynamic and normal aircraft fatigue strains)?
Appreciate any comments and insights.
JAS