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OVERVIEW Mission:
To provide the nation with a center for the validation and quality assurance of composites and advanced materials to be applied in the commercial and military aviation industry through (a) data-sharing among multiple users, (b) statistical continuity from one length-scale to another and (c) reduced testing via increased capability and use of numerical/analytical simulation tools. The current economic state of the aircraft industry is reaching a critical point as aircraft manufacturers and airlines investigate how to reduce manufacturing costs while increasing operational efficiency. This search has been demonstrated by the two major large transport aircraft manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus. The 787 and the A380 will provide the platform for the next revolution in aerospace vehicle technology. These advances in vehicle development will likely accelerate during the next decade as new emerging technologies are applied to design and placed into production throughout the aircraft industry. In response to this need, NIAR has established the National Center for Advanced Materials Performance (NCAMP). In recent years, NASA, the industry and the FAA have worked together to develop a cost-effective method of qualifying composite materials by sharing central material qualification databases, such as Military Handbook 17 (now Composite Materials Handbook 17), and the databases formed through NASA’s Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments (AGATE) program, in which WSU/NIAR was one of the lead institutions. Through these shared databases, a manufacturer can select an approved composite material system to fabricate parts and perform a smaller subset of testing to a specific application. For materials to be accepted into these shared databases, it is required that the raw materials be manufactured in accordance with material specifications, which impose control of the key physical, chemical and mechanical properties. The establishment of NCAMP will take the next step in that development by providing the nation with a localized center for composite and advanced material validation and quality assurance. Anticipated benefits include reductions in nonrecurring and recurring program qualification costs and introduction of multiple sources of new advanced material forms. The goal of NCAMP research is to integrate the technology into actual aircraft and industry practice, therefore, the objectives should be evaluated to determine if the program involves focused research and development, a certification issue, new technology consideration or is related to industry service problems or future directions of the industry. Once these programs are funded and results obtained, the research group within NCAMP will work within the industry and other governmental agencies to generate internal policies, which will eventually spin out into policy and guidance procedures when mature. NCAMP’s technical approach consists of five tasks that will be coordinated to provide the aviation industry with the most up-to-date solutions for the application of advanced materials into product integration and to eliminate redundancies in the current process. This will make the composite materials as attractive to industry as current metallic materials. The Center
for Advanced Materials Performance is complemented by existing NIAR laboratories
and a variety of partners, including For more information about NCAMP, subscribe to the NCAMP Bulletin. |
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