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The continued search for metal alternatives
Gaining safety and reliability while reducing weight with VICTREX® PEEK™ 01
also achieved a significant cost saving since VICTREX PEEK 150GL30 is 30 percent glass filled, providing the strength, modulus, electrical characteristics and creep resistance required to replace aluminium. The Amphenol clamps are one factor in making the 787 'Dreamliner' what Boeing claims to be the world's most fuel-efficient aircraft, consuming 20 percent less fuel than the similarly sized Boeing 767. Another of Boeing's aims was a major reduction in the
01. Overview of Victrex’ products PEEK granule and powder (Vicote), film (Aptiv) and pipes
Being under constant pressure to improve the performance in the aerospace industry, engineers are eager to find adequate materials to replace metals, wherever possible, with materials that are lighter but which still provide the necessary mechanical performance. Weight reduction in the aerospace industry is the Holy Grail because it always results in a better fuel efficiency, better environmental impact and lower operating costs.
The most important aspect of this aim is to discover materials that also provide the necessary levels of safety and reliability, which are key targets. Therefore the aerospace industry is recognising and adopting VICTREX®
PEEK™
polymer more and more as one such material: it is an ideal metal alternative.
Millions of Parts: Great Opportunity for Improvement Aeroplanes are made of several million items. For many aircrafts aluminium parts make about half of the total weight. It is worth analysing each part in terms of material properties in order to optimise them. Relevant properties for a lot of aerospace applications are mechanical strength, chemical resistance, wear, density, high temperature range performance and many other application-specific requirements.
A Case Study: Wiring and Tubing Clamps Amphenol Pcd, a division of Amphenol Corporation, chose VICTREX PEEK 150GL30 (a grade type of VICTREX PEEK), for the production of a range of wiring and tubing clamps, using a proprietary elastomer over moulding process. With the right material they succeeded to reduce the weight for the clips, for the Boeing 787, by a minimum 20 percent. They
time required to build the aircraft. Amphenol's PEEK polymer wiring and tubing clamps enabled a 30 percent reduction in installation time. At the same time, part consolidation and consistent design saved costs. As well, the non-conductive, electrically-stable and corrosion-resistant properties of the 150GL30 polymer allowed the clamps to be deployed in unpressurised areas of the aircraft.
Amphenol Pcd also uses VICTREX PEEK 150GL30 for a line of injection-moulded stand-offs. These components secure cables and wire bundles, while also isolating them electrically from the fuselage. Once more, PEEK polymer's non-conductive and non-corrosive properties supplied important benefits, while the key goal was again aluminium replacement and consequent weight reduction.
The Solution: High Performing PEEK polymer VICTREX PEEK polymer, offered by Victrex Polymer Solutions (VPS), is a part of the polyaryletherketone (PAEK) family. It is a linear, aromatic, semi-crystalline polymer and widely regarded as one of the highest performing thermoplastics in the world.
As well as having a lower density than metal, and at the same time offering a higher specific strength than many metals, VICTREX PEEK polymer compounds offer the mechanical and dimensional stability like some metals. It is also able to withstand high temperatures and hostile chemical environments. VICTREX PEEK polymer has a melting temperature of 343°C and a relative thermal index of 260°C. VICTREX PEEK polymer is also highly corrosion- resistant and unaffected by many aggressive chemicals. It clearly demonstrates excellent wear and abrasion resistance. Last but not least, there is the cost equation. Replacing metals with high performance polymers can lower component manufacturing costs.
These and a series of further outstanding properties make VICTREX PEEK polymer a viable solution for the current and future needs of the aerospace industry.
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