HYBATS

Lightweight materials such as aluminum, titanium, steel and carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) dominate the aerospace industry due to their advantages in density, stiffness, and strength. CFRP often has the highest mechanical lightweight potential as it has anisotropic properties and can be tailored to load cases. However, it has disadvantages in overload scenarios due to its comparatively brittle material behavior and electrical functions compared to metal designs. Compared to thermoset-based CFRP, thermoplastic CFRP offers outstanding recyclability, high production efficiency, and additional joining technologies. By combining thermoplastic CFRP with metal fibers (MCFRP), especially steel fibers, the aforementioned weaknesses can be overcome while retaining the structural and manufacturing advantages.
In HYBATS, a thermoplastic-based MCFRP material concept is used to meet the requirements of the wing leading edge, especially in the event of bird strike, but also in the event of lightning strike. This includes the development of efficient and reproducible manufacturing concepts, structural-mechanical design, experimental characterization and model validation of MCFRP.

Nevertheless, the integration of steel fibers opens up multifunctional applications for this hybrid material. In addition to its outstanding mechanical performance, MCFRP has the potential to be used for grounding, signal transmission, shielding, and lightning protection, which is beneficial for many applications.