At this year’s Paris Airshow, Hexcel plans to showcase a range of its composite technologies, including carbon fiber, reinforcements and resin formulations and honeycomb with added functionality.
This includes Hexcel’s range of products developed for composite repair, HexPly M20 prepreg and HexForce carbon fabrics. HexPly M20 prepreg provides high temperature performance from a low energy cure cycle at 120-130°C (250-265°F) and can be processed in the field using vacuum bag and a heater blanket or hot bonder or in an autoclave.
Hexcel also is promoting HexPly M92, the latest generation 125°C curing prepreg that has improved hot wet performance up to 115°C, self-adhesion, high toughness, fireresistance, low exotherm and a long out/tack life. On display will be a wing fuselage fairing door demonstrator manufactured by Embraer using HexPly M92 carbon fiber prepreg. This honeycomb sandwich structure requires no adhesive due to the self-adhesive properties of HexPly M92.
On display
Also on show is HexPly M91, a new high toughness and impact resistant epoxy prepreg from Hexcel that is used by Rolls-Royce to manufacture CTi fan blades for new generation lightweight turbofan engines. Hexcel supplies HexPly M91 as slit tape for the automated lay-up of the complex aerodynamic shape, with a constantly changing thickness across the blade length.
On the Hexcel stand, visitors will also see an out-of-autoclave filament wound carbon composite structure manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space using Hexcel’s HexPly M56 and HexTow HM63 carbon fiber towpreg. The part was manufactured in a partnership framework to develop high performance towpreg for space applications. Finally, a self-stiffened fuselage demonstrator panel using HiTape reinforcements will also be on display.
This story is reprinted from material from Hexcel, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.