Analysis of the Environmental Impact of Manufacture, Use and Disposal of Carbon Fiber-Fuselage Components of Commercial Aircraft

  • Project team:

    Achternbosch, Matthias (Project leader); Klaus-Rainer Bräutigam; Christel Kupsch; Bernd Reßler; Gerhard Sardemann

  • Funding:

    HGF Strategy Fund project

  • Start date:

    1999

  • End date:

    2002

  • Project partners:

    Deutsches Zentrum für Luft und Raumfahrt e. V. (German Aerospace Research Establishment - DLR); DaimlerChrysler Aerospace Airbus GmbH (Dasa)

  • Research group:

    Sustainability and environment

Project description

World air transport continues to grow strongly, with corresponding economic importance and ecological consequences. Advanced composite materials have the potential to reduce the weight of the fuselage of future commercial aircraft by 5-8 tons (c. 30 %). Over an aircraft's lifetime this means fuel savings of c. 24 million litres of kerosene. This leads to a significant reduction in the associated emissions of pollutants. Additionally, new fiber composites have the potential to significantly decrease the manufacturing costs in comparison to current metal fuselage constructions. The aim is to decrease the costs by 40 %.

Within the framework of a HGF Strategy Fund project under the leadership of the Deutsche Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (German Aerospace Research Establishment - DLR) various institutes of DLR and ITAS are determining the necessary basis for an optimised development process for selected fuselage components of a commercial airliner. In this project, ITAS identifies the material and energy inputs associated with the manufacture, use and disposal of carbon fiber-fuselage components and the resulting emissions. In the next stage an impact assessment will be performed in which the effects of the released substances on man and environment will be assessed. Finally, the individual results will be evaluated using indicators and impact categories and compared with fuselage components made of conventional aluminium materials.

Publications


2004
Presentations
Achternbosch, M.; Bräutigam, K. R.; Kupsch, C.; Ressler, B.; Sardemann, G.
Environmental impact assessment - a comparison of manufacturing, use and fate of CFRP- and aluminium-components for commercial airliners
2004. Einweihung des Faserverbundtechnikums am Institut für Flugzeugbau, Universität Stuttgart, 8.Oktober 2004 
2002
Journal Articles
Reßler, B.; Achternbosch, M.; Bräutigam, K.-R.; Kupsch, C.; Sardemann, G.
Stoffstromanalysen zum Einsatz von carbonfaserverstärkten Kunststoffen im Flugzeugbau
2002. Technikfolgenabschätzung, Theorie und Praxis, 11 (1), 41–50 
Presentations
Achternbosch, M.; Bräutigam, K. R.; Kupsch, C.; Ressler, B.; Sardemann, G.
Material flow analysis - a comparison of manufacturing, use and fate of CFRP-fuselage components versus aluminium-components for commercial airliners
2002. Workshop ’CFRP for Future Aircraft Fuselage Structures’, Braunschweig, October 24, 2002 
Ressler, B.; Achternbosch, M.; Bräutigam, K. R.; Kupsch, C.; Sardemann, G.
Stoffstromanalyse von Carbonfasermaterialien für den Einsatz im Flugzeugbau
2002. GDCh-Tagung ’Umweltchemie’, Braunschweig, 6.-8.Oktober 2002 
2001
Book Chapters
Achternbosch, M.; Bräutigam, K.-R.; Kupsch, C.; Ressler, B.; Sardemann, G.
Schwarzer Rumpf. Umweltverträglichkeit von Rumpfkomponenten aus Aluminium- und CFK-Werkstoffen
2001. 1999/2000 Jahrbuch des Instituts für Technikfolgenabschätzung und Systemanalyse (ITAS). Hrsg.: A. Grunwald, 148–153, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (FZKA) 

Contact

Dr. Matthias Achternbosch
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS)
P.O. Box 3640
76021 Karlsruhe
Germany