Composite materials are rapidly replacing the traditional aluminium in constructing aircraft. The lightweight nature of the material, advances in manufacturing, and confidence in the safety of the materials mean that aircraft like the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 are now made from a large percentage of composite material.

A Composite Safety and Certification Meeting was hosted by us on 01-04 Mar 2016.

The objective of the meeting was to give an update on the FAA’s latest guidance material, and for the FAA to gain an understanding of the important issues affecting the Asia-Pacific region with respect to composite materials.

The meeting was led by the FAA’s chief technical and scientific officer for composite materials, Dr Larry Ilcewicz. Two days were dedicated to authority discussions, and two days opened to industry.

The Authorities included Japan’s JCAB, China’s CAAC, Australia’s CASA, and the hosting group from our own Aircraft Certification Unit. The Industry days were well attended by 50 delegates from a variety of composite design, maintenance, and manufacturing companies from New Zealand, Japan, China, and Australia.

Presentations from the meeting

FAA - Purpose and Objectives [PDF 463 KB]

FAA Composite Plan [PDF 1.3 MB]

FAA Composite Guidance and Relevant Resource [PDF 1.6 MB]

FAA Composite Plan - Aviation Safety (AVS) Initiatives of Interest [PDF 750 KB]

FAA AC 20-107B Content Review [PDF 6 MB]

FAA - Workforce Education Initiatives - Level II Safety Awareness Courses [PDF 1.4 MB]

NIAR Research on Certification of Composite-Metal Hybrid Structures and Joints [PDF 4.7 MB]

CAA New Zealand Composite Certification History [PDF 1.5 MB]

Testing Composites: Lessons Learnt from Glider Certification [PDF 1.2 MB]

Composite Structure Certification Lessons Learned - An Australian Perspective [PDF 724 KB]

Innova Composite Helicopters - Quality Approach [PDF 332 KB]

MRJ Composite Structure Substantiation Approach [PDF 933 KB]

Aero Design - Introduction to Trace [PDF 3 MB]

MHI composite technology - Status and Future [PDF 1.3 MB]

Defence Technology Agency Composites Research [PDF 2.4 MB]

Composites Design, Certification and Manufacturing [PDF 1.2 MB]

Overview of JCAB Organization [PDF 753 KB]

Overview of research project at ARC CAUC [PDF 13 MB]

Bonded Structures - Certification Practices [PPTX 599 KB]

Failure in Real Bonded Structures [PPTX 4.4 MB]

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