Fokker Aerostructures, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, KVE Composites Group, TenCate Aerospace Composites and Ticona have won the prestigious JEC innovation award in the category Aeronautics, for the first welded thermoplastic composite Rudder and Elevator of the all new Gulfstream G650 tail section.
The award was officially presented to Fokker Aerostructures and partners during the opening ceremony of the JEC Composite Show, Paris on Tuesday April 13.
As the first of their kind in the aircraft industry, these induction welded thermoplastic composite primary structures convinced the international experts of the JEC jury of their innovative character.
Fokker Aerostructures designed and developed the G650 tail section and industrialised a new induction welding method for the rudder and the elevator. With the welding technology developed by KVE Composites Group, components are joined into an inseparable unit by induction welding, eliminating costly drilling and riveting work.
The thermoplastic material is Fortron PPS, a high performance engineering polymer, developed by Ticona. TenCate Aerospace Composites produces the carbon/PPS semipreg and plate material used. Composites made from PPS composites remain hard, impact resistant, stiff and dimensionally stable, even when exposed to elevated temperatures and aggressive fluids.
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