Wing of Airbus A 380. Photo Courtesy of Ticona

Seattle, WA, USA--(Jobwerx)--APRIL 22, 2005--VIAM, the Central Russian Materials Research Institute for Aviation Engineering, has given Fortron® polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) clearance for take-off. A panel of experts confirmed the properties of this high-performance plastic from Ticona and approved its use in aircraft construction. This opens the way for the Russian aviation industry to introduce structures made of this material that offer crucial weight and cost savings. Airbus has used Fortron PPS for many years in both interior and exterior aircraft components.

The Russian aircraft industry is well aware that every gram counts: the more weight saved in aircraft construction, the less fuel needed later on. Traditional materials like metal and light alloys will increasingly be replaced by other, lighter materials, such as high-performance polymers. Now that Fortron PPS has been approved, Russian aircraft manufacturers and suppliers are free to innovate lightweight structures incorporating this material.

Composites based on Fortron® PPS help cut costs radically in aircraft manufacture and operation. The best example of this is the new Airbus A380 aircraft, which contains more than 1000 Fortron PPS parts. Some of these applications involve cost savings of up to 30 percent and weight savings of up to 50 percent.

Composites – broad spectrum of applications and properties Fortron PPS is used in today’s aircraft in applications ranging from seats, equipment components and assemblies to wing sections, vertical tail and rudder units, and fuselage reinforcing elements. In these uses, the PPS meets requirements that include inherent flame retardancy, high chemical resistance and good dimensional stability. It also offers high hardness and rigidity and excellent oxidation resistance.

“Many companies in the Russian market are already processing our PPS,” says Gunter Reitzel, head of the Fortron Business Unit in Europe. “This has led to a growing interest in Fortron PPS in aviation, and we feel sure it will soon be widely used in the Russian aircraft industry.”

European aircraft manufacturer serves as model

The properties of Fortron PPS have long been appreciated by Airbus, which uses it in PPS-based composites for interior and exterior components of its new, giant A380 airliner without sacrificing mechanical strength or endurance. These benefits were also observed in evaluations by Russian aircraft manufacturers who are developing their own advances in aviation using this material.

Fortron® PPS

Fortron PPS is a linear, semi-crystalline, high-performance polymer that can be reinforced by materials such as glass fibers or glass fiber/ mineral blends. With its inherent flame retardancy and high hardness and rigidity, it is well suited for moldings that must withstand high mechanical and thermal stresses (i.e., service temperatures to 240°C). When reinforced with glass fibers, its coefficient of thermal expansion is much like that of metal, so it is ideal for hybrid metal-plastic assemblies. It is also characterized by excellent chemical and oxidation resistance, minimal water absorption and low creep, even at elevated temperatures. Its most important application areas include the automotive, aircraft and electrical/electronics sectors.

Ticona, the technical polymers business of Celanese Corporation, produces and markets a broad range of engineering polymers and achieved sales of $ 863 million in 2004. Ticona has approximately 2.000 employees at production, compounding and research facilities in the USA, Germany and Brazil.

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