Nomex Honeycomb: An Invisible Powerhouse Revolutionizing Aerospace
Human flight isn’t natural. It requires things like powerful engines and aerodynamic wings working together to get us off the ground and keep us in the air. But there’s a lot to human flight that most of us don’t see. A typical commercial aircraft features thousands of components invisible to passengers. And some of those components are made with Nomex® Honeycomb.
We consider Nomex Honeycomb an invisible powerhouse that makes it possible to build larger, lighter, and more efficient aircraft. It is a material that is playing an increasingly critical role in making human flight better.
Nomex Honeycomb in a Nutshell
Nomex Honeycomb is a honeycomb composite. It looks a lot like the intricate, hexagonal structure of a beehive. Its design makes it incredibly strong while still being remarkably light.
The material is a high-performance core material that’s made with Nomex aramid paper formed into a hexagonal cellular structure. The entire structure is impregnated with a phenolic resin to give it the necessary strength and rigidity.
Combining the paper with a resin is what creates a composite material with extraordinary capabilities. The paper offers attractive mechanical properties. It is also flame-resistant. As for the resin, it adds rigidity and offers environmental resistance.
An Exceptional Strength-to-Weight Ratio
Honeycomb structures are exceptionally strong because of the way they distribute energy. That’s critical for aerospace. Because Nomex Honeycomb offers such an impressive strength-to-weight ratio, it’s ideal for a variety of applications requiring sandwich composite structures.
Aircraft Interiors
A fair number of the aerospace applications for which Nomex Honeycomb is suitable are related to aircraft interiors. The material is the silent workhorse behind:
- Floor panels
- Sidewalls and ceilings
- Galleys and lavatories
- Overhead storage bins
- Bulkheads and partitions
If you could peel away the visible surface of a commercial aircraft interior, you would see a surprising amount of Nomex Honeycomb. It is everywhere in an aircraft interior.
Aero structures
Beyond the passenger cabin, Nomex Honeycomb has applications within the aircraft’s structure. A variety of aerostructures are built with honeycomb composites at their core. Think of:
- Fuselage components
- Leading and trailing edges
- Engine nacelles and cowlings
- Control surfaces
The honeycomb design is as beneficial to aerostructures as it is to aircraft interiors. Engineers can do a lot with honeycomb composites that wouldn’t be easily accomplished in any other way.
Rotorcraft Applications
Helicopters and other similar aircraft, also known as rotorcraft, present unique design challenges. The vehicles must be strong but lightweight. Nomex Honeycomb makes it possible. It is used in the design and manufacturing of:
- Rotor blades
- Tail booms
- Fuselage sections
By way of example, engineers rely on Nomex Honeycomb cores to provide the perfect balance of stiffness, fatigue resistance, and low weight that helicopter rotor blades require. Believe it or not, a helicopter rotor blade is a lot lighter than it looks.
Benefits Beyond Low Weight
Low weight is one of the most compelling reasons for aerospace engineers investing in Nomex Honeycomb. And why not? Weight is a top concern in aircraft design. But Nomex Honeycomb brings more to the table. It offers:
- Exceptional strength and stiffness
- Superior fire resistance
- Excellent corrosion resistance
- Excellent fatigue resistance
- Thermal and acoustic insulation
Whether designing commercial airliners, cargo planes, civil rotorcraft, or even military aircraft, composites are essential. Composites are what make modern aerospace and aviation possible. And behind the scenes, the powerhouse that keeps things lightweight yet strong is Nomex Honeycomb.
If you would like to know more about this amazing material, contact Axiom right away. The sooner you learn about Nomex Honeycomb, the sooner you can start integrating it into your own designs.