MFFD thermoplastic floor beams — OOA consolidation for next-gen TPC aerostructures

GKN Fokker and Mikrosam develop AFP for the Multifunctional Fuselage Demonstrator’s floor beams and OOA consolidation of 6-meter spars for TPC rudders, elevators, and tails.

**AFP of thermoplastic composite floor beams.** Composite floor beams are not new, but using thermoplastic prepreg tape and advanced fiber steering to produce them is, and has been successfully demonstrated by GKN Fokker and Mikrosam during the development and manufacture of the 12 TPC beams used in the passenger cabin floor grid for the Multifunctional Fuselage Demonstrator (MFFD) lower half. Photo Credit for all images (including image in line with title): Mikrosam and GKN Fokker, Clean Sky 2/Clean Aviation

This article discusses GKN Fokker’s two-year development of the TPC floor beams in collaboration with equipment supplier Mikrosam (Prilep, Macedonia), including an innovative automated fiber placement (AFP) layup strategy using tow steering, followed by autoclave consolidation. A follow-on development uses a specially designed press and bladder concept to enable consolidation without an autoclave for the future production of 6-meter-long spars for TPC rudders.

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