Quick Comment: Current Situation and Prospects of the Aviation Composite Materials Industry

The scale of demand is increasing year by year

According to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (According to GAMA, in 2018, the global general aircraft shipments reached 2,443, an increase of 118 from the previous year, a year-on-year increase of 5.1%. Among them, 1,139 Piston General Motors aircraft were delivered, accounting for 46.6% of global shipments, an increase of 54 from 2017; 1,304 Turbo General Motors aircraft were delivered, accounting for 53.4% ​​of global shipments, an increase of 64 from 2017.

The increase in global general aviation aircraft shipments reflects the increase in demand for aircraft products in countries around the world, which brings huge incremental demand to the global aviation composite materials industry.

Composite materials have good thermal stability, specific strength and specific stiffness. They are widely used in the aerospace field, automobile industry, chemical industry, textile and mechanical manufacturing, medicine and other fields. They can be used to manufacture aircraft wings and front fuselages, satellite antennas and their support structures, solar cell wings and shells, large launch vehicles shells, engine shells, space shuttle interior structural parts, etc.

At present, composite materials have occupied an important position in the global general aviation field due to their advantages such as weight reduction and simple assembly. It is mainly used to manufacture exterior and interior parts of aircraft, including seats, ribs, interior decoration, portholes, hood covers, wings, fuselages and diversion covers.

After decades of development, the structural weight of composite materials on passenger aircraft has increased day by day and has now begun to be widely used in the civil aviation manufacturing industry. The weight of composite materials of some advanced passenger aircraft has exceeded that of metal materials.In 2016, the global demand for aerospace composite materials reached 2.376 million tons; it is estimated that in 2018, the global demand for aerospace composite materials will reach 2.659 million tons.

Among them, the application proportion of aviation interior composite materials isAbout 20%. Based on this proportion, in 2016, the global demand for aviation interior composites was 475,200 tons, an increase of 3.85% year-on-year; it is estimated that in 2018, the global demand for aviation interior composites exceeded 530,000 tons.

From the perspective of market size, the demand for aerospace composite materials has increased year by year, driving the global aerospace composite materials market to expand continuously. according toAccording to ASD Reports data, in 2017, the total global aerospace composite materials market reached about US$26.87 billion; the Foresight Industry Research Institute predicts that the total global market will be US$28.5 billion in 2018.

according to20% of global composite materials are used in the aerospace interior field, and by 2017, the global aerospace interior composite market size reached US$5.37 billion; in 2018, the global aerospace interior composite market size is expected to be US$5.7 billion.

The market size continues to grow

This year, a period of great harvests in the global commercial and military aviation markets, with nearly all aviation sectors gaining growth. Under the influence of the rapid development of global aviation business, the demand for composite materials in the aviation field will increase, and the market size of the global aviation composite materials industry will also show a growing trend.

According to forecasts, the global aviation composite material market size will be asThe average annual growth rate of more than 6%. By 2024, the global aerospace composite market size is expected to reach nearly US$40 billion.

Although composite materials have become the mainstream of aviation materials in the future, from the current situation, traditional metal materials that have been tested and constantly improved have remained the choice. Among traditional metal materials, aluminum, titanium, steel and relatively warm alloys still dominate. Aluminum still accounts for the weight of the aircraft20%-60%, titanium accounts for 10%-40%; among advanced aircraft, steel is an indispensable material; while warmer alloys are still the mainstream material for aerospace power plants.

Therefore, opportunities and challenges in the global aviation composite materials industry coexist. In the future, we must resolutely follow the path of industrial development of military-civilian integration on the basis of improving scientific and technological innovation capabilities. In terms of development pattern, aviation materials must be developed as the core and expand to upstream and downstream applications.

(Source: Forward-looking Industry Research Institute)