CFRP will be widely used in passenger aircraft
According to the latest market analysis report provided by the Reports Link website on October 13, the global aerospace materials market is estimated to be $22.9 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach a revised scale of $28.7 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR during the forecast period rate (CAGR) of 6.2%. The U.S. is the largest regional market for aerospace materials and is expected to reach $9.1 billion by 2026; China is expected to be the fastest growing regional market with a CAGR of 9.4% during the analysis period
Aerospace materials generally refer to the materials used by aircraft OEMs and component manufacturers to manufacture various aircraft components. In the field of aerospace engineering, materials engineering is an important field characterized by constant innovation and heavy investment in research and development (R&D). Currently, there are few innovative materials used in the production of aircraft and aircraft components, mainly including carbon fiber, advanced composite materials, new metal alloys other than lightweight aluminum alloys such as titanium and beryllium alloys; and designed to improve the robustness of aerospace products , new composite materials for durability, heat resistance and fire resistance.
The growth of the global market is mainly driven by strong growth in demand for commercial air travel. The need for stronger, lighter, safer, quieter, fuel-efficient and lower-emission aircraft is driving the need for next-generation materials in the manufacturing industry. Some of the key factors driving the growth of the market include increasing orders and deliveries of new and wide-body commercial aircraft, increasing number of low-cost airlines, growing demand for lightweight and fuel-efficient aircraft, and technological advancements in composite materials. Some of the new materials under development include microfilament cellulose (MFC), magnesium, nano-adaptive hybrid fabrics, fiber metal laminates (FML), reinforced aluminum (CentrAl), and ceramic matrix composites (CMC). Given the high strength and thermal stability of the material, MFC in particular has garnered strong R&D interest.
Drones (also known as micro air vehicles) are creating new and unique material needs, and materials capable of storing electrical energy are of particular interest to the UAV engineering community. Currently working on polymer membranes and artificial muscles, prototype versions of which describe the ability to change shape depending on flight conditions and environment, supported by electrical currents stored in the material.
The United States is the largest market for aerospace materials, mainly due to significant government research and development investments in the aerospace industry, the presence of several major aircraft manufacturers such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing, and the adoption of various growth strategies such as Expansion and mergers and acquisitions of key market players. In Asia Pacific, the significant increase in demand for new aircraft owing to economic growth and rising disposable income, which has resulted in a rapid increase in the number of air passengers and low-cost airlines, is expected to drive the growth of the regional market.
The composites market is expected to be the dominant aerospace material type during the forecast period. Composite materials are increasingly being preferred over traditional materials in the production of a range of products for the simple reason that they combine the properties of different constituent materials to provide the end user with additional benefits and functionality. As a result, composites are driving the trend toward one-piece designs or fewer components in aircraft assemblies.
Advanced composite materials used in the aerospace industry mainly include carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) and glass fiber reinforced plastics, and CFRP is currently the most used composite material in functional and cockpit components. Aircraft OEMs have begun incorporating large quantities of carbon fiber composites into single-aisle, long-lived airliners.
