Thermoplastic sandwich structures for aircraft rudders

Sustainable price changers Researchers develop thermoplastic sandwiches for aircraft rudders

2026-02-28 Source: Press release Fraunhofer IMWS | Translated by AI 4 min Reading Time

According to the Fraunhofer IMWS, sandwich structures with a thermoplastic honeycomb core can be processed into rudders more efficiently and cost-effectively. They are also easy to recycle ...

This is a semi-finished product made from thermoplastic cover layers reinforced with carbon fibers and a honeycomb core made from the high-performance plastic PEI. Researchers at the Fraunhofer IMWS have thus succeeded in changing the future of aircraft rudders ...(Image: Econcore / Thermhex) — This is a semi-finished product made from thermoplastic cover layers reinforced with carbon fibers and a honeycomb core made from the high-performance plastic PEI. Researchers at the Fraunhofer IMWS have thus succeeded in changing the future of aircraft rudders ...
(Image: Econcore / Thermhex)

Fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP) in sandwich construction have been established in aircraft construction for decades and are used for control surfaces (such as the rudder), among other things. Carbon fibers, for example, are used as reinforcement. Such components are known to be extremely light compared to aluminum and yet can withstand the flow loads during course changes. So far, however, almost exclusively thermoset (or thermoset) FRP in combination with honeycomb cores made of aramid folding paper, which have a hexagonal cell structure, have been used for this purpose. However, these materials are quite complex to manufacture, very labor-intensive, which makes them expensive, and they are only recyclable to a limited extent. In view of increasing production figures, stricter environmental requirements and the need for greater automation due to the shortage of skilled workers, FRP with a thermoplastic base is therefore increasingly coming to the fore, explain researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems (IMWS) in Halle an der Saale. The "EcoRudder" sub-project, in which the IMWS is involved, has been set up to support research in this area.

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PEI is the name of the thermoplastic base for new aircraft rudders

As part of the "Faster-H2" research and development project led by Airbus as part of the EU's "Clean Aviation" funding program, the sub-project investigated the use of thermoplastic honeycomb core sandwich structures for the rudder of commercial aircraft. "We wanted to show that thermoplastic sandwich structures are not only more sustainable, but can also meet the high mechanical requirements in aircraft construction," comments Dr. Ralf Schlimper, project manager at the IMWS. His institute, Airbus, the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and the honeycomb core developer Econcore investigated the possible applications of a honeycomb core made of the high-performance plastic polyetherimide (PEI) with a special hexagonal cell geometry, as the report continues. The honeycomb core is produced in a continuous process and combined with thermoplastic cover layers reinforced with carbon fibers (CFRP cover layers). These semi-finished sandwich products - pre-hardened in a cold state - then form the basis for further, highly productive component production.

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