The MITRE Corporation's Center for Advanced
Aviation System Development (CAASD) sponsors a
research effort investigating carbon nanotube
reinforced polymer (CNRP) composite materials in
commercial aircraft, the performance of such aircraft,
and their potential impact on the air traffic system.
This paper discusses the overall goals of this research
and highlights the methods for investigating
nanomaterials, notional CNRP aircraft performance,
and the potential impact of such a vehicle on airports
and airspace.
In the last decade, nanotechnology concepts have
motivated interdisciplinary science and engineering on
the atomic and molecular scale, with a significant
influence on materials research. Since Ijima's
discovery of the carbon nanotube in 1991 1 stronger
than steel, lighter than aluminum materials with
multifunctional capabilities have been realized in
carbon nanotube technologies. Carbon nanotube
enhanced materials especially fit the needs of the
aerospace industry, where materials with high strength-to-weight ratios dominate designs.
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