THE TRANSFORMATION

Compiled and translated by Madeline Weng

Photos by Zeng Jian, Dongfang IC

THE TRANSFORMATION

Compiled and translated by Madeline Weng

Photos by Zeng Jian, Dongfang IC

Do you know that a plane carries nearly nine kilogrammes of weight every square centimetre when it’s up in the air? You may wonder, what materials enable it to endure such great pressure?

飛機“鎧甲”變形記

飛機要飛上萬米高空，自身每厘米要承受八至九公斤的重量！究竟是怎樣的材料，賦予了飛機如此神力？

1903

Era of Exploration: wood that fires up the future

1903 witnessed the invention of the fi rst engined airplane in human history. Created by American aviation pioneers, the Wright brothers, the aviation was mainly made of spruce, a strong and lightweight wood. This material structure had been used up until the end of World War 1. Easy to assemble and requires little propulsive force, this kind of airplanes, however, was only able to fl y at a slow pace of 16 km/h.

探索的時代：木質飛機，飛速慢

1903年，萊特兄弟發明的世界上第一架載人飛機上天。其材料以木材為主，占比達47%，其次是鋼和布。這樣的材料結構一直沿用到第一次世界大戰結束。木質材料的優點有：重量輕，需要的推力較小，以及易加工，易組裝。然而，這架飛機的飛行時速只有16公里。

1906

Era of Breakthrough: Here Comes the Iron Man

The invention of duralium in 1906 set scene for the brilliant appearance of the all-metal airplanes. Duralium is hard as well as light in weight. Endowed with harder structure, planes in this era were able to travel more than 600 km an hour, marked a major breakthrough in aviation.

突破的時代：全金屬飛機出現

1906年，德國冶金學家發明了硬鋁，使后來制造全金屬結構的飛機成為可能。硬鋁的優點是強度比較高，硬度比較大，剛度比較大，同時較輕。全金屬結構飛機加大了結構強度，改善了氣動外形，提高了飛機性能。到1940年代，全金屬結構飛機的時速已經超過 600公里，實現了飛機制造技術、飛行速度、安全性和飛機強度上的突破。

1950s

Era of Speed: Faster than Sound!

ln the 50s, engineers diverted their attentions to the search for a better heat-resisting material, hence the invention of aviation-grade titanium and stainless steel.

超音速的時代：鈦合金研制成功

1950年代以后，飛機材料特別注重耐高溫指標，人類開始尋求全新的高強度耐熱材料。于是，出現了航空專用的既堅固又耐熱的鈦合金和不銹鋼。

1970s

Era of Advancement: Composite Material, Lighter yet Stronger

A new generation of aviation materials has come into being since the 1970s. The composite material is tougher, lighter, heat-resistant and vibrationreduced and so on. lt allows the aircraft to reduce its weight without compromising its original intensity. Boeing 787 is a good example of adopting composite material, with more than 50% of its body made of the latest aviation material.

When we look back into the history of aviation, we realise that it is always the new materials that boost the creation of a new type of planes. The progress made in the fi eld of manufacturing and testing has also laid solid technological base for the future designs. What will come out next, is defi nitely worth expecting.

縱觀人類航空發展史，材料和飛機一直是在相互推動下不斷得以發展和改進的。與此同時，制造工藝與測試技術的進步，又為航空新產品的設計與制造提供了物質與技術基礎。未來，航空材料的發展依舊讓人充滿期待。

先進的時代：復合材料出現

自1970年代開始，新一代航空材料復合材料應運而生。復合材料剛度高、質量輕，并具有抗疲勞、減振、耐高溫、可設計等優點。它可以使飛機在維持原強度的前提下減輕重量。波音787使用的復合材料，比例在逐漸增大，直到現在它的機身包括機翼都采用的是復合材料，其比例已經超過了50%。