| Cost occupies an important role in the development of composite structures, and it relates closely to the competitiveness of the aircraft. However, study on life cycle cost is a design concept aiming at the goal of the lowest cost. So the manufactures and the operators should all pay give high attentions to the research.Composite has excellent characteristics of high specific strength and high specific stiffness, but life cycle cost is still a core issue which composite is widely applied to the aircraft structure. Researchers at home and abroad have studied the corresponding cost with every stage of aircraft composite structures, but the cost is still a separate study for every stage.They have no relations which unity variables and consider the relativity as a whole and the changing of life cycle cost. Aiming at these problems, a manufacturing cost model was developed by combined aircraft manufacturing cost model with composite manufacturing technology model, and simplified variables. Secondly, a production cost model was developed based on the learning curve effects. Then, the maintenance cost models were established by introduced and combined the periodic maintenance strategy with weight coefficient of working hour and material on the basis of aluminum alloy, which unified variables with manufacturing cost and considered overall correlation. Finally, the life cycle cost model of aircraft composite structure was established, and various costs for aluminum alloy and composite aileron were compared and analyzed. The development cost difference of two materials will increase with the mass.If the quantity is more than 45, the total production cost of composite structure is lower than that of aluminum alloy. If the mass is higher than 310 kg, the maintenance cost of composite structure is lower than that of aluminum alloy. If the mass is higher than 380 kg, the life cycle cost of composite structure is lower than that of aluminum alloy. The results show that the application of composite to aircraft structures will decrease the cost. |
