B-2 stealth bomber

The B-2 stealth bomber in Figure 1-38 is made by Northrop Grumman. Virtually all external parts are made of various composite materials because of their radar-absorption characteristics and/or their capability to be formed to shapes that naturally lower the radar cross section of the plane. However, the details are not publicly available, nor are they for the Lockheed Martin F-117A stealth fighter. 

Figure 1-38 B-2 Stealth Bomber (Courtesy of Northrop Grumman)...

Kevlar). More recently, many of the structural members of the B-2 stealth bomber are fabricated from composites of high-performance polymers and carbon fiber rather than from the more traditional aluminum or titanium. 

Composites are combinations of more than one material or phase. Ceramics are used in many composites, often for reinforcement. For example, one of the reasons a B-2 stealth bomber is stealthy is that it contains over 22 tons of carbon/epoxy composite. In some composites the ceramic is acting as the matrix (ceramic matrix composites or CMCs). An early example of a CMC dating back over 9000 years is brick. These often consisted of a fired clay body reinforced with straw. Clay is an important ceramic and the backbone of the traditional ceramic industry. In concrete, both the matrix (cement) and the reinforcement (aggregate) are ceramics. 

Composite materials have been used extensively in the military aircraft B-2 stealth bomber [12]. Most of this aircraft s body is made from composite materials designed to absorb radio waves. Currently composites are being used in aircraft and boat propellers, helicopter rotors, and in wind turbines. They are also replacing the use of finished metals in materials applications for missiles, spacecraft, automobile parts, golf clubs, and bicycles. 

Incidentally, years later—when 1 was briefed into the program— 1 found out that the tools we developed were used extensively in the design of the B-2 Stealth Bomber. You can also see what we did on a program called EEMAT in an interview on display at an exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. 

Argyres, N. S. (1999). The impact of information technology on coordination Evidence from the B-2 stealth bomber. Organization Science, 70(2), 162-180. 

The largest static composite structures are bridges. Most bridge eomposites are decking materials comprised of fiberglass. Relative to structures that move are the B-2 stealth bomber which is made of graphite/epoxy. The B-2 is one of the most... 

The Stealth Bomber, more accurately known as the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber, is cited as the largest composite structure produced with over 30%i of the weight being carbon-graphite-epoxy composites. The Stealth Bomber was originally slated to hunt Russian mobile missiles that were built in the 1980s. It was deployed in 1993 and has a... 

The composite materials used to construct the U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit Stealth bomber absorb radio waves, making the plane virtually undetectable on radar. 

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