SGL Carbon supplies composite material for rotor blades to Airbus Helicopters as standard

Since August this year, SGL Carbon has been supplying two special fibreglass textiles, so-called "scrim", for the new version of the helicopter type H145 from Airbus Helicopters. The materials are used in the model's new, highly efficient five-bladed rotor. The material was jointly developed by Airbus Helicopters and SGL Carbon and qualified for further use in the coming years.

Due to their unidirectional fibre alignment, the fabrics have a particularly high resistance and optimally support the new geometry of the H145's particularly long rotor blades. The clutches are produced at the SGL Carbon site in Willich near Dusseldorf in a multi-stage process and delivered from there to Airbus Helicopters in Paris.

"The order underscores our growing presence in the aviation business. With Airbus Helicopters, we have for the first time also realized, qualified and mass-produced a material concept for primary structural components. " Andreas Erber, Head of the Aerospace Segment of the Composites - Fibers & Materials Business Unit of SGL Carbon.

The current deliveries are part of a framework agreement with Airbus Helicopters, with which the cooperation is to be stepped up step by step.Airbus Helicopters and SGL Carbon have been working on the development of helicopter components materials for many years, including the processing of composite materials for aircraft doors of the Airbus Group. In addition, Airbus and SGL Carbon are involved in various associations and research projects in the composites sector, such as Carbon Composites eV