Some years ago in Paisley (Scotland) the International Conference on
Composite Materials, headed by Professor I. Marshall, took place. During
the conference, I presented a paper on the manufacturing and properties
of the Soviet Union's composite materials. Soviet industry had made
great achievements in the manufacturing of composite materials for
aerospace and rocket applications. For example, the fraction of
composites (predominantly carbon fibre reinforced plastics) in the large
passenger aircrafts Tu-204 and 11-86 is 12-15% of the structure weight.
The percentage by weight share of composites in military aircraft is
greater and the fraction of composites (organic fibre reinforced
plastics) used in military helicopters exceeds a half of the total
structure weight. The nose parts of most rockets are produced in
carbon-carbon materials. In the Soviet spacecraft 'Buran' many fuselage
tubes are made of boron-aluminium composites. Carbon-aluminium is used
for space mirrors and gas turbine blades. These are just a few examples
of applications. Many participants at the Paisley conference suggested
that the substantial Soviet experience in the field of composite
materials should be distilled and presented in the form of a
comprehensive reference publication. So the idea of the preparation and
publication of a six volume work Soviet Advanced Composites Technology,
edited by Professor I. Marshall and me, was born.
