Composite materials in the aerospace industry: some opportunities and challenges.

Due to their excellent specific properties, composite materials have been increasingly employed in the transport industry, and especially in the aerospace sector. This keynote presentation reviews some of the opportunities and challenges associated to the use of polymer matrix composites, particularly from the point of view of the mechanics of materials and structures. From the choice of the elementary constituents to some recent developments on manufacturing processes, from the modelling of the initial state of the structure after manufacturing to the challenges in predicting the failure of such highly heterogeneous and anisotropic materials, the presentation will cover different scientific and technological issues, and it will include some illustrations from the research work carried out at the Laboratoire de Mécanique Paris-Saclay, part of Université Paris-Saclay (France), together with its industrial partners.