WSEPCM-2025

Senior R&D Engineer with several years of experience with conceptual and detail design, analysis and fabrication of structural components of composite materials, for aerospace, defence and non-aerospace applications. Graduated at TU Delft Aerospace Engineering in 1998. Working at the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre NLR since 2008 and participated in several national and international R&D projects and as coordinator for the EU project AUTOW on Dry Fibre Placement (DFP) development and its follow-up CANAL on Non-Conventional Laminates in combination with DFP. For the AUTOW project Ronald was awarded the Outstanding Paper at SAMPE’s Fall Tech 2011 Outstanding Paper. Current R&D work involves development of processing and design of high temperature composites ( BMI, Cyanate-ester, Polyimides & Phthalonitrile resins), DFP and vacuum infusion and multi-functional composites. Ronald is married and has three daughters and three cats. Aerospace Composites Keynote speech The Wright Brothers are probably best known for inventing, building, and flying the world's first successful airplane with the Wright Flyer in 1903. But they were also printers and had a bicycle repair and sales shop and even manufactured their own brand. Comparing the bicycle from that time with nowadays it seems not much has changed in the basic design and looks. However, airplanes have changed dramatically compared to 1903. Starting with linen and wood a major step was the mainstream adoption of aluminium in the 1930s after which it remained the mainstay material in aerospace even up to this day. From the 1980 composites started to be used more and more, with Airbus using it on the iconic A300/310. From then on it seems like an exponential growth in the use of composites with the B787 and A350 being State-of-the-Art. The question now is what role composites will play in the successors of the B737 and A320. The A220, former C-series, already provides a bit of a clue. In this keynote speech I will address several developments that will enable further optimal use of composites in the next generation airliners.