A new cost/weight trade-off method for airframe material decisions based on variable fuel price

This paper presents a simple method for analyzing the monetary trade-off between rising airframe material cost and reduced jet fuel cost for supporting the decision-making in designing lightweight but expensive new materials. The method considers the weight growth factor, Breguet range equation, specific strength, material cost, fuel price, and aircraft range. A model analysis reveals that rising fuel price can drastically change the optimum airframe materials from legacy aluminum alloys to carbon fiber-reinforced plastics.