Skip to main content

National Center for Advanced Materials Performance

NCAMP Logo

Both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) accept composite specification and design values developed using the NCAMP process.

FAA Memorandum AIR100-2010-120-003

EASA CM – S – 004

Contact
Royal Lovingfoss
(316) 978-5317
rlovingfoss@niar.wichita.edu

Additional Links

Bulletin PortalAGATE Database

NCAMP, the National Center for Advanced Materials Performance, works with the FAA and industry partners to qualify material systems and populate a shared materials database that can be viewed publicly. NCAMP started as a FAA-funded program within the National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University and stemmed from NASA's 1995 Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiment (AGATE).

What is the benefit to aircraft manufacturers?
Instead of qualifying an entire material system, manufacturers can pull a system from the NCAMP database, prove equivalency and gain FAA certification in a quicker and cheaper manner than a typical qualification approach.

What is the benefit to materials suppliers?
Material suppliers can work with NCAMP to qualify material systems without having to be linked to an ongoing aircraft certification program. This allows the material supplier to get their material out into the market via a public forum with generated allowables and FAA certification.

Which material systems are currently NCAMP-qualified?

Additive Manufacturing Materials

  • Stratasys Fortus 900mc, ULTEM 9085
  • Markforged X7, Onyx FR-A w/ Carbon Fiber FR-A
  • Hexcel Corporation HexPEKK®-100, Laser Powder Bed Fusion (*Pending Equivalency*)
  • Antero(R) 840CN03 and Stratasys Inc. Fortus 900TM
  • Antero(R) 800NA and Stratasys Inc. Fortus 900TM

Core Materials

  • Evonik Rohacell 71Hero Foam Core

Thermoset Materials - Prepreg

  • Cytec, a Syensqo company 5320-1
    • T650 Unidirectional Tape
    • T650 3k-PW Fabric
  • Cytec, a Syensqo company MTM45-1
    • Style 7781 E Glass Fabric
    • Style 6781 S2 Glass Fabric
    • 3K PW G30-500 Fabric
    • 12K AS4 Unidirectional Tape
    • 12K HTS5631 Unidirectional Tape (HTS40)
    • IM7 Unidirectional Tape
    • AS4 PW Fabric
  • Cytec, a Syensqo company EP2190
    • IMS65 Unidirectional Tape
    • T650 PW Fabric
  • Hexcel 8552
    • AS4 Unidirectional Tape
    • IM7 Unidirectional Tape
    • AS4 PW Fabric
    • AS4 3k 8HS
  • Hexcel M91
    • IM8-GS 12K Unidirectional
    • IM8-GP 6K ZB PW Fabric
  • Newport NCT4708
    • MR60H Unidirectional Tape
  • Renegade RM-2014-LDk-Tk
    • 4581 8HS Quartz
  • Toray (formerly TenCate) BT250E-6
    • IM7 GP Unidirectional Tape
    • AS4C 3K-PW Fabric
    • S2 Unidirectional Tape
  • Toray (formerly TenCate) TC250
    • 12k HTS40 PW Fabric
  • Toray CMA 3960
    • T1100GC Unidirectional Tape - Hand Layup
    • T1100GC Unidirectional Tape - Slit Tape
  • Toray TC380
    • T1100GC24K Unitape
    • T800HB 6K 2x2 Twill

Thermoset Materials - VARTM

  • Cytec, a Syensqo company PRISM® EP2400 with Teijin Tenax™ IMS65 reinforcements
    • Biaxial Dry Reinforcement Non-Crimp Fabric
    • Bidiagonal Dry Reinforcement Non-Crimp Fabric
    • Unidirectional Dry Reinforcement Woven Fabric

Thermosets Repair

  • Cytec, a Syensqo company 5320-1 Repair

Thermoplastic Materials

  • Toray (formerly TenCate) TC1225
    • T700 Unidirectional Tape - Hand Layup
    • T700 Unidirectional Tape - Slit Tape
    • T300JB 3K 5HS
  • Teijin Tenax-E TPWF/TPCL PEEK
    • HTA40 E13 3K 5HS
  • Victrex LMPAEK™
    • UDT AS4-143-34
    • UDT AS7-192-34

NCAMP Proprietary Allowables & Specs

PROPRIETARY - COMPLETED
Material Description Type of Material Contact
Toray 3960 T1100G Unitape Gr 192 RC 33.5%, 0.5" Slit Tape Thermoset Spirit AeroSystems
PROPRIETARY - UPCOMING
Material Description Type of Material Contact
Toray 3960 T1100GC 12K 71E PW Prepreg 196gsm 35% RC Thermoset Toray
Cytec, a Syensqo company 5320-1 IM7 UNI 0.25" Slit Tape Thermoset NIAR ATLAS
Hexcel 1078-1 HiTape IM7 0.25" Slit Tape VARTM NIAR ATLAS
Renegade RM-3004 BMI Unitape BMI Stratolaunch
Renegade RM-3004 BMI PW BMI Stratolaunch
IHI ISAJT-K069 woven 3D orthogonal preform (Class A) CMC IHI
UPCOMING PUBLISHABLE
Material Description Type of Material
Cytec, a Syensqo company FM309-1M .06psf Adhesive
Cytec, a Syensqo company FM300-2 0.06psf Adhesive
Loctite EA 9394 Adhesive
Ti-6AL-4V, EOS M290 AM
Hexcel HexWeb® HRH-10-1/8-3.0’, NOMEX® aramid fiber Core Core
Axiom AX-7800-DF11-5HS3000D Satin Weave Fabric Prepreg CMC
Cytec, a Syensqo company APC PEKK-FC AS4 Unitape Chopped Fiber Thermoplastic
Toray TC1225 T1100GC 92N Unidirectional 145 gsm 34% RC Thermoplastic
Toray TC1100 T300JB3K 5HS Fabric

Thermoplastic
Toray TAC TC380 T800HB 6K 2x2 Twill Equivalency using A&P TX-45 braided fabric (Qualification is using traditional 2x2 Twill Fabric) Thermoset
Cytec, a Syensqo company EP2190 IMS65 Unitape Gr 145 RC 35% 0.25” Slit Tape Thermoset
Cytec, a Syensqo company EP2750 199 2X2T T650-35 3K Thermoset
Teijin Q183/IMS65 24K Unitape Thermoset
Teijin Q183/IMS65 2x2 Twill Fabric Thermoset
Cytec, a Syensqo company 5320-1 7781 Glass Thermoset
Hexcel M21E IMA-12K 600 HLU 194gsm Unitape with 34% RC Thermoset

How do we get involved?

  • Interested in qualifying a material system or manufacturing test panels?
    Contact Royal Lovingfoss at rlovingfoss@niar.wichita.edu or (316) 978-5317.
  • Interested in reviewing process reports before approval?
    Sign up on the NCAMP portal.
  • Interested in receiving NCAMP Newsletters for new materials and updates?
    Sign up on the NCAMP portal.
  • Want to see the NCAMP-approved material systems?
    Visit the Allowables & Specs tab below.

NCAMP Documents & Forms

FAA & EASA Memorandum
FAA Memorandum
EASA Memorandum

NCAMP Operating Procedure Documents
NSP 100 NCAMP Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
NSP 110 Operating Procedures and Bylaws for NCAMP Regulatory Governing Board (RGB)
NSP 120 Operating Procedures and Bylaws for NCAMP Manufacturers Advisory Board (MAB)
NSP 130 Operating Procedures and Bylaws for NCAMP Suppliers Avisory Board (SAB)

NCAMP Process Control Documents
NRP 101 Prepreg PCD Preparation & Maintenance Guide
NRP 102 Polyacrylonitrile-Based Carbon Fiber Process Control Document (PCD) Preparation and Mantenance Guide

NCAMP Authorized Engineering Representative (AER)
NQP 200 Application Form

NCAMP Authorized Inspection Representative (AIR)
NQP 100 Application Form

NCAMP Engineering Acceptance
Form 289-3
289-3 Instruction Guide

NCAMP Request for Varification (RIV)
Form 168-10
168-10 Instruction Guide

NCAMP Inspection Verification Record
Form 168-1
168-1 Instruction Guide

Additional Documents
PMC Data Collection

 

Additional Documents

HYpothesis Testing of EQuivalence (HYTEQ)

Asymptotical Distributions, Parameters and Coverage Probabilities of Tolerance Limits (2007) by Xiaomi Hu

Simulation of Different Acceptance Criteria (2006) by Beth Clarkson, Ph.D.

Deriving Composite Lamina Properties from Laminate Properties Using Classical Lamination Theory and Failure Criteria (2005) by Yeow Ng

Simulation Programs (for educational purposes only)
For the simulation programs below, mu is the population average, sigma is the population standard deviation, n is the sample size for basis value calculations and N is the number of basis value calculations

NCAMP in the News

NCAMP Members

 

NCAMP History

AGATE History

AGATE Shared Database Process
In recent years, NASA, industry and the FAA have worked together to help the aviation industry deliver more aircraft in less time by sharing central material qualification databases. This concept was first tested with the databases formed through the Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments (AGATE), formed by NASA in 1995 and led by NIAR at WSU. The purpose of AGATE was to develop affordable new technology, industry standards and certification methods for general aviation aircraft.

Before AGATE, the traditional approach to qualifying materials meant individual companies used "customized" qualification programs, leading to detailed and expensive procedures for each company. Costs increased further as other procedures were established for structural testing, manufacturing control and repair. As a result, most programs were limited to using materials previously qualified for other programs, which led to using older, outdated material and not taking advantage of the latest technology and material advances in the industry.

With the creation of AGATE, the AGATE Shared Database Process was formed. The shared databases created using the AGATE process allowed a manufacturer to select a pre-approved composite material system to fabricate parts through a smaller subset of testing for a specific application (known as equivalency). The materials accepted into these shared databases required that the raw materials be manufactured in accordance with process control documents and material specifications, which impose control of the key physical, chemical and mechanical properties of the material.

Through the joint collaboration of two government agencies, NASA and FAA, AGATE was able to reduce the time required for certification of new composite materials by a factor of four and the cost of certification by a factor of 10. The timeline below highlights the progress AGATE made, leading to NCAMP.agate history

Allowables & Specs

NCAMP Reports and Specifications

All the documents in this page have been reviewed and approved by NCAMP members through the NCAMP Portal. For information regarding the acceptability of NCAMP-published allowables and specifications, please refer to the the FAA Policy Memorandum AIR100-2010-120-003 and EASA Certification Memorandum CM-S-004.

Additive Manufacturing Materials

Core Materials

  • Evonik Rohacell 71Hero Foam Core (available in NCAMP Portal)

Thermoset Materials - Prepreg

Thermoset Materials - VARTM

Thermoplastic Materials

NMS 818 Carbon Fiber Specifications

ACN Record

©