Hexcel completes NCAMP qualification of HexPly M91 prepreg

At Farnborough, Hexcel announces that HexPly M91 has passed qualification at the National Center for Advanced Materials Performance, which belongs to NIAR, the aviation research institute of Wichita State University. Hexcel (NYSE: HXL) says the process is complete. M91 is a carbon fibre epoxy prepreg, and the work covers two forms: tape and plain weave cloth. The result is a fully characterised material system for main aircraft structures and further load-bearing uses.

The allowables and underlying test data now sit in the NCAMP data repository, which aerospace manufacturers can draw on them for design and for certification. The system pairs a carbon fibre of intermediate modulus with a toughened epoxy. Hexcel says it delivers higher tensile and compressive properties than established baseline materials, along with better impact resistance in load-bearing structures.

Imad Atallah, Hexcel’s vice president for commercial aerospace growth programs and product management in fibers, reinforcements and matrix, says the qualification widens access to high-performance composites across the industry and that M91 extends proven platforms with the performance needed by coming aircraft and engines. Royal Lovingfoss, who directs materials and processes at NIAR, says the published data positions M91 for wider adoption.

Why it matters

An NCAMP qualification gives the industry one common set of property data, across airliners and advanced air mobility vehicles. Manufacturers that reuse it spend less time and money on qualification and certification, and new aircraft and propulsion programmes can move faster. Newer aerospace companies get proven materials without building proprietary datasets of their own.

Aircraft engine fan blades made of carbon fibre composite are among the uses for which Hexcel has supplied M91 over several years. With the NCAMP data public, that experience becomes validated information open to other platforms.

Hexcel credits the effort to the investment needed to produce complete materials data and to its continuing work with NIAR on developing, scaling and validating advanced composites. The NYSE-listed group (HXL) produces carbon fibre, specialty reinforcements, prepregs, honeycomb, resins and engineered core.