Regarding aircrafts, the application of composites within impact endangered areas is unusual. Therefore, an advanced thermoplastic composite slat had been developed with the aim of minimizing weight and manufacturing costs in scheduled series production. The investigation of many manufacturing techniques had been performed as well as integration of new materials. Several generic and full-scale thermoplastic demonstrators were manufactured, using endless fibre-reinforced carbon-fibre-reinforced polyetheretherketone tapes. The critical point, concerning the casting of thick and highly tapered, single curved thermoplastic shells, was identified and new manufacturing methods had been developed. Additionally, the thermoplastic welding process was improved, resulting in a low-cost assembly technique as an alternative to state-of-the-art joining methods. In addition to conventional linear static analysis, dynamic high-velocity impact simulations were carried out. A numerical approach for high-velocity bird strike impact had been developed. The results were used to dimension the residual strength of a damaged slat. Furthermore, a good compliance between the dynamic analysis and the performed tests has been reached. It has been shown that a significant weight reduction is possible by numerical optimization, even if composites are used for impact-sensitive areas.
