The aviation sector is looking to replace conventional metals for aircraft structures with composite materials due to the latter’s potentially favourable combination of mechanical properties and low weight. However, relatively little is known about the environmental impacts and economic costs associated with composite materials displacing conventional metal in aircraft applications, and the relevant analysis models have not been well established.

A novel integrated life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) framework for assessing the environmental and cost performances that is capable of supporting the decision-making process in selecting the most sustainable material alternative, is proposed. The displacement of a conventional aluminium door for an aircraft by a composite door on a life cycle basis is presented as an example of the use of this framework. Based on some novel data and model analyses, LCA and LCC are conducted to quantify the environmental impacts and economic performance of a composite aircraft door, respectively, and the results are compared with those of a conventional aluminium door. The scenario analysis, sensitivity analysis and Monte Carlo simulation as a support are carried out to address the data uncertainty. A graphical visualization tool is demonstrated the integrated environmental and economic performances of this displacement.

The research finds that composite materials used to manufacture aircraft doors can increase environmental and financial impacts over conventional doors across the entire life cycle. The research recommends that the composite door has to be favoured if the weight reduces to a certain extent in future designs. The graphical tool is proved to be useful to represent an eco-efficiency comparison based on the integration of the LCA and LCC results, providing understandable information to the decision-makers.

This study contributes a new database for inventory datasets and demonstrates a potential improvement method for future door production. The model developed in the research provides guidance for analysing other products in aircraft applications. The proposed framework and methodology can be transferred to similar decision problems within the aircraft sector and beyond.