CW Blog

Out of Autoclave 7 Sep 2009

On the waterfront: Composite marine piles build on success

Composite sheet pile competes against heavy-gauge steel while composite round piles enhance their position in the market and target wider acceptance in structural applications.

Sustainability 7 Sep 2009

IBEX 2009 Show Preview

As they weather the continuing recessionary storm, boatbuilders will dock in Miami to chart a course for the opportunities that await them in the storm’s wake.

Design and Testing 25 Aug 2009

Mixed-mode fracture toughness of composites

During the 1970s, fracture toughness testing of composite materials developed a very poor reputation, primarily due to failed attempts to directly adopt metals theory and corresponding test methods. However, the basic principles of fracture mechanics remained valid.

Editorial 25 Aug 2009

Gearing up for the new economic normal

In late July, as my family and I raced home from our vacation along Interstate 80 in northern Nevada, we found ourselves quickly overtaking a large flatbed tractor trailer. Strapped onto the bed and covered with a massive tarp was a very large … something, about 15 ft long and 8 ft in diameter.

Cyanate Ester 18 Aug 2009

Resins for the Hot Zone, Part II: BMIs, CEs, benzoxazines and phthalonitriles

Next-generation aerospace programs demand higher temperatures for structural and hot-section components, fostering advances in thermoset resin chemistry.

24 Jul 2009

Washington played a big role in Detroit's decline

Benign neglect. That’s a generous way of describing the American government’s 50-plus years of indifference and hostility toward our domestic automakers.

Compression Molding 24 Jul 2009

Automated solution: New presses for SMC molding process

Using glass/polyester sheet molding compound (SMC) that it formulates and manufactures in-house, Stahlin Non-Metallic Enclosures (Belding, Mich.) produces composite boxes and enclosures for electrical systems and components.

Adhesives 20 Jul 2009

In-mold alternatives to postmold decoration

CT reviews viable, versatile technologies that reduce the time and cost of finishing composite parts.

Automotive 20 Jul 2009

Automotive composites: Let's not sleep through the revolution

In Washington Irving’s 1819 short story, Rip Van Winkle wanders into the Catskill Mountains of colonial New York, meets some strangely dressed men, drinks their liquor and promptly falls asleep under a tree for 20 years.