CW Blog
FAR Part 25 Standards
Prior to 1990, most cabin composites were epoxy-based. But in 1987, the U.S. Federal Aviation Admin. (FAA) mandated slower burn rate/flame spread in aircraft seat cushion materials in its Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 25 standards. Then, in 1990, it also established regulations that mandated stringent
Read MoreCentrifugal casting
Centrifugal casting of pipe ranging from 25 mm/1 inch to 356 mm/14 inches in diameter is an alternative to filament winding for high-performance, corrosion-resistant service. In cast pipe, 0°/90° woven fiberglass provides both longitudinal and hoop strength throughout the pipe wall and brings greater strength at equal
Read MoreAll-carbon bicycle rims cost-competitive with aluminum
Iterative design process improves performance and manufacturability of one-piece carbon rims.
Read MoreSandwich panel flexure testing
Dr. Donald F. Adams (Wyoming Test Fixtures (Salt Lake City, Utah) comments on the composite materials testing community's move toward the use of the terms "long beam flexure" and "short beam flexure" when addressing sandwich panel testing.
Read MoreHigh-Performance carbon fiber car wheels take big step forward
One of the "holy grails"of carbon fiber application is car wheels. How badly would auto OEMs love to lose those heavy steel wheels? The question always has been: Can a carbon fiber wheel meet all of the required performance specs at an affordable price? The short answer is, yes but not yet. Dymag Racing UK
Read MoreAdvanced materials for aircraft interiors
Applications aren't as demanding as airframe composites, but requirements are still exacting — passenger safety is key.
Read MoreTube rolling
Tube rolling is a long-standing composites manufacturing process for producing finite-length tubes and rods. It is particularly applicable to small-diameter cylindrical or tapered tubes in lengths up to 6.1m/20 ft. Tubing diameters up to 152 mm/6 inches can be rolled efficiently. Typically, a tacky prepreg fabric or
Read MoreThe world of composites: An overview
Commercial applications growing despite tight material supplies.
Read MoreCarbon car hood: Class A and cost-effective
Resin film infusion, electroformed nickel tooling meet Aston Martin quality and cost targets.
Read MoreExtrusion
Fiber-reinforced thermoplastic shapes are now being extruded, as well. Breakthrough material and process technology has been developed with long-fiber glass-reinforced thermoplastic (ABS, PVC or polypropylene) composites to provide profiles that offer a tough, low-cost alternative to wood, metal and injection-molded
Read MoreFiber placement and tape laying
The fiber placement process automatically places multiple individual pre-impregnated tows onto a mandrel at high speed, using a numerically controlled placement head to dispense, clamp, cut and restart each tow during placement. Minimum cut length (the shortest tow length a machine can lay down) is the essential
Read MoreMatrices: Carbon, metal and ceramic
Perhaps the most exotic matrix, in part because it is neither thermoset nor thermoplastic, is pyrolized and densified noncontinuous carbon, which forms the matrix in carbon/carbon (C/C) composites. C/Cs withstand extremely high temperatures – nearly 1650°C/3000°F on space shuttle components – and also find use in
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