CW Blog
Smart Aircraft Structures: a Future Necessity
Health monitoring of aircraft structures using distributed in situ sensor systems.
Read MoreThe Art of Armor Development
Composites are playing a bigger role in antiballistic systems designed to defuse a host of weapons, including improvised explosive devices.
Read MoreLong-Fiber Injection Advances Polyurethane Composites
Single-step molding technology lets fabricators enjoy the high modulus, low emissions and short cure times of thermoset polyurethanes.
Read MoreCOMPOSITES POLYCON 2006
ACMA's and ICPA's trade shows converge in America's middle, St. Louis.
Read MoreFRP concrete forms shape West Point library&'s new entryway
MFG Construction Products Co. (div. of Molded Fiber Glass Cos., Ashtabula, Ohio) manufactures fiberglass forms for cast-in-place concrete construction. The company has recently been involved with demanding applications at historic locations, including a $59 million (USD) library expansion at the U.S. Military Academy
Read MoreFAR 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 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 MoreFilament winding
Filament winding is a continuous fabrication method that can be highly automated and repeatable with relatively low material costs. A long, cylindrical tool called a mandrel is suspended horizontally between end supports, while the “head” – the fiber application instrument – moves back and forth along the length of a
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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