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Topology optimization
For Airbus (Toulouse, France), topology optimization is just one of many computer-aided optimization techniques that have been employed in the aircraft design process — and employed ever earlier — to reduce time and cost.
Read MorePanelized option attested early on
Airbus' (Toulouse, France) use of large composite panels attached to frames in the A350 fuselage — is comparable to the optimal design conclusion reached by the Advanced Technology Composite Aircraft Structures (ATCAS) program back in the late 1990s.
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A350 XWB update: Smart manufacturing
Spirit AeroSystems actualizes Airbus’ intelligent design for the A350’s center fuselage and front wing spar in Kinston, N.C.
Read MoreChina invested to become world SWT leader
A 2009 China Europe International Business School (Shanghai) project titled The Rural Electrification in China and The Impact of Renewable Energies details the government policies and multinational funding that has established China as the leader in small wind.
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HAWTs vs. VAWTs
Horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWTs) command the small wind turbine (SWT) market, led by a handful of companies that have been in production for 20 to 30 years, while vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) manufacturers, with the exception of Ropatec (Bolzano, Italy), have mostly developed within the past five years.
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Small wind gets big
Massive growth, complex blade designs reopen challenging market in wind energy niche.
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Heavy-duty infusion: Scaling up for scrubbers
Infused 3-D woven fabric preforms best steel in beams and unitized deck structures built for the caustic confines of massive flue gas desulfurization systems.
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Thermoplastic composites: Primary structure?
Yes, advanced forms are in development, but has the technology progressed enough to make the business case?
Read MoreTPCs on the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350
Although The Boeing Co.’s (Seattle, Wash.) 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus (Toulouse, France) A350 XWB have earned much press as showcases for thermoset composites in aircraft structure, both programs also have advanced the use of thermoplastic composites.
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Marquez innovates aircraft TPCs
Marquez (Montréal, Québec, Canada) supplies TPC ducting for The Boeing Co.’s 787 Personal System Unit (PSU), and the TPC structural window bezel used on all Bombardier (Montréal, Canada) Global Express business aircraft.
Read MorePerformance requirements: CAI vs. OHC
John Russell, who manages nonautoclave research programs for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio), recently threw down the gauntlet at the Fall SAMPE conference in Salt Lake City, Utah: “Give us a 25 percent improvement in notch properties with no microcracking in high-modulus fibers.” While OOA prepreg suppliers can’t do much about fiber microcracking, Advanced Composites Group (ACG, Tulsa, Okla.) already has announced that its XMTM47 material will be commercial by next year, designed for 120°C/248°F service with the increased notched performance requested.
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