Sara Black Senior Technical Editor Emeritus
Optimization software improves small, low-cost satellite design
Ames Research Center’s (Moffett Field, Calif.) designs and builds a low-cost, small spacecraft on a quick turnaround, using a modular strategy based on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) parts and with the aid of several design software packages and finite element solvers.
Read MoreCast polymer categories
The cast polymer industry is multifaceted. Its many products, however, can be grouped into three general categories, differentiated by the materials and manufacturing methods used to make them.
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Cast polymer market: On the upswing
Postrecession, this commodity industry is emerging stronger and going global as competitive pressures encourage innovation.
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Spread-tow carbon fabrics reduce mass in America’s Cup catamaran
To meet its weight and cost goals for this year's America's Cup, cup defenders ORACLE TEAM USA turned to Oxeon AB’s (Borås, Sweden) trademarked TeXtreme Spread Tow carbon reinforcements.
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Japan: Floating wind farm
Since the 2011 tsunami and related nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, that country’s political leaders have provided incentives for development of floating offshore wind farms in the deep water offshore of Japan's coastline.
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Fair winds for offshore wind farms
Innovations in blades, turbines and foundations are helping spur growth in a very big way.
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Redefining the root
As part of a radical redesign effort that has produced a segmented blade, Blade Dynamics Ltd. (Cowes, Isle of Wight, U.K.) developed a thinner, less weighty root than that seen in conventional blades.
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GFRP rebar replaces steel in parking garage
Composite rebar in replacement concrete slab the key in life-extending and less-costly structural rehabilitation project.
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LFI process: Molding strong and attractive spa enclosures
Dynasty Spas (Athens, Tenn.) finds a composite alternative to wood hot tub surrounds in a polyurethane (PU)-based long fiber injection (LFI) solution implemented by Romeo RIM Inc. (Romeo, Mich.).
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After lightning strikes: Repair considerations
When lightning does strike, aircraft LSP system repairs must be done correctly to ensure restoration of protection.
Read MoreNano-enhanced LSP?
Niles Nanofabrix, a recently unveiled new material from metal mesh provider Niles International (Niles, Ohio), offers a potential nanotechnology solution for lightning strike protection strategists.
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Lightning strike protection strategies for composite aircraft
Tried-and-true materials thrive, but new approaches and new forms designed to process faster are entering the marketplace.
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