Pressure Vessels

Nanomaterials 29 Jan 2016

Graphene composite could help keep wings ice-free

A thin coating of graphene nanoribbons in epoxy developed at Rice University has proven effective at melting ice on a helicopter blade.

Automotive 29 Jan 2016

Alternative precursor R&D: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL, Oak Ridge, TN, US) has been at the forefront of North American research into alternatives to the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor used to make aerospace-grade carbon fiber.

Marine 29 Jan 2016

Alternative precursor R&D: Lignin in the lightweighting limelight

This abundant, renewable resource shows promise as an alternative to PAN for low-cost, functional carbon fibers.

Pressure Vessels 28 Jan 2016

NASA/Boeing composite launch vehicle fuel tank scores firsts

Subscale 5.5m-diameter cryogenic tank demonstrator with innovative fluted-core skirt is formed via robotic AFP and cured out of the autoclave.

Sustainability 28 Jan 2016

Advanced composites — An idealized future

A CW columnist, a composites industry consultant and the chief commercialization officer for the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (Knoxville, TN, US), Dale Brosius imagines an ideal future for our industry then challenges us to make it real.

Pressure Vessels 28 Jan 2016

Recyclable composites must still be reused

Fresh from the IACMI's recent Detroit conclave, CW editor-in-chief Jeff Sloan notes the attendees' admirable commitment to ensure that the carbon fiber composites we build today will be recyclable tomorrow, but asks who will be there, as those products reach end of life, to buy and reuse those reclaimed materials?

Sustainability 18 Jan 2016

IACMI starting to walk the talk

The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) is six months into its five-year life and is showing signs of collaborative-based innovation.

RTM 8 Jan 2016

Carbon Fiber: Refiguring the supply/demand equation

CW editor-in-chief Jeff Sloan returns from Carbon Fiber 2015 in Knoxville TN, US, with news that carbon fiber demand will outstrip supply by 2020, prompting expansion in the 2018-2019 timeframe that could include sources in China.