Out of Autoclave
Learjet 85 is tabled, but what of the technology that created it?
The Learjet 85 is has been put on hold by Bombardier, but a lot of effort went into the composites processes that helped create it. What will become of those?
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Exelis Aerostructures: Salt Lake City
Braided composite shafts and struts for aircraft are its specialty, but there’s much more to this Utah, US-based rising star.
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CFRP camera boom enables safe spill inspection
NONA Composites’ 32m REACH structure meets tight remediation schedule at DoE radioactive waste storage site.
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New aerocomposites niche: Helicopter transmission gears?
A NASA study shows that steel/composite hybrid gears save significant weight, and could mitigate vibration-related noise.
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Modeling and simulation: Is ICME the next composites breakthrough?
CompositesWorld columnist and composites industry consultant Dale Brosius encourages empirical learners (read "hands-on, trial-and-error old-timers") like himself to buy in and start using today's software-based design and simulation tools, which, he says, have the "potential to truly transform the composite industry."
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Composite tooling without oven or autoclave
No Oven No Autoclave technology has been demonstrated in tooling for NASA, including multiple thermal cycles and use for curing epoxy infused out-of-autoclave parts.
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Part design criteria (2015)
Designers of composite parts can choose from a huge variety of fiber reinforcements and resin systems. That makes knowledge of how those materials work together a critically important aspect of part development. Here's a short description of what that knowledge entails.
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Tooling (2015)
Composite parts are formed in molds, also known as tools. Tools can be made from virtually any material. The material type, shape and complexity depend upon the part and length of production run. Here's a short summary of the issues involved in electing and making tools.
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Fiber reinforcement forms
Fibers used to reinforce composites are supplied directly by fiber manufacturers and indirectly by converters in a number of different forms, which vary depending on the application. Here's a guide to what's available.
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The matrix (2015)
The matrix binds the fiber reinforcement, gives the composite component its shape and determines its surface quality. A composite matrix may be a polymer, ceramic, metal or carbon. Here's a guide to selection.
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