Prepregs
Formulation flexibility: Direct-SMC
Consortium applies inline-compounding technology to reinvent sheet molding compound.
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Spare wheel well: Functional integration
Gas-assist injection molding enables one-piece, one-shot thermoplastic composite/metal hybrid.
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SMC sandwich panels: Lean process opens doors
Patented process enables compression molding at lower pressures, saving capital equipment costs for panel fabrication.
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Redesigning for simplicity and economy
Military OEM makes the switch from sandwich construction to compression molding to optimize composite aerospace part.
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Airbus A350 Update: BRaF & FPP
EADS Innovation Works pursues qualification of Braided Frames for the A350-1000 fuselage and develops Fiber Patch Preforming for complex local reinforcements.
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2011 International Paris Air Show
At the 49th event, records are set for attendance and aircraft orders, and airframers go on record about composites-related developments.
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Thermoplastic composites: Sustainable transport
Cyclic PBT oligomers used to mold Class 8 semitrailer bed via vacuum-bag processing.
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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Under the hood: Thermoplastics tackle tough jobs
Reinforced plastics save weight and cost, increase underhood productivity.
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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