Necky Composites
A very basic and well-done video is from Necky Composites.
It demonstrates the toughness of epoxy laminates when he starts the video by beating the kayak with a hammer. He also does a good job of discussing the construction techniques of his kayaks and gives some good detail on materials and processes.
I have used the Soric and Divinycell, and the adhesive he discusses. They all have their places and special techniques for application. Many of these materials have been around a long time, and sometimes they have been misused in applications that they didn’t belong. I have personally witnessed some of these horror stories concerning delamination and improper adhesion.
The video quality and production is very rudimentary, but the content is very good. I am not a kayaker, but it makes me want to get one of these!
GE Building Michigan R&D Center
General Electric recently announced plans to build a new R&D Center in Michigan, near Detroit. While portions o the Center will house Software Engineers, much of it will relate to advanced composites for renewable energy, aircraft engine, gas turbine and other high-technology products. The further development of composites, machining, inspection, casting and coating technologies will be pursued to benefit GE’s Aviation and Energy businesses.
This move generally marks a change in direction for GE’s growth in the United States. Prior to this announcement, most of their new operations were opening in Asia and India. There is a potential for a large number of new jobs should this plan reach fruition. Heavy tax incentives and a large number of unemployed engineers have helped make this plan make sense.
The locating of such a large composites R&D center near the automotive heart of America shows how important composites are to the future of American automobiles. Traveling by cars, planes, and trains consume mass amounts of energy, which is only going to become more expensive. Reducing the amount of energy consumption will improve the cost effectiveness of new materials and technologies.
GE is aligned very closely with the Federal Government, who now owns two car companies that also happen to be in Detroit. I would expect to see a lot of collaboration amongst all of these parties as time goes forward.
Composites Application: Utility Trucks
A composites materials application I recently looked at was a man-lift bucket made from composites. These man-lift buckets are mounted on a lifting arm atop a work truck to lift workmen up to perform utilities repairs and service. This is an application that has been around for a long time, and is a great fit for composites materials.
Utility bucket lays sideways for travel
These buckets are designed to hold one or two people and allow them to perform jobs such as hanging electrical wires, television cable, and telephone lines. The workers also need to work on the utility poles and trim the trees and vegetation growing near the lines.
This is a great composites application for serveral reasons.
*The composites allow the manlift bucket to be non-conductive for safety reasons. Many other considerations are made to prevent electricution, and this adds to those safety considerations.
*The bucket is also lightweight due to composites, which allow for greater lifting capacity of the workers and their tools because weight is not used inthe lifting device itself.
*These trucks spend the majority of their lives outdoors, and the anti-corrosive nature of composites helps give these manlift buckets long lives.
Fiberglass composites are normally non-conductive, and this is a very important consideration for applications such as these involved with utilities. Composites are found in many applications where electrocution is possible.
Not all composites materials are non-conductive, however. The use of conductive fillers and reinforcements can allow for electricity to travel in these applications. Carbon fiber and carbon black are a couple of ingredients that can cause this. Testing finished composites for conductivitiy can be conducted to determine their insulative properties.
Composite RFQ
An interesting website that I recently discovered is called CompositeRFQ.com, which is a website dedicated specifically to the composites industry, and filling Requests for Quotes. This website works to match composites fabrication shops with those businesses and individuals needing composites fabrication work completed.
A project is posted by the person with work needing to be performed. The proper industry is selected, choosing from aerospace, architecture, automotive, boating, military, and sporting goods. Additional information documents can be attached for further scope identification. Bidding details can then be specified by the person posting the project.
Composites fabricators with related expertise and experience can bid on these projects in an effort to identify work opportunities for their business. If a bid is accepted, the details are worked out directly between the bidder and the buyer, eliminating any third party costs and delays. Bidders and Buyers can go back and leave feedback after the job is complete.
Composite RFQ has some free accounts to go in and look around. There is a very interesting page about using Composite RFQ that very easily explains how it work s graphically.
This site is a great tool to bring the composites world together between buyers and sellers. The old word of mouth method of finding fabricators and customers is great, but does not always lead down the best path. Small fabrication shops have difficulty advertising their services to the appropriate customers that might be looking for the type of work that they do, and now they can go and bid directly on the types of projects they can handle.
Wind Blades
The new composites application that everybody is discussing is composites wind blades. The large, three-bladed wind generators have been around for a few decades, mostly in Europe. The U.S. has been catching on in the last couple of years as a way to make cleaner electricity. These windmills are very tall, and have blades that are 100 to 400 feet long, depending upon output rating and location.
The wind blades use glass carbon fiber, resin, and coring to make a long, stiff and lightweight blade that will attach to the hub of the windmill. These blades are very long, requiring huge manufacturing facilities to make them. The transportation of these blades is important as well, as they require specialized trucks and trailers to handle such large pieces. Large cranse are required to lift them into place at the job site. They are relatively heavy, and must be lifted fairly high, requiring a significant lift capacity.
Resin infusion with epoxy resins is the normal manufacturing technique of which I am aware. They use compsite molds that have a constantly changing surface shape due to the complex geometry of the blade. The holy grail for these blades is to make longer blades at lower weight.
This application again demonstrates the advantages of composites. Complex geometry, high strength to weight ratio, and impact resistance are important aspects of wind blades.
There are several manufacturers of the wind blades in the U.S. MFG is a specialty composites molder that has been around for ages and is in the wind blade market. Vestas is another company with operations in the U.S., along with LM Glasfiber, as well as others.
Effects of Clear Gelcoat
One of the really cool effects that fiberglass parts can use clear gelcoat. The basic process starts with a properly prepared mold that is waxed and ready for production. The part build begins with a layer of clear gelcoat. Several manufacturers have this product available, and it is sprayed on the same as pigmented gelcoat.
Once the clear gelcoat is tacky, the visible effect is placed down. This can be a wide range of materials and patterns, depending upon the desired outcome. I have a table that has ground granite rock specks.
Granite Table Top
These granite specks are placed down uniformly and consistently to give an acceptable finish. Then some opaque gelcoat is used to finish off the look and help bind it together. After this is cured, the fiberglass buildup is added to the desired strength and structure to give the desired finished part.
This clearcoat can be sanded and buffed much the same way as the opaque gelcoat, though sanding though to the underlying effects would be disastrous.
One of the drawbacks to this style of part comes when an unknown mistake occurs with the detail layer. If contamination or uneven materials have visual problems, the whole part is built before the part is removed from the mold to find these problems. The shape and structure are complete, but surface defects that cannot be repaired relegate these parts to the trash heap. Extreme care must be taken in the detail application stage to prevent this action. Practice and experience with test panels can help minimize these sorts of problems.
Clear gelcoat can provide a very unique and interesting surface medium. A whole new look can be accomplished using existing fiberglass molds, gelcoat spraying equipment, and lamination schedules.
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