The ScanEagle
The military has been slow to accept composites materials, especially for existing applications. New applications for new technologies tend to have fewer of these same hurdles to overcome. The Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), which are remote-controlled spy drones, have been successfully used and adopted by the Armed Forces involved with combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Several different systems exist, with one of them being the ScanEagle.
These entire systems are new to the military, and composites make it possible.
- These small aircraft need the durability of composites to handle the rigors of combat.
- They need the low weight advantage of composites both for flight and for battlefield transport.
- Composites also allow for the unique shape and structure that would be difficult with any other material.
Composites continue to find new and useful applications. Very often it is much more difficult to use composites in a replacement role than a brand new application. Surely composites will find their way into many new military uses for many of the same reasons as the UAS. The strength-to-weight ratio, durability, and design advantages of compositess fill many needs in the future military.
Low Cost Carbon Fiber
I just read an interesting article about the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and their research on low-cost carbon fiber. Most of the carbon fiber is currently manufactured with petroleum-based base materials, and ORNL is looking at using biomass such as lignin as starter material for carbon fiber. This lignin would be a by-product of the process of creating cellulosic ethanol from renewable vegetation sources.
Lower cost carbon fiber would allow for use in many more applications where it is currently too expensive. Weight reduction could be accomplished in the transportation industries to conserve energy and resources. Low cost carbon fiber would find its way into many applications that need high-strength and low weight structures.
This research is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Policy which aims to reduce petroleum demand. The Automotive Composites Consortium is interested in replacing steel in vehicles to reduce weight. Composites materials solve many of the problems associated with using steel in the transportation industry and lower-cost materials will go a long way towards gaining market share and acceptance.
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