NASA Composite Crew Module

NASA, the space agency for the U.S. government, has investigated the use of advanced composites for use in future vehicle programs.  The Composite Crew Module (CCM) has been designed and built as a travel vehicle for astronauts in future space programs to travel.  Drawing parallels to the Apollo program, this module will be launched on a rocket and break away as a module.

This technology and material are undergoing testing and evaluation before it is officially accepted for the Orion program.  As a partnership between government agencies and public companies, this technology aims to reduce weight and improve performance of the manned vehicles.
From NASA’s website “Led by the NESC, the project team is a partnership between NASA and industry, including design, manufacturing, and tooling expertise. Partners are civil servants from nine NASA Centers – ARC, DFRC, GRC, GSFC, JSC, JPL, KSC, LaRC, and MSFC; the Air Force Research Laboratories; and contractors from Alcore, Alliant Techsystems, Bally Ribbon Mills, Collier Corporation, Genesis Engineering, Janicki Industries, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman. The CCM team operates in a virtual environment, electronically connecting participants across the country.”

This full-scale structure has strain gauges attached to monitor loads on the structure.  It was announced on January 25 that it has passed a battery of stress tests to prove viability.

The structure appears to be made with carbon fiber materials, maybe with some graphite reinforcement and an epoxy resin system.  Mention of aluminum honeycomb can be found in the online reading materials.  The main pieces are autoclaved, while bonding of the large sections (upper and lower shells) is accomplished outside of the autoclave.

Composites technology is being developed for future space exploration structures and vehicles, and this is good news for the composites industry!

5 Axis Filament Winder

Filament winding is a process that can be used to create round fiberglass shapes with exceptional strength characteristics.  Used for piping, tubing, and tanks, filament winding is normally an automated process that has computer-controlled equipment to place glass and resin around a mandrel- the piece that functions as the mold.

There are many variables that can be modified for filament winding, and these will affect the strength characteristics of the finished piece.  The angle of the glass, number of passes (thickness), use of glass mat, and type of resin will affect the finished product strength characteristics.

I found a short video that demonstrates the equipment and the process.

As you can see, the glass is applied in a consistent manner across the part, allowing for uniform strength characteristics.  As you can see, this is yet another process that the composites industry uses to create useful products with advantages over those of competitors.

Composites Outlook

Anybody in the composites industry will tell you that things changed drastically.  Market Analyst Lucintel recently completed a report titled “Global Composites Market 2009-2014: Opportunities, Market and Technologies.”  This report discusses the continued decline of several markets through 2009 depending upon the recovery of the economy as a whole.  The worldwide economy of goods and services needs to recover to help the composites industry as a whole.

The composites industry represents a $19 billion section of the economy.  Construction, automotive, and marine composites applications dropped off significantly, while wind energy, aerospace, and corrosion applications saw growth opportunities.  The expansion of Asian economies, especially infrastructure has been a bright spot for composites application and opportunity.

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.