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!
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.
Increased Fuel Standards Benefit Composites
There is lots of discussion about increasing the fuel standards from the present 27.5 of cars and 22.2 for trucks up to 35 mpg for all vehicles by 2020. This legislation is working its way through the U.S. Senate, and might become law. This represents a 40 percent increase in fuel economy standards from the present day. Quite a big change!
In order to achieve this sort of efficiency gains, drastic things must change in regards to the design of the automobile. There are some things that can be accomplished in drive-train design to improve economy, but much of the economy improvement will need to come from mass reduction. Vehicles will need a diet.
Anywhere and everywhere weight can be trimmed, it must. This largely means that steel and cast iron must be removed and replaced with other stronger, yet lighter materials. Therre are some metals such as titanium that will handle some applications. Aerospace-grade composites can handle others, both decorative and non-decorative. All of the exterior body panels will be made from composites. This technology is in some current production vehicles.
Structural composites do not have extensive current application in automobiles. I am sure they will be considered as this problem is faced. Lots of resin and carbon fiber will need to be used in vehicles where impact strength, bending strength, fatigue resistance, UV exposure, and abrasion resistance will be paramount. It will definitely be a tall order.
The amount of composites in future vehicles is very likely to increase in order to meet new fuel economy standards. New processes and engineering design will be necessary. All of these composites resins and reinforcements are expensive as raw materials and the processing will likely be expensive as well. Making composites competitive in this application will be the big achievement!
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