CW Blog
Thermoplastic tubulars: Robust flexibility for offshore wells
In the oil and gas industry, a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite pipe (TCP) system from Airborne Composite Tubulars (The Hague, The Netherlands) is providing a less-expensive alternative to the traditional “rig” for flushing subsea wellhead stacks and injecting glycol under pressure.
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On the waterfront: Composite marine piles build on success
Composite sheet pile competes against heavy-gauge steel while composite round piles enhance their position in the market and target wider acceptance in structural applications.
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IBEX 2009 Show Preview
As they weather the continuing recessionary storm, boatbuilders will dock in Miami to chart a course for the opportunities that await them in the storm’s wake.
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Mixed-mode fracture toughness of composites
During the 1970s, fracture toughness testing of composite materials developed a very poor reputation, primarily due to failed attempts to directly adopt metals theory and corresponding test methods. However, the basic principles of fracture mechanics remained valid.
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Gearing up for the new economic normal
In late July, as my family and I raced home from our vacation along Interstate 80 in northern Nevada, we found ourselves quickly overtaking a large flatbed tractor trailer. Strapped onto the bed and covered with a massive tarp was a very large … something, about 15 ft long and 8 ft in diameter.
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Resins for the Hot Zone, Part II: BMIs, CEs, benzoxazines and phthalonitriles
Next-generation aerospace programs demand higher temperatures for structural and hot-section components, fostering advances in thermoset resin chemistry.
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Modular composites: A perfect fit in new medevac helicopter
Bell Helicopter's new manufacturing parardigm replaces sheet metal with composites in a modular "snap fit" design.
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Washington played a big role in Detroit's decline
Benign neglect. That’s a generous way of describing the American government’s 50-plus years of indifference and hostility toward our domestic automakers.
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Automated solution: New presses for SMC molding process
Using glass/polyester sheet molding compound (SMC) that it formulates and manufactures in-house, Stahlin Non-Metallic Enclosures (Belding, Mich.) produces composite boxes and enclosures for electrical systems and components.
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In-mold alternatives to postmold decoration
CT reviews viable, versatile technologies that reduce the time and cost of finishing composite parts.
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Automotive composites: Let's not sleep through the revolution
In Washington Irving’s 1819 short story, Rip Van Winkle wanders into the Catskill Mountains of colonial New York, meets some strangely dressed men, drinks their liquor and promptly falls asleep under a tree for 20 years.
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SPE's ACCE 2009 Show Preview
The Society’s 2009 Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition charts an industry at a crossroads.
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