Carbon Fibers
CNG tanks: Pressure vessel epicenter
In the pressure vessel market, there are a number of competing designs offered around the world, including a small number of new CNG Type V “linerless” designs, which have recently received regulatory approval for use in vehicle applications.
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Pressure vessels for alternative fuels, 2014-2023
Lower fuel costs and escalating emissions standards are driving a 10 percent annual growth in alternative fuel pressure vessel sales.
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Recycled carbon fiber: Comparing cost and properties
Alex Edge, sales and business development manager for recycler ELG Carbon Fibre (Coseley, U.K.), says his company’s recycled carbon fiber (RCF) products can offer from 30 to 40 percent cost savings vs. virgin carbon fiber (VCF). Tim Rademacker, a managing director at competitor CFK Valley Recycling (Stade, Germany) cites savings of 20 to 30 percent.
Read MoreRecycled carbon fiber update: The supply side
Commercial recyclers aren’t alone in their pursuit of fiber reclamation. Textile converters have joined the effort.
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Recycled carbon fiber update: Closing the CFRP lifecycle loop
Commercial production of recycled carbon fiber currently outpaces applications for it, but materials characterization and new technology demonstrations promise to close the gap.
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CAMISMA’s car seat back: Hybrid composite for high volume
Recycled fibers, in-situ polymerized PA12 and steel inserts combined in one-shot process to cut weight 40 percent at competitive cost, cycle time and safety.
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Aerospace and automotive: Convergence on the horizon?
Guest columnist and composites industry consultant Dale Brosius reviews his own history with composites to support his contention that the once very different worlds of aerospace and automobile manufacture are not, as far as composites are concerned, so different anymore.
Read MoreDowAksa to establish U.S. carbon fiber manufacturing presence
DowAksa, a joint venture of Dow and acrylic specialist AKSA, has established DowAksa USA and plans to build an industrial-grade carbon fiber manufacturing operation in the U.S. sometime in the next three to five years.
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FACC: Aerospace infusion pioneer
Although it’s “new” to aerospace, liquid resin infusion has been the focus of R&D at FACC (Ried im Innkreis) since 2001. “The issue,” said FACC’s aerostructures product development director Hermann Filsegger, “is in getting 100 percent wetout with no voids in a large part with this much complexity.” That’s not, by any means, an easy task.
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Spread-tow technology takes off
New, ultralight-areal-weight prepreg tapes form the thin-ply laminates will enable Solar Impulse 2’s sun-powered flight around the world.
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