Design & Tooling

Defense

Cost-effective carbon composite reflector dish

Modular manufacturing method forms different dish sizes with near mirror-perfect reflective surfaces, without resort to one-off tools.

Read More
Core

Residential construction breakthrough: Composites find a home

Composite materials get the go-ahead for an unconventional but code-compliant California house.

Read More
Adhesives

Upsizing blade test regimes

As composite rotor blade size grows, research groups act to meet the urgent need for physical testing facilities with large-blade capacity.

Read More
Curing

Very Light Jets Creating A Demand For Composites

"Baby" jets are causing an aviation buzz but will the market exist?

Read More

Additional grip types for tensile test specimens

Dr. Don Adams follows up a previous discussion of wedge grips for testing tensile specimens with a sampling of other grip types.

Read More
Autoclave

Gurit CBS for the Aston Martin DBS

Out-of-autoclave process mints Class A carbon composite body panels in one-hour mold cycle.

Read More
Molds/Tools

RTM showcase: One-Piece Rudder

A transatlantic design team uses concurrent engineering to integrate rudder spars, ribs and skins in a single RTM cycle.  

Read More
Molds/Tools

Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft proves large structure practicality

Dr. John Russell reports that the successful completion of a flying aircraft in the the Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft program has demonstrated the holistic impact that composites technology can have on future aircraft development.

Read More

Shear test methods: Iosipescu vs. V-Notched Rail

Dr. Don Adams asks and suggests a likely answer to the question Which shear test method is best?

Read More

A comparison of shear test methods

Dr. Don Adams compares the shear test methods that are currently available to the composite industry.

Read More