Space
Composites employed for thermal insulation in space observatories
NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), launched in October 2006, is expected to provide a revolutionary view of our solar system.
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Aircraft simulation gets composites aware
Rapid software evolution enables faster, better virtual solutions to complex composite design problems.
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Is it really low-tech vs. high tech?
I’ll bet that a lot of folks who read this column regularly — assuming I’m lucky and lots of folks are reading — have spent their entire careers working with E-glass without ever thinking they were high-performance geeks, too. To them, welcome to the club!
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Low-cost methods realize high-concept Superbus
Multifunctional mass-transport vehicle concept takes shape via resin-infused carbon/epoxy and vacuum-formed glass-reinforced thermoplastic sandwich construction.
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Composites stabilize space-based telescope
Composite Primary Mirror Backplane Support Structure to hold James Webb Space Telescope’s thermal stability within extremely tight 38-nm dimensional tolerance.
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Prepreg forecast: Strong growth through 2013
Prepreg applications are on the rise in the composites industry as manufacturers in a variety of industries increasingly adopt this versatile material. Today, prepregs find use in commercial aerospace, military/defense, general aviation, space/satellite, marine, sporting goods, automotive, civil engineering, wind
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Composites enable micro air vehicle
 Real-time sensing capability makes slow-flight VTOL MAV a "man replacement."
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Dust Collection: Expense or Investment?
Well-engineered dust control systems not only improve shop air quality but also boost productivity, prolong machine life and save energy.
Read MoreMarket Trends: The MRO challenge #x97; managing uncertainty
According to a recent report by Aerostrategy Management Consulting, spending by air transport maintenance and repair organizations (MROs) worldwide totaled $40.8 billion (USD) in 2006. Moreover, Aerostrategy (Ann Arbor, Mich. and Amersham, Buckinghamshire, U.K.) reports that spending on air transport maintenance
Read MoreOther fiber options
Quartz fibers, while more expensive than glass, have lower density, higher strength and higher stiffness than E-glass, and about twice the elongation-to-break, making them a good choice where durability is a priority. Quartz fibers also have a near-zero CTE; they can maintain their performance properties under
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