...Carbon Fibre Composites Compared with Traditional Metallics Name Institutional Affiliation Introduction According to Elaheh Ghassemieh (2011), the automotive industry has experienced lots of changes that occurs by day through the application of composite materials in the manufacturing of motor vehicle parts and body. Several reasons have been advanced in support of this shift from the traditional use of metals. In comparison to the metallic counterparts, many composite materials exhibit relatively greater strength characteristics as compared to the metallic materials. They are also comparatively lighter than the metals and thereby reducing the fuel cost per passenger in the vehicles. It is also believed that composites exhibit higher resistance to fatigue from repetitive use and thus reducing the maintenance cost of the vehicles and increasing the usage time. In reference to Long, A. C. (2005), the composite material can be defined as a material consisting of strong carry-load materials (reinforcements) embedded in a relatively weaker material (matrix). The purpose of the reinforcement is to provide the strength stiffness, rigidity and mechanical properties needed to support the structural load. The matrix on the other hand acts to provide a fixed orientation of the reinforcement and in many cases is more brittle. Question 1 Advantages of carbon fibre reinforced polymers in over metallics Carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRP is one of the classes of the composite...
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...The use of Composite Materials in Aerospace, Wind Power and Automotive Technologies Introduction A composite is a multiphase heterogeneous material comprising of fibres that are embedded in a matrix [1], [2]. A composite is unlike an alloy because in an alloy, the other components have been produced by naturally occurring changes. There is a diversity of types of composites currently available, since “it is possible to design materials with property combinations that are better than those found in the metal alloys, ceramics and polymeric materials” [3]. The main ones focused on in this essay are polymeric matrices, metal matrix composites and ceramic composites, and their applications in the aerospace, automotive and wind industries. (1) Brief Fundamentals of Composites 1.1 Concise History [4] The search for alternative materials arose from growing technological and environmental demands for more efficient and sustainable components for industrial purposes. It was in the 1940s when the military first placed a priority on finding more high-strength and lightweight materials for their vehicles. The main materials used at that time were metallic, and while they were functional, they were often prohibitively heavy, so that the engines could not carry as much as cargo as they preferred, whereas the composite materials were much less heavy, as shown in Table 1, and when compared to non-composites, even steel, carbon based composites have a higher tensile strength. At the bottom...
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...Carbon fibre Introduction of Carbon fibre In 1963 a team of British scientists, W. Watt, W. Johnson and L.N. Phillips, working at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, U.K., developed techniques for producing carbon fibres of high strength and outstanding rigidity. These fibres were in commercial production by 1968 and have since become of great importance, especially in the field of composites in which the fibres are embedded in resins or other materials. Most of the important textile fibres in use today are derived from organic polymers, i.e., polymers in which the backbone of the molecular structure consists of carbon atoms to which are attached atoms of other elements, commonly hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. It has long been known that pyrolysis of these fibres, such as rayon, could result in the removal of the non-carbon atoms to leave a filament consisting essentially of carbon. But the carbon atoms in these filaments are arranged in more or less disordered forms; the structure is amorphous rather than crystalline, and the filaments are weak and of little practical value. To achieve high strength and modulus, it was necessary to devise a process for producing carbon fibres which would orientate the carbon atoms and...
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...FISCAL IMPACT OF GROUND OPERATION INCIDENT INVOLVING AIRCRAFT Tan Poh Tiong, Sherman AE6200 – Individual Project (Aircraft IEng) 27 April 2014 SUMMARY For the year 2010 to 2012, ground operation incident involving aircraft has cost the United Kingdom (UK) aviation industry an estimate of US$ 20 Million. It is estimated that each incident involving traditional aircraft (mainly metallic structure) would cost the Aircraft Operation (AO) close to US$ 1 Million in expenditure and if the aircraft is assumed to be of high composite ratio, the cost of each incident increase by 50% to US$ 1.5 Million. Do note that this cost does not include damage to the facilities, equipment, or vehicles. Which mean the overall cost could be higher than the estimate. If damage were assumed in all ground operation incident report, the estimated cost would increase 3.5 times. And with high composite ratio aircraft becoming the norm, the cost could spiral upward in excess of more than 5 times. Thus, it is important these ground operation incidents are reduced. Ground operation incident, occurs primarily due to human errors. Possible common reasons include insufficient training, complacency and environmental factors. There are also no detailed legislations in place to regulate the industry, unlike Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) organisations, which is governed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of UK. Since human errors aren’t a new problem, many researches have been...
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...Fibres for Reinforcement in Composite Materials | | Topics Covered | Fibre TypesGlassE-Glass Fibre TypesGlass Fibre DesignationAramidCarbonFibre Type ComparisonOther FibresPolyesterPolyethyleneQuartzBoronCeramicsNatural | Fibre Types | Glass | By blending quarry products (sand, kaolin, limestone, colemanite) at 1600°C, liquid glass is formed. The liquid is passed through micro-fine bushings and simultaneously cooled to produce glass fibre filaments from 5-24μm in diameter. The filaments are drawn together into a strand (closely associated) or roving (loosely associated), and coated with a “size” to provide filament cohesion and protect the glass from abrasion.By variation of the “recipe”, different types of glass can be produced. The types used for structural reinforcements are as follows:a. E-glass (electrical) - lower alkali content and stronger than A-glass (alkali). Good tensile and compressive strength and stiffness, good electrical properties and relatively low cost, but impact resistance relatively poor. Depending on the type of E-glass the price ranges from about £1-2/kg. E-glass is the most common form of reinforcing fibre used in polymer matrix composites.b. C-glass (chemical) - best resistance to chemical attack. Mainly used in the form of surface tissue in the outer layer of laminates used in chemical and water pipes and tanks.c. R, S or T-glass – manufacturers trade names for equivalent fibres having higher tensile strength and modulus than...
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...be as follows: Brief explanation of composite materials [2 marks] Your own research into: Current structural applications of composite materials in vehicle body design. Main manufacturing techniques used for composite structural components. Please refer to example(s) of cars where composite materials have been used as structural components. [8 marks] Discussion of the potential advantages and limitations in the use of composite materials in volume production cars. [4 marks] The assignment will be marked out of 20 with the marks indicated above and the remaining marks allocated as follows: Structure. [1 mark] Appropriate use of reliable references and standard referencing system. [3 marks] Appropriate / good use of labelled and referenced figures. [2 marks] The total word count for the assignment should be 1500 words. Applications http://www.pes-performance.com/news/case-studies_temp/potential-use-of-biocomposite-materials-for-the-production-of-future-niche-vehicle-bodywork-panels/ http://mech.utah.edu/composites_cars/ -crashworthiness -racing cars Techniques http://www.thinkengineering.net/104/composite-materials-in-automotive-engineering/automotive-engineering/ http://www.mscsoftware.com/training_videos/patran/Reverb_help/index.html#page/Laminate%20Modeler/lam_tutorial.3.03.html Advantages http://mech.utah.edu/composites_cars/ The biggest advantage of modern composite materials is that they are light as well as...
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...Carbon Fibre Carbon fibre is sometimes known as graphite fibre, it is a strong, stiff, lightweight material that has the potential to replace steel and is popularly used in specialized, high-performance products like aircrafts, race cars and sporting equipment. Carbon fibre was first invented near Cleveland, Ohio, in 1958. It wasn’t until a new manufacturing process was developed at a British research centre in 1963 that carbon fibres strength potential was realized. Current methods for manufacturing carbon fibre tend to be slow and energy intensive, making it costly for use in mass-produced applications. However engineers have set a goal of reducing carbon fibre production costs by 50 percent, the Energy Department’s new Carbon Fibre Technology Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is working with manufacturers and researchers to develop better and cheaper processes for producing carbon fibres. As part of conventional carbon fibre production, precursors go through several processes that include stretching, oxidation (to raise the melting temperature) and carbonization in high-temperature furnaces that vaporize about 50 percent of the material, making it nearly 100 percent carbon. Carbon fibre can be woven into a fabric that is suitable for use in defence applications or added to a resin and moulded into preformed pieces, such as vehicle components or wind turbine blades. Carbon-fibre composites could reduce passenger car weight by 50 percent and improve fuel efficiency...
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...The term "prepreg" is actually an abbreviation for the phrase pre-impregnated. A prepreg is a fiber reinforced and pre-impregnated with a resin, most commonly consists of a fabric (Carbon, Kevlar, Glass, etc.) impregnated with a resin maintained in a pre-gelled condition. The primary resin matrix used is epoxy. However, other thermoset resins are made into prepregs including BMI and phenolic resins. Carbon fiber is first developed in 1958 in Cleveland, OH, by heating rayon strands which was of relatively poor quality and strength. Then, a few years later, the Japanese developed a chemical process for manufacturing the carbon fibers which is still in use today. In 1963, at Rolls Royce in England, industrial scale production and high quality...
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...applications such as gas turbines- why? If designing a jet engine, what other materials selection criteria might be important? Q2. What would happen to the microstructure and properties of a typical Al-Cu alloy, as used for precipitation hardening, when it is slowly cooled from its solution temperature? Q3. Explain what you understand by the term “oxygen concentration cell” and give some examples of where such cells might exist in an engineering context. In steel suggest how can such a cell give rise to “crevice corrosion” and give reasons why such a corrosion mechanism can be very problematic. How can such cells be avoided in practice? Q4. Briefly explain why stainless steel usually exhibits a far better corrosion resistance than conventional low carbon steels. What is the accepted minimum content of chromium to ensure corrosion resistance? What must be present in the environment in order to ensure corrosion resistance? Does stainless steel ever corrode? Q5. Explain what the benefits are of superalloy single crystal turbine blades in terms of reducing creep defomation. How are they made? List some of the other methods used by engineers and metallurgists to tackle creep in these components. Q6. Show how TTT diagrams can be created from a set of S curves obtained by monitoring a transformation. Are TTT diagrams limited to steels? Q7. Aluminium alloys do not exhibit a fatigue limit. Explain what this is and how, if engineering components are made out of steel, designs could enjoy a much longer...
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...P7 perform and record the results of one destructive test and one non-destructive test using metal and one non-metallic material. The two tests that we conducted were a non-destructive tap test on a piece of an aircraft floor panel, and a destructive tensile test on a tensiometer. The non-destructive test is designed to identify internal or external structural damage of a composite. The material we are testing is an aircraft floor panel that is made of two sheets of glass or carbon fibre reinforced epoxy with a honeycomb centre. The non-destructive tap test we conducted was on an aircraft floor panel that is made of glass or carbon fibre reinforced epoxy skins with a Nomex honeycomb core about 1cm thick which is a composite. The panel we tested was about 1 meter by 0.5 of a meter. The resonating tap/sound test for internal damages is where we took a tap test hammer and gently let the hammer fall from about 1” above...
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...AISI 4130 is a low alloy steel which contains molybdenum and chromium which are used as strengthening agents improving the materials properties. This material has a low carbon content of 0.30% which means that the material is excellent for welding. AISI 4130 can be hardened by heat treatment. AISI 4130 has a density of 7.85 g/cm3 and a melting point of 1432 degrees Celsius. These properties mean that the steel can be used for components which may be subdued to high temperatures. Even with this high melting point AISI 4130 can be welded using all the standard welding methods. AISI 4130 can be heat treated by being heated up to 871 degrees Celsius and then soaked in oil. This will then alter the internal structure...
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...form a polymer (Tarle, 435). A polymer molecule is made up of hundreds, thousands, or even millions of atoms joined together to form a chain with an extended length at least an order of magnitude greater than its thickness (Peacock & Calhoun, 2006). Polymers have variations of molecular weight (length), branching, steric configuration, interconnections and chemical defects (Tarle, 435). A polymer is made up of many elements. One can consider a polymer as a thread with every link of this string forming a fundamental unit which is in turn made of hydrogen, carbon, silicon and oxygen(Tarle, 435). They are mostly made up of hydrocarbons though other elements such as Sulphur, nitrogen and chlorine may also be found(Carraher & Charles, 2). The molecules are held together by covalent bonds that are branched, linear, or networked to form the polymeric material (Carraher & Charles, 2). While most polymers have carbon as their backbone, others have silicon as the main element holding the polymer (Carraher & Charles, 2). . The history of polymerization The science of polymerisation began way back in the 19th century where alumina-silica glass and phosphoric acid was widely applied to fill dentures (Carraher & Charles, 2). . However, the compounds had very poor mechanical properties and high solubility. This meant that they were not particularly suited in sensitive applications such as dentistry. Later in the mid 20th century, acrylic resins replaced the silica compounds...
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...University London Faculty of Engineering Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Aircraft Engineering Composite Aircraft Module no: AE3110 Module Title: Aerospace Technology Submitted by: Muhammad Ariffin Bin Omar (K1068479) Abstract This report will contain the study of composite materials, why it is attractive for applications in the aerospace industry, factors limiting its use, as well as a brief review of the composite materials in commercial aircraft over the past 20 years. Contents Abstract 2 Introduction 4 Composite 5 Advantages of Composites in Aerospace Application 6 Factors limiting use of Composites 8 Applications of Composites in the last 20 years 10 Potential Challenges 12 Conclusion 13 References 14 Introduction During the early years of aviation, aircrafts were constructed by using wood and cloth. Later on in the 1930’s it began to transit into the use of aluminum, steel and titanium as the main building materials for constructing aircrafts. Only in the 1950’s was composite material being introduced to construct aircrafts when it was used on the Boeing 707 commercial aircraft. Even so, its application in the aerospace industry was still very little. Only recently has composite material been more widely used for aerospace applications. The Airbus A380 uses composites in the construction of its wings, and the Boeing 787 has a structure that is 50 percent made of composites. This evolution in material used driven by economics, logistics and the expectations of society...
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...EUPHORBIA FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE Murimi, S.M. ABSTRACT This paper presents an experimental investigation on Euphorbia fibres as concrete reinforcement. The possibility of improving the mechanical characteristics of concrete through the use of reinforcement plant fibres has provoked in recent years a special interest for this new construction material, especially in those areas where plant fibres can easily be found and consequently have a low price like Kenya. In this study, the influences of addition of euphorbia fibres on properties of fresh and hardened concrete were carefully investigated. It was found out addition of these fibres in concrete significantly improved the tensile strength and the flexural strength of the composite. The test results also revealed that the compressive strength of the concrete was slightly improved. It was illustrated that plain concrete possesses a very low tensile strength, limited ductility and little resistance to cracking. Conversely, the concrete with short randomly spread euphorbia fibres in it was found to have relatively high tensile strength, high ductility and more resistant to cracking. Finally, the results presented suggest that Euphorbia fibres can be used in concrete reinforcement Keyword: Euphorbia fibres, reinforcements, concrete, cracking, compressive strength, tensile strength 1.0 INTRODUCTION Concrete has been proved to be an important construction material for more than a century all over the world. However,...
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...used………………………………….…….13 Technical drawings ………………………………………………………...17 Cost analysis…………………………………………………………………….19 Video………………………………………………………………………………..20 X. References……………………………………………………………….…….21 3 Open Mold: Spray Up Fibre is chopped in a hand-held gun and fed into a spray of catalyzed resin directed at the mould. With open molding, the gel coat and laminate are exposed to the atmosphere during the fabrication process. The selection of this technique for the manufacture of the bathtub was because the feasibility that open mold methods allows such as: Most appropriate technique based on the costs of tooling due to the single cavity mold of fiberglass used for the size of the part 30x35x18 in. Portable equipment permits on-site fabrication. This technique enable the manufacturing of hot bathtubs that requires different types of reinforcement able to tolerate heat and load. 4 Sheet Metal for Bathtub Mold Injection mold is a technique used for the manufacture of bathtubs. For small baby bathtubs, injection molding is a affordable technique because of the size, and the costs are not so expensive. Using Sheet metal technique is cheaper and easier to manufacture if compared with an injection molds for a big bathtub. After forming the sheet a composite mold is manufacture. Therefore, the final bathtub will Sheet metal forming technique is used to the manufacture...
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