Let’s kick off our newsfeed with very exciting news: The NCC successfully demonstrates AFP manufacture of CMC parts!

Engineers at the National Composites Centre (NCC, Bristol, U.K.) have completed what they say is a European first by manufacturing ceramic matrix composites (CMC) using automated fiber placement (AFP) technology, paving the way for the materials’ high-temperature capabilities to be unlocked within engines.

The project — completed as part of the NCC’s Core Research program, and supported by Rolls-Royce, Reaction Engines, MBDA and 3M — has demonstrated that a novel oxide-based ceramic towpreg material from 3M can be used in automated deposition.

While conventional nickel-based superalloys have a maximum continuous temperature of approximately 800°C, oxide-based CMC can operate at 1,000°C, with the higher operating temperature potentially improving the efficiency of aerospace engines and reducing fuel consumption and subsequent CO2 emissions.

Interested to know more about this project? Check out this link:

https://www.compositesworld.com/news/ncc-successfully-demonstrates-afp-manufacture-of-cmc-parts

Mubea to collaborate on production of carbon fiber exoskeletons!

Automotive supplier Mubea (Attendorn, Germany) has entered into a cooperation agreement to commence production of robotic exoskeletons for smart power suits developer German Bionic (Augsburg, Germany).

German Bionic’s Cray X power suits, which feature carbon fiber composite frames, aid workers when lifting heavy loads by actively amplifying their movements and thus protecting the lower back from excessive strain. 

“Mubea is a specialist in high-quality lightweight components and is a ‘hidden champion’ world market leader with many of its products,” says Dr. Thomas Muhr, managing partner of Mubea. “Over the past decades, we have developed into a leading supplier for the automotive industry with our products for body, chassis and powertrain. Together with German Bionic, we are now expanding our new micromobility business area to include the future field of robotic exoskeletons.”

https://www.compositesworld.com/news/mubea-to-collaborate-on-production-of-carbon-fiber-exoskeletons

Now, let’s talk about the 3D printing of carbon fiber composites in the drone industry:

3D-printed composite tail rotor gear box housing enhances Discovery super drone

Discovery is a 75-kilogram maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) unmanned single-rotor helicopter. It is Flying-Cam’s newest, largest and most versatile system so far with increased endurance features. Fully integrated state-of-art sensors were carefully chosen to match the platform quality for a variety of applications ranging from entertainment, homeland security, earth monitoring and high-precision remote sensing generally.

The aim of the “super drone” project was to create a lightweight yet rigid physical and aerodynamic protection for the tail rotor actuators and the GPS antenna. Flying-Cam opted for CRP Technology’s proprietary high-performance Windform Top-Line range of composite materials, particularly Windform XT 2.0, a carbon fiber-filled polyamide-based 3D printing composite especially suitable in demanding applications for such a sector as motorsports, aerospace and UAV.

The material replaced the previous formula of Windform XT in the Windform Top-Line family of materials for PBF created by CRP Technology, featuring improvements in mechanical properties including +8% increase in tensile strength, +22% in tensile modulus and a +46% increase in elongation at break.

https://www.compositesworld.com/news/3d-printed-composite-tail-rotor-gear-box-housing-enhances-discovery-super-drone

Our last story covers thermoplastic composites!

One-shot manufacture of 3D knitted hybrid thermoplastic composite structures!

To help realize industrialized lightweight vehicle components, the European Commission backed a project called MAPICC 3D (2011-2016). It sought to develop a process capable of producing net-shape, high-performance structural 3D thermoplastic textile composite preforms with topology-optimized fiber reinforcement orientation made in one shot using a knitting technique.

The project included the development of virtual tools capable of modeling 3D composite structures and predicting their mechanical behavior according to textile architecture and resin choice, allowing for customized end products and better accessibility to SMEs/OEMs. It also saw the development of thermoplastic hybrid yarns comprising both matrix and reinforcing fibers. The resulting manufacturing procedure can precisely steer the fibers in three dimensions, tailoring them to the component’s load paths with minimal raw material waste.

Volvo Group Europe used the MAPICC 3D project to develop and validate a thermoplastic textile composite seat reinforcement plate for its N2 class truck (axle weight between 3.5 and 12.5 metric tons) to replace a steel plate. The resulting composite part was to match the steel version’s technical requirements, including the strength needed to pass the mandatory ECE R14 seat belt anchorage test for the N2 class vehicle, and realize significant weight savings.

https://www.compositesworld.com/articles/one-shot-manufacture-of-3d-knitted-hybrid-thermoplastic-composite-structures

The post September’s Top Composite News! appeared first on Managing Composites.

Siemens Gamesa celebrated the delivery of green energy from the world’s first turbine equipped with the company’s composite RecyclableBlades. The first commercial installation of recyclable wind turbine technology recently took place at RWE’s Kaskasi offshore wind power project in Germany, marking what is said to be a turning point in the long-term sustainability of offshore wind power.

“We’ve brought the Siemens Gamesa RecyclableBlade technology to market in only 10 months: from launch in September 2021 to installation at RWE’s Kaskasi project in July 2022. The RecyclableBlade technology was developed in Aalborg, Denmark, the blades were manufactured in Hull, U.K. and the nacelles were produced in and installed from Cuxhaven, Germany” Marc Becker, CEO of the Siemens Gamesa Offshore Business Unit, says. “This is impressive and underlines the pace at which we all need to move to provide enough generating capacity to combat the global climate emergency. This milestone marks a significant contribution to Siemens Gamesa’s target of having fully recyclable turbines by 2040. With RecyclableBlade available for our customers, we can create a virtuous circular economy.«

https://www.compositesworld.com/news/siemens-gamesa-recyclableblades-installed-at-rwe-offshore-wind-farm

Definitely a step in the right direction!

Swedish company Trelleborg has launched low-friction thermoplastic composite bearings!

Trelleborg Sealing Solutions launched its latest lightweight thermoplastic composite bearing, the HiMod Advanced Composite Bearing Plus, an enhanced dual-layer bearing with a low-friction modified polyetheretherketone (PEEK) layer that reduces friction and increases wear performance for use in bearing, wear ring and bushing applications.

Manufactured using Trelleborg’s patented automated fiber placement (AFP) technology, a thin low-friction liner is bonded to the inner diameters and can be added to the outer diameters of the bearing to create a high-quality solution for use in a wide range of industries. According to the company, HiMod Advanced Composite Bearing Plus will not seize or gall, unlike metal bearings, to reduce the likelihood of pump damage in chemical processing applications, has a low coefficient of friction and can withstand extreme temperature ranges.

The company says the bearings can operate from a low temperature of -156ºC to +274ºC and are capable of continuous service even when wet, with nearly zero water absorption. Unlike other non-metal bearings, Trelleborg’s solution reportedly doesn’t crack or swell in extreme conditions, making them reliable for a wide range of applications.

Interested to know more about this project? Check out this link:

https://www.compositesworld.com/news/trelleborg-launches-low-friction-thermoplastic-composite-bearing

Now, let’s talk about the usage of carbon fiber composites in the marine industry:

Carbon fiber composite hydrofoils to enable “world’s fastest” electric ferry!

The Candela P-12 Shuttle is a hydrofoiling electric ferry set to hit the waters of Stockholm, Sweden, next year. Marine technology company Candela claims the ferry will be the world’s fastest, longest-range and most energy-efficient electric ship yet. The Candela P-12 Shuttle is expected to reduce emissions and slash commuting times, and will shuttle up to 30 passengers at a time between the suburb of Ekerö and the city center. With a speed of up to 30 knots and a range of up to 50 nautical miles per charge, the shuttle is expected to travel faster — and more energy efficiently — than the diesel-powered bus and subway lines currently servicing the city.

Candela says the key to the boat’s high speed and long range will be the ferry’s three carbon fiber/epoxy composite wings that extend from under the hull. These active hydrofoils enable the ship to lift itself above the water, decreasing drag.

The P-12 Shuttle features carbon fiber/epoxy wings, hull, deck, inner structures, foil struts and rudder built via resin infusion. The foil system that actuates the foils and holds them in place is made from sheet metal. According to Mikael Mahlberg, communications and PR manager at Candela, the decision to use carbon fiber for most of the boat’s main components was lightness — the overall result is a roughly 30% lighter boat compared to a glass fiber version. “[This weight reduction] means we can fly longer and with heavier loads», Mahlberg says.

https://www.compositesworld.com/articles/carbon-fiber-composite-hydrofoils-to-enable-worlds-fastest-electric-ferry

Our last story covers the usage of composite materials in the eVTOL industry:

Horizon Aicraft completes the construction of composites intensive 50%-scale prototype eVTOL aircraft!

Horizon Aircraft Inc., an advanced aerospace engineering company, has announced that it has successfully completed the construction of its 50%-scale “Cavorite X5” electric vehicle takeoff and landing (eVTOL) prototype. Jason O’Neill, Horizon Aircraft chief operating officer (COO), told CW that the hybrid-electric aircraft could not have been built without its advanced composites team led by Kirk Creelman.

Horizon’s approach and technology enables the five-seat aircraft to fly 98% of its mission in a low-drag configuration like a traditional aircraft. Flying most of the time as a normal aircraft is also safer and should make the aircraft easier to certify than radical new eVTOL designs, the company believes. The full-scale aircraft will also be powered by a hybrid-electric system that can recharge the battery array in-flight while providing additional system redundancy. Comprehensive testing of this 50%-scale aircraft will reduce technical risk moving forward as Horizon continues development of its full-scale aircraft.

“With a 22-foot wingspan, 15 feet in length and capable of speeds over 250 kilometers per hour, this 50%-scale prototype is an impressive aircraft,” Brandon Robinson, CEO of Horizon Aircraft, says. “Furthermore, it will yield valuable information that will help to reduce technical risk as we move forward with detailed design of our full-scale aircraft.”

https://www.compositesworld.com/news/horizon-aircraft-completes-construction-of-composites-intensive-50-scale-prototype-evtol-aircraft

The post August’s Top Composite News! appeared first on Managing Composites.

But why?

As many questions related to materials engineering, to answer that we must zoom in a little bit and understand a bit more about chemistry at a molecular level.

• In a thermoplastic, strong bonds link monomers into polymer chains, however, these long monomers are joined to one another by weak bonds! These bonds can easily break apart when the plastic is heated and quickly reform again as it cools.
• Thermosetting plastics, on the other hand, have monomers that are cross-linked, thus, have extremely strong bonds!

Polymer matrix composites can have either thermoplastic or thermoset matrices. We will talk more about their differences in the future!

The post What are the differences between thermoplastic and thermosetting? appeared first on Managing Composites.

AIMPLAS recently reported that it has made progress in regards to the EU-funded RECOTRANS project, which focuses on integrating unconventional manufacturing technologies to obtain cost-effective recyclable multi-material composites suitable for the transport sector at high production rates.

In particular, new thermoplastic composites have been developed through the integration of microwaves and laser welding. It has been demonstrated that microwaves can be used to optimize the curing process of composites in resin transfer moulding (RTM) and pultrusion, which reduces the energy consumed, shortens manufacturing times and helps produce better quality parts.

It has also been shown that laser technology can be used to obtain stable joints between the composite and metal, thus making it possible to eliminate riveted joints, which typically increase structural weight. Finally, studies were carried out on the recyclability of the thermoplastic composite by using it to manufacture a new part.

AIMPLAS says these results were validated through the manufacture of three life-size demonstration samples using various either carbon or glass fiber reinforcement and a thermoplastic acrylic resin, and one demo sample from the recycling material:

• A glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastic rear suspension system for a truck cab, manufactured by integrating microwaves into the RTM process; the composite-metal joint employed laser welding.
• Carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic automotive door panel, manufactured via microwave integration with C-RTM.
• Glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastic interior panel for the rail industry manufactured by using microwaves in the pultrusion process.

The joint between the composite and metal parts was made using laser welding. In addition, the recyclability of the materials was validated by manufacturing a demo sample of a car door handle made of 50% recycled material.

The post Recotrans Project by AIMPLAS appeared first on Managing Composites.