Composites

INSIDER: Aerospace

NASA Develops Unique Materials for Next Generation Aircraft

As NASA looks to the future of flight, the agency is investing in technologies aimed at changing the aviation industry as we know it. These developments vary from basic...

INSIDER: Materials

Researchers Develop Innovative Tools to Accelerate Composites Certification

In partnership with industry, a team of Air Force Research Laboratory/Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) personnel are developing the capability to...

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Evaluation of the Effects of Hydrogen Peroxide on Common Aircraft Electrical Materials

A study aims to find a suitable decontaminant that can be used successfully in complex transportation vehicles with no negative impact on sensitive electronic equipment.

Briefs: Imaging

Energy Harvesting for Soft-Matter Machines and Electronics

A new class of soft multifunctional materials could be used to convert mechanical deformation from vibrations and stretching into electrical energy.

INSIDER: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Dowty Propellers Opens New Headquarters and Production Facility

Dowty Propellers recently opened a new facility in Brockworth, England to provide a modern operation for the company's development, manufacture and support of...

INSIDER: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Making Airplane Parts Without the Massive Infrastructure

A modern airplane’s fuselage is made from multiple sheets of different composite materials that must be wheeled into warehouse-sized ovens where the layers fuse together to form...

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Molecular Engineering for Mechanically Resilient and Stretchable Electronic Polymers and Composites

The ability to predict the mechanical properties of organic semiconductors is of critical importance for roll-to-roll production and...

Briefs: Materials

Electrodeposition of Metal Matrix Composites and Materials Characterization for Thin-Film Solar Cells

Metal matrix composites can electrically bridge the cracks that appear in semiconductor substrates and the composite grid lines.

Briefs: Materials

Sensing Applied Load and Damage Effects in Composites with Nondestructive Techniques

Determine the effects of applied load on a composite structure.

Application Briefs: Materials

Metal-Plated, High-Temperature Plastics

Imagine a material that lightens fuel loads and cuts costs every time a rocket blasts off from the launch pad.

Briefs: Aerospace

Technology Impact Forecasting for Multi-Functional Composites

Composites offer a possible solution to the conflicting design goals of making new aircraft lighter, stronger, faster, and more environmentally sustainable.

INSIDER: Materials

“Circulatory” Air Conditioning Could Keep Planes Cooler

The complex network of veins that keeps us cool during the heat of summer has inspired engineers to create novel thermal management systems. A new computer program could be key...

INSIDER: Materials

Composite Metal Foam Outperforms Aluminum for Aircraft Wings

The leading edges of aircraft wings have to meet a very demanding set of characteristics. New research shows that a combination of steel composite metal foam (CMF) and epoxy...

Briefs: Materials

Thermal Conductivities of Some Polymers and Composites

Thermoset polymers are good electrical insulators that are used in applications ranging from electronics to composite armor. They are rather poor thermal conductors, however.

Articles: Electronics & Computers

Preventing Ice Buildup on Electric Aircraft

Afaq Ahmed Abbasi of Northwestern Polytechnical University explains his innovative approach.

Articles: Materials

Getting the Most Out of Industrial CT Scanning

Quality assurance and flight certification of critical aerospace parts and assemblies have reached new levels of sophistication in recent years. Leading aerospace and defense manufacturers...

INSIDER: Materials

US and Japanese Scientists Conduct Joint Composites Study

Dr. Keisuke Umezawa of the Air Systems Research Center in the Japanese Ministry of Defense (JMoD) recently joined the Air Force Research Laboratory on an engineers and scientists...

INSIDER: Defense

AFRL, Universities Partner on 3D-Printed Composites

Joining forces with various universities, the Air Force Research Lab has demonstrated additively manufactured epoxy/carbon fiber composites used in many structural parts on aircraft and...

Articles: Electronics & Computers

Thermoplastic Composites to Play Enhanced Role in Next-Generation Aerospace Applications

Advanced thermoplastic composites-and their emergence as prominent materials for future aerospace applications–are sparking a flurry of activity from...

Products: Test & Measurement

New Products: February 2019 Aerospace & Defense Technology

Defense-Grade FPGAs

Xilinx, Inc. (San Jose, CA) announced availability of its Defense-grade XQ UltraScale+ portfolio of products, providing the benefits of its UltraScale+...

INSIDER: Materials

Porous and Stiff Material for Aircraft Lightweighting

Researchers have developed and manufactured a family of architectures that maximizes the stiffness of porous, lightweight materials. 3D printing and other additive production...

Briefs: Aerospace

Microstructural and Mechanical Characterization of 2-D and 3-D SiC/SiNC Ceramic-Matrix Composites

The purpose of this endeavor was to investigate the effect of 3-D weave architecture on PIP-processed ceramic-matrix composites (CMC)....

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites

Reinforcing polymers with strong/stiff fibers is nothing new. Such materials have been used pretty much since aircraft were first created. In those pioneering days, wings were reinforced with woven...

Articles: Test & Measurement

Optimizing Plasma Treatments to RESOLVE Challenging Adhesion Issues

The process of determining the ideal plasma treatment that will resolve a challenging bonding or adhesion issue is an exact science, often the domain of chemists and...

Articles: Materials

2018 Create the Future Design Contest: Aerospace & Defense Category Winner

DETECTING PLASTIC LANDMINES

Hidden PFM-1 anti-personnel landmines are unexploded ordnance (UXO) devices that pose a difficult challenge to conventional...

INSIDER: Materials

Smart Materials Boost Jet Engine Efficiency and Reduce Noise

A group of new smart materials has the potential to significantly improve the efficiency of jet engines, cutting the cost of flying. The materials, which could also reduce...

INSIDER: Materials

Unique Chamber Gives Air Force Real-World Corrosion Test Capabilities

Aircraft corrosion is a multi-faceted issue that requires more than a simple, one-dimensional approach. To enable Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) personnel to...

Briefs: Materials

Burner Rig Testing of A500® C/SiC

There is growing interest in developing, testing, and deploying ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs) into commercial and military aerospace gas turbine engines due to their durability under extreme conditions...

Articles: Aerospace

Using Thermoplastics in Aerospace Applications

In August 2017, Qantas Airlines laid down the challenge to both Boeing and Airbus to offer an aircraft that can cross one of aviation's “last frontiers.” That “last frontier” was an...