Multifunctional four-axis winding system offering fiber flexibility will underpin the NCC’s work in testing and manufacturing pressure vessels leading to commercial production.
The EHang unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) complies with approved type design, safety and quality requirements, with deliveries to customers now underway. Wear Ceramic Liner
Overair heads to flight testing in early 2024, marked by rapid prototype development.
The eVTOL developer is scouting locations in the U.S. for continued flight testing of its inaugural consumer aircraft, AIR One, through the Agility Prime program.
Together, the two Spanish companies will outline plans for eVTOL aircraft and operations integration in Europe and Latin America to ensure compatible interaction and maximize aircraft performance.
Following DOA approval, Lilium shifts from the design phase to industrialization, including fuselage matching and joining and a ramp-up of parts production from Tier 1 aerospace suppliers.
A new ASTM-standardized test method established in 2022 assesses the compression-loaded damage tolerance of sandwich composites.
Composites automation specialist increases access to next-gen technologies, including novel AFP systems and unique 3D parts using adaptive molds.
Combined LSAM and five-axis CNC milling capabilities will optimize D-Composites’ production services, flexibility and cut time and cost for composite tooling manufacture.
Evaluation of CFRTP m-pipe through Element’s U.K. facility aims to qualify the system for new operating environments.
Innovative prepreg tooling is highly drapable, capable of forming complex carbon fiber tooling shapes, in addition to reducing through thickness porosity and only requiring one debulk during layup.
Simutence and Engenuity demonstrate a virtual process chain enabling evaluation of process-induced fiber orientations for improved structural simulation and failure load prediction of a composite wing rib.
Acrylonitrile to be used in Tenax uses waste and residue from biomass-derived products or recycled raw materials that are ISCC Plus certified, maintaining same performance properties as conventional-based products.
Additional equity financing led by Diamond Edge Ventures will drive EasyFeed Bundle applications, aid in commercializing additional recycling processes for advanced materials.
JEC 2024: Swancor demonstrates its EzCiclo recyclable epoxy and recycling process in wind, sporting goods and automotive applications.
Completed in 2023, COMPINNOV TP2 explored thermoplastic composites, enhancing the understanding between prepregs and production methods to foster the potential for French aerospace innovation.
Limited-edition sneakers feature soles composed of micronized dismantled wind blades from a wind farm in Navarra, Spain.
The long-term agreement covers the supply of fire-resistant, sustainable, epoxy-based products for use in aircraft cabins.
Multifunctional four-axis winding system offering fiber flexibility will underpin the NCC’s work in testing and manufacturing pressure vessels leading to commercial production.
Named the NASA Government Invention of the Year, the 3D orthogonally woven materials supports structural and thermal performance needs for Orion mission and more.
Breiana Whitehead, pioneering Australian kite-foil sailor, spearheads board design intricacies with ATL Composites to enhance her performance ahead of the July 2024 competition.
Three prefabricated, low-carbon homes, using Mighty Buildings’ large-format 3D printing and UV-curable resins, will be built in the San Francisco Bay Area as models for future industry developments.
T50B masterbatch by Mechnano, in partnership with Bomar, streamlines AM resin development, resolving CNT dispersion issues and elevating mechanical performance while catering to various printing technologies
Composites automation specialist increases access to next-gen technologies, including novel AFP systems and unique 3D parts using adaptive molds.
CW explores key composite developments that have shaped how we see and think about the industry today.
Knowing the fundamentals for reading drawings — including master ply tables, ply definition diagrams and more — lays a foundation for proper composite design evaluation.
As battery electric and fuel cell electric vehicles continue to supplant internal combustion engine vehicles, composite materials are quickly finding adoption to offset a variety of challenges, particularly for battery enclosure and fuel cell development.
Performing regular maintenance of the layup tool for successful sealing and release is required to reduce the risk of part adherence.
Increasingly, prototype and production-ready smart devices featuring thermoplastic composite cases and other components provide lightweight, optimized sustainable alternatives to metal.
The composite pressure vessel market is fast-growing and now dominated by demand for hydrogen storage.
The burgeoning advanced air mobility (AAM) market promises to introduce a new mode of transport for urban and intercity travelers — particularly those who wish to bypass the traffic congestion endemic to the world’s largest cities. The electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft serving this market, because they depend on battery-powered propulsion, also depend on high-strength, high-performance composite structures produced at volumes heretofore unseen in the aerospace composites industry. This CW Tech Days will feature subject matter experts exploring the materials, tooling and manufacturing challenges of ramping up composites fabrication operations to efficiently meet the demands of a challenging and promising new marketplace.
Manufacturers often struggle with production anomalies that can be traced back to material deviations. These can cause fluctuations in material flow, cooling, and cure according to environmental influences and/or batch-to-batch variations. Today’s competitive environment demands cost-efficient, error-free production using automated production and stable processes. As industries advance new bio-based, faster reacting and increased recycled content materials and faster processes, how can manufacturers quickly establish and maintain quality control? In-mold dielectric sensors paired with data analytics technology enable manufacturers to: Determine glass transition temperature in real time Monitor material deviations such as resin mix ratio, aging, and batch-to-batch variations throughout the process Predict the influence of deviations or material defects during the process See the progression of curing and demold the part when the desired degree of cure, Tg or crystallinity is achieved Document resin mix ratios using snap-cure resins for qualification and certification of RTM parts Successful case histories with real parts illustrate how sensXPERT sensors, machine learning, and material models monitor, predict, and optimize production to compensate for deviations. This Digital Mold technology has enabled manufacturers to reduce scrap by up to 50% and generated energy savings of up to 23%. Agenda: Dealing with the challenge of material deviations and production anomalies How dielectric sensors work with different composite resins, fibers and processes What is required for installation Case histories of in-mold dielectric sensors and data analytics used to monitor resin mixing ratios and predict potential material deviations How this Digital Mold technology has enabled manufacturers to optimize production, and improve quality and reliability
SolvaLite is a family of new fast cure epoxy systems that — combined with Solvay's proprietary Double Diaphragm Forming technology — allows short cycle times and reproducibility. Agenda: Application Development Center and capabilities Solutions for high-rate manufacturing for automotive Application examples: battery enclosures and body panels
OEMs around the world are looking for smarter materials to forward-think their products by combining high mechanical performance with lightweight design and long-lasting durability. In this webinar, composite experts from Exel Composites explain the benefits of a unique continuous manufacturing process for composites profiles and tubes called pull-winding. Pull-winding makes it possible to manufacture strong, lightweight and extremely thin-walled composite tubes and profiles that meet both demanding mechanical specifications and aesthetic needs. The possibilities for customizing the profile’s features are almost limitless — and because pull-winding is a continuous process, it is well suited for high volume production with consistent quality. Join the webinar to learn why you should consider pull-wound composites for your product. Agenda: Introducing pull-winding, and how it compares to other composite manufacturing technologies like filament winding or pultrusion What are the benefits of pull-winding and how can it achieve thin-walled profiles? Practical examples of product challenges solved by pull-winding
Composite systems consist of two sub-constituents: woven fibers as the reinforcement element and resin as the matrix. The most commonly used fibers are glass and carbon, which can be processed in plane or satin structures to form woven fabrics. Carbon fibers, in particular, are known for their high strength/weight properties. Thermoset resins, such as epoxies and polyurethanes, are used in more demanding applications due to their high physical-mechanical properties. However, composites manufacturers still face the challenge of designing the right cure cycles and repairing out-of-shelf-life parts. To address these issues, Alpha Technologies proposes using the encapsulated sample rheometer (premier ESR) to determine the viscoelastic properties of thermosets. Premier ESR generates repeatable and reproducible analytical data and can measure a broad range of viscosity values, making it ideal for resins such as low viscous uncured prepreg or neat resins as well as highly viscous cured prepregs. During testing, before cure, cure and after cure properties can be detected without removing the material from the test chamber. Moreover, ESR can run a broad range of tests, from isothermal and non-isothermal cures to advanced techniques such as large amplitude oscillatory shear tests. During this webinar, Alpha Technologies will be presenting some of the selected studies that were completed on epoxy prepreg systems utilizing ESR and how it solves many issues in a fast and effective way. It will highlight the advantages of this technique that were proven with the work of several researchers. Moreover, Alpha Technologies will display part of these interesting findings using the correlations between the viscoelastic properties such as G’ and mechanical properties such as short beam shear strength (SBS).
Surface preparation is a critical step in composite structure bonding and plays a major role in determining the final bonding performance. Solvay has developed FusePly, a breakthrough technology that offers the potential to build reliable and robust bonded composite parts through the creation of covalently-bonded structures at bondline interface. FusePly technology meets the manufacturing challenges faced by aircraft builders and industrial bonding users looking for improved performance, buildrates and lightweighting. In this webinar, you will discover FusePly's key benefits as well as processing and data. Agenda: Surface preparation challenges for composite bonding FusePly technology overview Properties and performance data
The annual Conference on Composites, Materials, and Structures (also known as the Cocoa Beach Conference) is the preeminent export controlled and ITAR restricted forum in the United States to review and discuss advances in materials for extreme environments. The Conference started in the 1970s as a small informal gathering for government and industry to share information on programs and state-of-the-art technology. Attendance has grown to nearly 500 people while preserving this same objective to share needs and trends in high-temperature and extreme environment materials, and the latest information on advanced materials and manufacturing processes. The five-day conference program includes two to three parallel sessions per day on topics including thermal protection materials, ceramic matrix composites, carbon-carbon materials, ballistic technologies, hypersonics, and gas turbine engines. Attendees are engineers, scientists, managers, and operational personnel from the turbine engine, aviation, missiles and space, and protective equipment communities. These communities include the Navy, Air Force, Army, MDA, NASA, DARPA, FAA, DOE, engine manufacturers, missile and aircraft manufacturers, commercial space companies, and material and component suppliers. The Conference will be held in St. Augustine again for 2024! Participation is limited to U.S. Citizens and U.S. Permanent Residents only with an active DD2345 certification.
The 48th International Conference & Exposition on Advanced Ceramics & Composites (ICACC 2024) will be held from Jan. 28–Feb. 2, 2024, in Daytona Beach, Fla. It is a great honor to chair this conference, which has a strong history of being one of the best international meetings on advanced structural and functional ceramics, composites, and other emerging ceramic materials and technologies.
Venue ONLY ON-SITE @AZL Hub in Aachen Building Part 3B, 4th Floor Campus Boulevard 30 52074 Aachen Time: January 31st, 2024 | 11:00-16:00h (CET) This first constitutive session will shape the future of the workgroup. ✓ Insights into solutions for e.g. circularity, recycling, sustainability, end of life etc. ✓ Interactive exchange along the value chain to tackle these challenges: Share your input in the “World Café” workshop session! ✓ Are you a solution provider? Take your chance and present your solution approach in a short 5-minute pitch. Get in touch with Alexander.
The Transformative Vertical Flight (TVF) 2024 meeting will take place Feb. 6–8, 2024 in Santa Clara, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley and will feature more than 100 speakers on important progress on vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft and technology.
The Program of this Summit consists of a range of 12 high-level lectures by 14 invited speakers only. Topics are composite related innovations in Automotive & Transport, Space & Aerospace, Advanced Materials, and Process Engineering, as well as Challenging Applications in other markets like Architecture, Construction, Sports, Energy, Marine & more.
JEC World in Paris is the only trade show that unites the global composite industry: an indication of the industry’s commitment to an international platform where users can find a full spectrum of processes, new materials, and composite solutions.
Thousands of people visit our Supplier Guide every day to source equipment and materials. Get in front of them with a free company profile.
Arris presents mechanical testing results of an Arris-designed natural fiber thermoplastic composite in comparison to similarly produced glass and carbon fiber-based materials.
Cevotec, a tank manufacturer, Roth Composite Machinery and Cikoni, have undertaken a comprehensive project to explore and demonstrate the impact of dome reinforcements using FPP technology for composite tanks.
Initial demonstration in furniture shows properties two to nine times higher than plywood, OOA molding for uniquely shaped components.
The composite tubes white paper explores some of the considerations for specifying composite tubes, such as mechanical properties, maintenance requirements and more.
Foundational research discusses the current carbon fiber recycling landscape in Utah, and evaluates potential strategies and policies that could enhance this sustainable practice in the region.
In its latest white paper, Exel navigates the fire, smoke and toxicity (FST) considerations and complexities that can influence composites design.
JEC 2024: Swancor demonstrates its EzCiclo recyclable epoxy and recycling process in wind, sporting goods and automotive applications.
Alliance for European Flax-Linen and Hemp has partnered with ecoinvent to enable a more comprehensive and transparent inventory database for the environmental impact of natural fiber-based products, services.
Online industry event in spring 2024 will feature six presentations covering sustainability in the composites industry.
Austrian research institute Wood K plus makes 95% silicon carbide ceramics more sustainable (>85% bio/recycled content), enables 3D shapes via extrusion, injection molding and 3D printing.
Thermoplastic polymer resin was designed to tackle distinctive industry challenges of large-scale 3D printing while also assisting with sustainability initiatives.
The MB9, representing a combination of high performance and eco-conscious materials use, will be commercially available in time for the 2024 sailing season.
The composites industry is increasingly recognizing the imperative of sustainability in its operations. As demand for lightweight and durable materials rises across various sectors, such as automotive, aerospace, and construction, there is a growing awareness of the environmental impact associated with traditional composite manufacturing processes.
During CW Tech Days: Thermoplastics for Large Structures, experts explored the materials and processing technologies that are enabling the transition to large-part manufacturing.
CompositesWorld’s CW Tech Days: Infrastructure event offers a series of expert presentations on composite materials, processes and applications that should and will be considered for use in the infrastructure and construction markets.
In the Automated Composites Knowledge Center, CGTech brings you vital information about all things automated composites.
This CW Tech Days event will explore the technologies, materials, and strategies that can help composites manufacturers become more sustainable.
Closed mold processes offer many advantages over open molding. This knowledge center details the basics of closed mold methods and the products and tools essential to producing a part correctly.
Explore the cutting-edge composites industry, as experts delve into the materials, tooling, and manufacturing hurdles of meeting the demands of the promising advanced air mobility (AAM) market. Join us at CW Tech Days to unlock the future of efficient composites fabrication operations.
CW’s editors are tracking the latest trends and developments in tooling, from the basics to new developments. This collection, presented by Composites One, features four recent CW stories that detail a range of tooling technologies, processes and materials.
CompositesWorld’s CW Tech Days: Infrastructure event offers a series of expert presentations on composite materials, processes and applications that should and will be considered for use in the infrastructure and construction markets.
Explore the cutting-edge composites industry, as experts delve into the materials, tooling, and manufacturing hurdles of meeting the demands of the promising advanced air mobility (AAM) market. Join us at CW Tech Days to unlock the future of efficient composites fabrication operations.
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MVP's Automated Equipment: Revolutionizing Composites Part Production Through Filament Winding within CompositesWorld's CompositesWorld Collections Knowledge Center
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A report on the demand for hydrogen as an energy source and the role composites might play in the transport and storage of hydrogen.
This collection features detail the current state of the industry and recent success stories across aerospace, automotive and rail applications.
This collection details the basics, challenges, and future of thermoplastic composites technology, with particular emphasis on their use for commercial aerospace primary structures.
This collection features recent CW stories that detail a range of tooling technologies, processes and materials.
Austrian research institute Wood K plus makes 95% silicon carbide ceramics more sustainable (>85% bio/recycled content), enables 3D shapes via extrusion, injection molding and 3D printing.
An extruded wood polymer composite (WPC) green body that has then been carbonized into a porous preform and then processed via silicon melt infiltration into a high-performance silicon carbide (SiC) ceramic using a patented process developed by Wood K plus. Photo credit: Wood K plus
Wood K plus (Linz, Austria) is a research institute founded in 2000 as the competence center for bio-based materials in Austria. “We started as a competence center for wood chemistry and wood composites,” explains Christoph Unterweger, team leader, fibers, carbon and ceramics. “But we now focus on quite a broad range of topics regarding bio-based materials and resource efficient processes.
Wood K plus comprises three divisions (top) and performs a wide range of R&D that involves composites (bottom). Photo credit: Wood K plus
Wood K plus comprises three divisions in three locations:
“We generally cover the whole value chain, including raw materials, processing and testing of bio-based products,” says Unterweger. “In this case, due to our long-term experience in extrusion of thermosets, our focus was on short fiber composites. In our next steps, this will be accompanied by LCA, sLCA and LCC [lifecycle assessment, social LCA and lifecycle costing] which are topics we have also been developing for almost 15 years and which are becoming more and more important.”
Unterweger, key researcher Christian Fuerst and their colleagues, have published research on “Bio-based carbon preforms for the manufacture of high-performance composites” and “Bio-based silicon carbide ceramics from thermoset-based wool wood polymer composites” as part of the BioC4HiTech project (2021-2023) funded through the Austrian Production of the Future program. “We can produce a high-strength, high-stiffness ceramic that is up to 95 wt% pure silicon carbide [SiC] from a preform that is 50-60 wt% wood,” says Unterweger. Turning wood into charcoal is familiar, but it’s surprising that a shaped wood polymer composite (WPC) could be transformed into a high-quality SiC ceramic. Note, SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composites (CMC) are now used for high-performance, high-temperature (1,200-1,600°C) parts in power turbines and jet engines (see “A new era for ceramic matrix composites”).
Unterweger says this was one of his division’s first topics, in 2010. “We developed a thermoset resin-based formulation that can be extruded, with the idea to use such systems as preforms for carbons for CMC.”
The BioC4HiTech project sought to produce bio-based green bodies for processing into metal, ceramic and carbon matrix composites. Photo credit: Wood K plus
In the BioC4HiTech project, this goal was expanded to produce bio-based green bodies that could then be carbonized into semi-finished (shaped and trimmed) preforms to be further processed into CMC, metal matrix composites (MMC) or what Wood K Plus calls CFC (carbon fiber-reinforced carbon) — and what CW would refer to as carbon/carbon (C/C), one of the most common types of CMC in addition to C/SiC and SiC/SiC. BioC4HiTech’s goal was to replace the fossil raw materials typically used in these composites — e.g., graphite and PAN/pitch-based carbon fiber — with natural fibers, lignin and/or recycled materials.
These materials are of interest to the second partner in this project, RHP Technology (Seibersdorf, Austria), a research group specializing in powder technologies and additive manufacturing, which is developing a wide range of novel materials, including electrically conductive and ultra-high temperature ceramics.
Potential applications of the metal, ceramic and carbon matrix composites (MMC, CMC, CFC) targeted for development within the BioC4HiTech project. Photo credit: Wood K plus
Wood K plus first used a melamine resin with wood reinforcement and extruded this into a 3D shape which was carbonized. “But melamine resins have a nitrogen content that is too high while the carbon content is too low,” says Unterweger. “So, we switched to a novolac phenolic resin and optimized for this system.”
“We used up to 60 wt% wood fibers as well as some thermoplastic additives to aid extrusion. We then cut 18-centimeter-long samples from the extrusion to fit in our small chamber furnace and heated it in nitrogen to 900°C. The thermoplastic vaporized to leave pores and the thermoset was converted to carbon, creating a porous preform.”
Wood K plus used Arbocel wood powder (left) and Lenzing cellulose fibers (right) to produce wood polymer composite green bodies. Photo credit: Agrobiobase.com, JRS and Lenzing
The wood reinforcement used initially was cellulose fiber from Lenzing with a length/diameter ratio (L/D) of 30, but due to shrinkage issues, Wood K plus switched to Arbocel C100 wood flour (L/D ratio <2).
Wood powder/polymer green bodies shrink 25-30% during conversion to porous carbon preforms, but without shape distortion. Photo credit: Wood K plus
It was expected the wood materials would shrink during carbonization. The issue with fibers is their orientation and thus shrinkage more in one direction. “The particles, however, have almost no L/D ratio,” explains Unterweger, “thus their 30% shrinkage occurs in each direction so that there is no distortion in the shape of the resulting carbon preform.”
Steps comprising Wood K plus’ patented process for producing SiC ceramic from wood polymer composites (WPC). Photo credit: Wood K plus
WPC green bodies are first carbonized into preforms (left) and then infiltrated with liquid silicon (right). Photo credit: Wood K plus
The next step is to infiltrate the porous carbon preforms with silicon. “From the porosity you can determine how much silicon is needed to fill the preform,” explains Unterweger. “We placed the preforms and silicon flakes into a tool and then heat that again in the chamber furnace up to 1,600°C under vacuum. The silicon melts to a very low viscosity so that it infiltrates the pore structure and is distributed across the whole preform. And then, the silicon and carbon react to form silicon carbide.”
The quality of the resulting SiC ceramic is determined by the composition and processing conditions of the WPC green body, notes Unterweger. “Composition and homogeneity of the mixture determine the porosity in the preform and this dictates the quality of the ceramic. We can achieve almost 95 wt% silicon carbide content, which is very high performance. There is almost no difference to a standard SiC ceramic.”
What is the temperature resistance of these more sustainable, bio-based SiC materials? Unterweger says 1,400°C is no problem. “Normally, SiC can go up to 2,300°C or perhaps a bit higher. And you can then come back down to a low temperature and repeat that cycle many times without destroying your material in any way. But because there is residual silicon (melting point 1,410°C) in our bio-based SiC ceramics, 1,400°C is the limit.”
In addition to the almost pure SiC, Wood K plus can also adjust the composition to have remaining carbon. “For example, we can have 20% by volume remaining carbon, depending on the wood particle size, which can add functionality, such as electrical conductivity or friction resistance,” says Unterweger.
But Wood K plus has noticed an interesting characteristic, in that the remaining carbon resulting from its process is encapsulated. The remaining carbon provides conductivity, while the other properties of the SiC are maintained. “We observed that if you just disperse some sort of carbon or graphite in the SiC matrix, that carbon is then just burnt away in an oxidative environment,” says Unterweger. “But the carbon in our process is somehow protected, so that it does not burn away. So, this is a key advantage — that we can control the composition but also achieve this sort of encapsulated carbon that is protected from oxidation.”
Wood K plus started with extrusion due to its long history with the process. “But about 6-7 years ago, we also began working with injection molding and hot pressing,” notes Unterweger. This was easy to do with the WPC materials his team has developed. “We’re compounding, so we mix phenolic resin, plastic additives and the wood particles in an extruder and do some pelletizing,” he explains. “We can then either go again to the extruder and use some special tool to extrude a shaped green body that can have a very low wall thickness down to 3 millimeters, or we can just put this compound into a mold and do hot pressing to produce a plate from 40 millimeters in thickness down to 3 millimeters.”
WPC green bodies have also been made using 3D printing (top) and hot pressing, the latter enabling plates up to 30 millimeters thick (bottom). Photo credit: Wood K plus
Another interesting aspect, is that all of the machining can be done during the carbon preform stage, where there is much less wear on tools compare to after silicon infiltration when the SiC ceramic is much denser and harder. “If you wanted to machine very thick parts, this could be interesting,” adds Unterweger.
The BioC4HiTech project also produced parts using 3D printing. “This wasn’t using fused filament fabrication because there is no pre-made filament we can procure. Instead, we use the same pellets we have compounded and process these in an extrusion printer.” The 3D printing was actually done by RHP using an AIM3D machine (see Production-ready: Composite extrusion modeling (CEM) in the article “Metal AM advances in composite tooling, Part 2”).
For all of these processes, after the WPC green body is created, it is carbonized and then infiltrated with silicon to form the SiC ceramic. “So, we have a large variety of possible processes and material compositions,” says Unterweger. “And this includes low to high wood content, but higher wood content (40-60 wt%) produces the highest SiC content and thus the best performance as well as the highest share of renewable material. However, for injection molding and 3D printing, we are limited to 30-35 wt% wood particle content. Beyond that, the viscosity is too high and material flow is insufficient.”
Wood K plus can produce a range of WPC material compositions and shapes and convert these into SiC ceramics. Photo credit: Wood K plus
“Our main advantage is improved sustainability,” says Unterweger. “We are offering basically the same mechanical performance and temperature resistance as standard SiC but with a high bio-based content. The only thing that’s not sustainable at the moment is the novolac phenolic resin. But we are working on replacing the novolac with lignin. And if we used bio-based thermoplastic additives and recycled silicon, then we will have a material made from 100% bio-based, recycled and/or sustainable materials.”
The other advantage, he notes, is Wood K plus’ process that enables shapes not easily made using traditional techniques, “and the thick plates that can be created using hot pressing.” The encapsulated carbon is also another benefit, although its full value has yet to be explored.
Is there a way to extend this work into creating a fiber-reinforced CMC? “It’s true that the SiC has high strength and stiffness but not impact resistance,” says Unterweger. “Again, the problem with using fibers is that the shrinkage during carbonization is not the same in each direction. We can carbonize the fibers first. For example, if we carbonize the wood particles first and use those in the green bodies, then there is no shrinkage at all after carbonization. So, you could carbonize cellulose fibers in advance and then mix those in with your polymers. We have tried in the past to add some carbon fibers to replace wood, but it didn’t really work. However, if we added a small amount of carbon fiber to boost impact resistance, that might work. We haven’t tried this, yet, but it is something we are planning for the near future, as we are also developing high-performance carbon fibers from cellulose filaments. Combining our ceramic and carbon fiber activities would be really interesting.”
So, there may yet be additional paths to extend this improved sustainability SiC ceramic to fiber-reinforced SiC CMC. “Five years ago, sustainability was not really even an issue in the ceramic world,” notes Unterweger. “But this has really changed in the last few years. Now we have requests from different companies because they have no idea how to become more sustainable and we are one of the few institutes who have solutions to offer.”
The structural properties of composite materials are derived primarily from the fiber reinforcement. Fiber types, their manufacture, their uses and the end-market applications in which they find most use are described.
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