Currently viewing the category: "Composite Materials"

Podcast Ep. #2 – Prof. Paul Weaver on Shape, Stiffness and Smart Aerospace Structures

On November 6, 2017 · In Aerospace Engineering, Aircraft, Composite Materials, Composites, Helicopters

“There’s been a lot of good press from the science community on self-assembly of atoms. Well, I guess what I’m looking for is self-assembly and disassembly of large-scale structures…There is all sorts of exciting things we can do when [engineering] structures re-configure themselves.” — Prof. Paul Weaver

This episode features Prof. Paul Weaver, who […]

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Podcast Ep. #1 – Dr Chauncey Wu on NASA, Rocket Science and Advanced Composite Materials

On October 7, 2017 · In Aerospace Engineering, Composite Materials, Composites, Engineering, History, NASA, Podcast, Rocket Science

“If you’re trying to put these structures into orbit, every gram counts. Not just every pound but every gram…So you are making structures that are operating at their margins.” — Dr Chauncey Wu, NASA Langley Research Center

Today’s conversation features Dr Chauncey Wu, who is a research engineer at NASA Langley Research Center in […]

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Aeroelasticity, composites and the Grumman X-29

On April 16, 2017 · In Aerodynamics, Case Studies, Composite Materials, History, Novel Materials/Tailored Structures

Aeroelasticity is the study of the interactions between dynamic, inertial and aerodynamic forces that arise when a body is immersed in airflow. The unique challenge of aeroelasticity is to analyse how vibrations, static deflections and lift and drag forces combine, and to make sure that any interaction of these three forces does not lead to inferior aircraft […]

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Rocket Science 101: Lightweight rocket shells

On June 16, 2016 · In Composite Materials, Engineering, Novel Materials/Tailored Structures, Rocket Science

This is the fourth and final part of a series of posts on rocket science. Part I covered the history of rocketry, Part II dealt with the operating principles of rockets and Part III looked at the components that go into the propulsive system.

One of […]

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Variable Stiffness Composites

On January 27, 2015 · In Composite Materials, Novel Materials/Tailored Structures

In previous posts I have discussed the unique characteristics and manufacturing processes of a certain type of composite material, namely continuous fibre-reinforced plastics (FRPs). Just like many other composite materials, FRPs combine two or more materials whose combined properties are superior (in a practical engineering sense) to the properties […]

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Defects and Non-Destructive Testing in Composites

On October 17, 2013 · In Composite Materials, Technology

The treatment of defects in aircraft structural design has been an important aspect in aircraft structural design during the last 50 years. Various different catastrophic events have led to key insights that now shape the design philosophy for primary aircraft structures. One of these […]

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Composite Materials and Renewables: Wind Energy

On August 21, 2013 · In Composite Materials, Manufacturing, Novel Materials/Tailored Structures, Renewables

In the aerospace industry the benefits of exploiting the excellent specific strength and stiffness properties of composites in terms of lightweight structural design are immediately apparent. Other advantages of fibre reinforced plastics, such as the relative ease to manufacture complex shapes, and their excellent fatigue and corrosion resistance, have made FRP composites increasingly attractive in […]

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Developments in Composite Materials

On August 18, 2013 · In Bio-mimicry, Case Studies, Composite Materials, General Aerospace, Technology

I have just returned from the International Conference for Composite Materials (ICCM) in Montreal, Canada and would like to share a few observations and key points about the developments in the composite world that may not be so easily accessible to a broader audience.

1) The Great Advance – Applications

ICCM is the biggest conference […]

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Fancy a Sandwich?

On June 28, 2013 · In Composite Materials, Novel Materials/Tailored Structures

In this post I want to use the sandwich panel as an example to explain some basic concepts about bending of structures. The explanations in this post are kept very basic and are similar to a first semester course in structural mechanics. Sandwich panels are an important composite structure in aerospace applications as well as in […]

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A Brief History of Aircraft Structures

On August 19, 2012 · In Composite Materials, History, Novel Materials/Tailored Structures

Aircraft have changed enormously over the last century from the early Wright Flyer flown at Kittyhawk to the supersonic SR-71 Blackbird flown today. Of course the developments in aeronautical engineering can be broken down into separate divisions that have developed at different rates: a) the aerodynamics, b) power plant engineering, c) control, radios and navigation […]

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