The Rise of Composite Materials

Composite materials have become very popular in high-performance products that need to be strong enough to take harsh loads and remain lightweight. They have become so popular that JEC Composites, a company that promotes composite materials internationally, has held a composite show in Paris these last few years. The show is the biggest composites exhibition in the world! At the show companies like ASC Process Systems get a chance to showcase their specialized process equipment used to construct composite materials like composite bonding autoclaves.

Not only is composite equipment showcased, but brilliant advancements in composite materials are unveiled. One of the great innovations showcased at the 2011 JEC Composites Show was the Wind Explorer, a pilot vehicle with 2 seats. The car is an electromobile and its body is composed of carbon fiber composite, weighing about 440 pounds. The Wind Pilot has a range of 248.5 miles per battery charge. It was put to the test by being driven across Australia relying mostly on wind energy. The battery is charged by a mobile wind turbine and electricity is only used as a last resort. Lightweight innovations like this one are becoming more popular as we keep looking for alternate energy sources.

A composite is a material made of more than one component made by man. Modern composites are usually made of two components, a fiber and matrix. The fiber component of the material is known as the reinforcement. In some mixtures, fibers aren’t lined up and are laying in many different directions or all jumbled up. In other mixtures fibers are all lined up in the material. This makes the material stronger in the direction in which the fibers are aligned but weak in the direction going against the fibers. Some materials only need to be strong in one direction so this can be a benefit. For materials that need to be strong in more than one direction, the fibers are pointed in different directions, or woven. The matrix component holds the fibers together and adds toughness to the material.

Composites need to be cured in order for the matrix to set. Autoclaves are like gigantic pressure cookers and are the perfect tool for processing laminated composites. Autoclaves have the ability to process extremely large parts or a large work load composed of a number of small parts. While under ventilation, heat and pressure can be adjusted to optimize the fiber/matrix ratio in composite parts, providing high strength bonds. The autoclave applies an even heat and pressure no matter what the shape of the workload is.

When it comes to light weight structural components composites are the future. Composites are now being used for aerospace components where weight and strength are critical factors. These factors determine the development of aircraft for aerospace companies world-wide. The Boeing 787 is composed of more composites than any other Boeing commercial plane before it. Composites have been found to reduce maintenance in the high tension-loaded area of the fuselage. Composites also make up many of the things around us. Baseball bats, bicycle frames, bathtubs, and counter tops are just a few examples. No one knows exactly where the future of composites will lead us but, the possibilities are endless!

Looking for an Autoclave? then come check out ASC Process Systems at http://www.aschome.com