Carbon Fiber Knowledge
The latest from the world of advanced composites and carbon fiber technology.
Architecture has been a late but enthusiastic adopter of carbon fiber. For decades carbon fiber reinforced polymer was associated with aerospace structures, racing cars and high-performance sporting goods, while buildings relied on steel, concrete and timber. That division is dissolving
Peru is not the first country that comes to mind in a global review of carbon fiber demand, but its market profile is becoming increasingly interesting for composite suppliers. The country is the world's second largest producer of copper, it operates some of the highest-altitude mines o
Carbon fiber composites are prized for their strength-to-weight ratio, but they are not immune to the environment. Every polymer matrix — epoxy, vinyl ester, bismaleimide, thermoplastic — absorbs moisture from humid air and liquid water, and absorbed moisture acts on the matrix in ways
Small satellites have changed the economics of space. Where a conventional communications or Earth observation spacecraft might take years to design and months to assemble, a modern small satellite constellation is built in batches, on a schedule closer to automotive production than to
Germany is Europe's largest market for carbon fiber and carbon fiber reinforced composites, and the structure of that demand is changing faster than in almost any other region. The country produces more than four million passenger cars per year, it hosts the continent's most important w
Composite laminates fail their analysis allowances most often through manufacturing variability, and the largest contributor is fiber orientation error. A unidirectional ply intended at zero degrees but placed at two degrees loses measurable stiffness; cross-ply and angle-ply laminates
Hydrofoils have transformed both ends of the marine market. At the performance end, the International Moth singlehanded dinghy foils at more than 25 knots, and America's Cup AC75 yachts accelerate past 50 knots on foils that lift the entire hull clear of the water. At the commercial end
Most carbon fiber composite parts leave the autoclave or press with excess material at the edges — trim allowance, flash, and fastener prepreg that must be removed before the part enters service. Milling and trimming are the operations that remove this material, and they are also the op
Colombia is one of Latin America's most dynamic markets for carbon fiber and advanced composites, driven by three overlapping sectors: a hydrocarbon industry anchored by the state-controlled operator Ecopetrol, a defense program that is replacing aging naval and aviation platforms, and