Apr 10 2011
Using 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.
The show is the perfect platform to launch new inventions and ideas involving composite materials in front of a dynamic group of potential buyers, suppliers, and peers. Composite innovators have been focusing on ideas that reduce environmental impact, while reducing cost. Renewable energy features were a big hit at the 2011 JEC Composites show held in Paris, France. Wind blades constructed, of course, by composite material were show cased. Also the Wind Explorer, a two seat electric car made from carbon fiber composite and powered by mostly wind energy, was featured. Inventions like these are paving the way for composite innovations that aid in recycling and the reduction of energy in some way.
Composites are a man-made material composed of at least two chemically distinct components. One of the components is as material that serves as a matrix, by holding everything together. The other component serves as a reinforcement, in the form of fibers embedded in the matrix. The material that makes up the matrix can be ceramic, metal, or polymer. The reinforcing component can be materials such as; carbon fiber, glass fiber, boron fiber, or other mixtures. The only way to produce a composite is by combing two or more of these materials, not by any of the components acting alone. Fiber-reinforced composites can be stronger than steel and very light.
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.
Composites make up the concrete in our foundations and the sidewalks we walk on. Composites are our imitation granite, cultured marble sinks and counter tops in our kitchens. Our storage tanks, shower stalls and bathtubs are all made of composites. Composite materials have become very popular in high-performance products. They are the bodies of the race cars we love and the fuselages in planes. They are the future of our spacecraft and are also becoming a staple in the realm of orthopedic surgery. Advances in composites are sure to provide us with a brighter and a more environment-friendly future.
Looking for an Autoclave? then come check out ASC Process Systems at http://www.aschome.com