The internal structure of natural fiber composites can be manipulated by controlling the spatial distribution of fiber orientation and internal chemical and thermodynamic conditions during their consolidation. Objects highly tailored to specific service demands may thereby be produced. Techniques to form miniature structural beams from oriented hemp and random wood...
Stress analysis was performed to determine the maximum stress acting on a railcar coal support-bed, using COSMOS finite element and WFM micromechanics models. The fracture strength of polyurethane impregnated Kevlar 29 fabric, proposed for integration with the railcar structure, was determined experimentally by loading the impregnated coupons in a microcomputer...
In many composites, fiber bridging develops as part of the fracture process. Fiber bridging invalidates many toughness evaluation methods such as the ASTM E399 and complicates the identification of crack length, which is a necessary parameter in energy methods. In order to measure the toughness of fiber bridging composites, an...
Conventional stainless steel - water and ceramic fabric composite water
heat pipes have been built and tested. The tests have been conducted to compare
the performance characteristics between conventional and fabric composite heat
pipe radiators for space nuclear power heat rejection systems. The fabric
composite concept combines a strong ceramic...
Controlling the orientation and spatial distribution of
discontinuous fibers in composite materials enables product
properties to be tailored to anticipated use. Electric
fields are already (albeit rarely) used to affect alignment
in lignocellulosic (LC) fiber composites. The use of
magnetic fields has not, however, been suggested or
explored; this is...
The design of a fabric composite heat pipe has been completed. It is
composed of two end caps, between which a fluid containment liner composed of
metal foil and an outer structural layer composed of a ceramic fabric is stretched.
The interior of the heat pipe is layered with a...
Bonding kinetics of thermosetting adhesives plays an important role
within wood based composites during hot pressing, and in determining
appropriate processing schedules for the manufacture of composites. A
dynamic method has been developed to offer a direct means for
investigating physical transformations that occur during bond
formation, and the influence...
Natural fibers such as wood, flax, and hemp are frequently used as fillers in natural fiber-plastic composites (NFPCs). At present, wood fiber is the most commonly used filler in the production of wood-plastic composites (WPCs). The advantages of these fibers compared to conventional inorganic fibers such as glass fiber is...
The material properties of the candidate fiber-reinforced composite materials
and different fabrication methods for fiber composites were discussed. The
improvement of the hand lay-up process for polyurethane impregnated Kevlar was
investigated. Testing samples for lab and prototype tests were fabricated by hand lay-up
process. The study showed that fiber composites...
