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Briefs
Materials

Fatigue Behavior of an Advanced Melt-Infiltrated SIC/SIC Composite with Environmental Barrier Coating at 1200°C in Air and in Steam

SiC fiber-reinforced SiC matrix composites are being evaluated for aircraft engine hot-section components.

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Briefs
Materials

Bio-Based Polyurethane Containing Isosorbide for Use in Composites and Coatings

Polyurethane can be easily molded or cast into a film at ambient conditions.

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INSIDER
Transportation

New Airfield Matting System Being Developed

Since the 1940s, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) has evaluated expeditionary airfield matting systems that allow military units to quickly build runways, hangar...

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Articles
Energy

Developing Thermoplastic Composites for Use in Commercial Aircraft

Thermoplastic composite materials (TPC) are gaining momentum for use in commercial airplanes and other aerospace applications, including electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

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Aerospace

Material Could Make Aircraft as Quiet as a Hairdryer

An incredibly light new material that can reduce aircraft engine noise and improve passenger comfort has been developed at the University of Bath (UK). The aerogel weighs just 2.1 kg per...

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Articles
Materials

Advanced CT Inspection and Data Analysis

Learn about the ways to ensure that your composite designs are structurally sound.

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Briefs
Manufacturing & Prototyping

Biobased Carbon Fibers and Thermosetting Resins for Use in DOD Composites Applications

Advanced bio-based fibers and high-performance thermosetting resins will help reduce the dependence of military composites on high-cost petroleum.

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Application Briefs
Materials

Portable 3D Printing Factory

The fully operational, self-contained 3D printing “factory” is housed in a shipping container.

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INSIDER
Aerospace

Collins Aerospace to Modernize B-52 Wheels and Brakes

As the U.S. Air Force extends the operational service life of the B-52 Stratofortress into the 2050s, it has selected Collins Aerospace to design and develop a new wheel and carbon brake...

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INSIDER
Materials

Nanoscale Materials Could Reduce Manufacturing, Aviation Greenhouse Gasses

The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) is partnering with 16 industrial partners on the MASTRO project, which is tasked with...

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Articles
Aerospace

More Bang for the Buck: A New Design and Manufacturing Method for Deep Penetrating Bomb Cases

There is a new way to design penetrators and projectiles: Composites.

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INSIDER
Materials

Army Awards $13.5 Million for High-Speed Missile Materials Research

The National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University announced a new $13.5 million award from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development...

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Articles
Materials

How Advanced Vacuum Bag Kits Streamline Composite Parts Manufacturing

The manufacturing of complex composite aerospace components is a labor-intensive process, especially the application of the vacuum bag layers needed for consolidation and cure.

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Briefs
Aerospace

Designing Sensory and Adaptive Composite Materials

Newly developed computational approaches aid in the design of composites that exhibit remarkable abilities to both sense external cues and adapt to these cues in controllable, "programmable" ways.

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Briefs
Energy

Design of New Piezoelectric Composites Using Nanocellulose

Using cellulose crystals as building blocks for the design and development of new low-density functional polymer composites.

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Briefs
Test & Measurement

Bioenvironmental Engineering Guide for Composite Materials

Develop a comprehensive baseline for identifying, evaluating, and controlling occupational and environmental hazards associated with composite fibers.

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Briefs
Nanotechnology

Fast Reacting Nano-Composite Energetic Materials: Synthesis and Combustion Characterization

The advent of nanoparticle fuels enables new kinds of reactions, and new kinds of applications.

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Briefs
Aerospace

Progress on Zirconia-Polyurea Matrix Hybrid Composites

Incorporating zirconia particles into polyurea elastomers to form hybrid composites and designing them into state-of-the-art body armor has the potential to achieve lightweight ballistic efficiency.

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Manufacturing & Prototyping

Hybrid Nanomaterials Hold Promise for Improved Ceramic Composites

Researchers at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base are seeking to patent a novel process for manufacturing a type of material called preceramic polymer-grafted nanoparticles, or...

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Articles
Sensors/Data Acquisition

New Diamond Super-Material Enhances Aircraft Survivability

A diamond composite is the ultimate optics and semiconducting super-material.

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Application Briefs
Aerospace

Rear Fuselage Packer

To date, the rear fuselage packers have been used in the production of over 500 aircraft.

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News
Software

Virtual and Physical Testing of Third-Generation High Strength Steel

Developing lightweight, stiff and crash-resistant vehicle body structures requires a balance between part geometry and material properties. High-strength materials...

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Articles
Materials

Carbon Fiber Research Eyes Roof Frames, Doors

It’s not just for exotic “supercars” and motorcycles anymore. The performance-enhancing attributes of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics continue to be explored by global automakers as they seek...

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Articles
Materials

Vanadium: A Green Metal Critical to Aerospace and Clean Energy

From jet engine components to high-speed airframes, vanadium alloys are deployed in virtually every jet aircraft flying today,

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INSIDER
Nanotechnology

Multifunctional Nanofiber Protects Against Explosions

Since World War I, the vast majority of American combat casualties has come not from gunshot wounds but from explosions. Today, most soldiers wear a heavy, bullet-proof vest to protect...

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Podcasts
Manufacturing & Prototyping

A Morphing Airplane Wing Built by Tiny Robots

Ben Jennet is a PhD student at MIT and a former space research fellow at NASA. He is working with NASA to develop a new kind of aircraft wing that's flexible and changes mid-flight.

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INSIDER
Materials

Nanoscale Experiments Create Optimism for Stronger, Lighter Soldier Armor

Soldier armor, such as bulletproof vests and helmets, depends upon high-performance ballistic fibers for its strength and effectiveness. Army researchers are...

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Articles
Test & Measurement

Scaling Low-Cost Carbon Fiber Production with Oxidation Technology

Few materials used in manufacturing today are as versatile and desirable in performance applications as carbon fiber.

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INSIDER
Manufacturing & Prototyping

NASA Develops Unique Materials for Next Generation Aircraft

As NASA looks to the future of flight, the agency is investing in technologies aimed at changing the aviation industry as we know it. These developments vary from basic materials...

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