COMPOSITES EUROPE 2010 Blog

Sustainability and energy efficiency: What does the future look like for international freight traffic? What new approach can freight forwarders and logistics specialists adopt, so that they are able to transport their clients’ large loads under favorable conditions? How can such an approach ensure high environmental standards? The solution lies in lightweight design for trucks and freight containers, where fuel consumption and transport costs are reduced, CO2 emissions are lowered and climate friendliness is increased.

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Sustainability and energy efficiency: What does the future look like for international freight traffic? What new approach can freight forwarders and logistics specialists adopt, so that they are able to transport their clients’ large loads under favorable conditions? How can such an approach ensure high environmental standards? The solution lies in lightweight design for trucks and freight containers, where fuel consumption and transport costs are reduced, CO2 emissions are lowered and climate friendliness is increased.

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When the new Airbus A350 XWB (XWB stands for eXtra Wide Body) takes off on its maiden flight in two years time, this will also represent a milestone for the composites industry. 50% of the fuselage of the wide-bodied aircraft, which is being developed as a competitor to the Boeing 787, is made of composite materials. Last summer, Airbus purchased Read Full Post

The significance of wind energy is increasing throughout Europe.

A study carried out by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) shows that capacity increased by just under 20% to almost 65,000 megawatts in 2008. The possibility for growth is Read Full Post

The first is 2.59 meters long with an efficient electric motor designed for nipping round towns and cities (top speed 120 km/h).

The second is a luxury sports car delivering Read Full Post

The latest innovation from Huntsman Advanced Materials GmbH of Basle is a one-piece hockey stick.  It is manufactured from a new ductile modified highly modern artificial resin system, known as Read Full Post

The 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver consisted not only of a fight between athletes but also a contest between materials. 

Light, strong, flexible – these are the requirements that must be provided by sports equipment. 

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2009 was also a difficult year for the processors of fibre composites.  According to the information given by the Federation of Reinforced Plastics (AVK), the demand for and the production of duroplastic SMC and BMC components was determined by market developments in the main automobile and electronic applications. 

The “Envirez” material from Ashland Performance Materials is used in boatbuilding (Photo: Ashland).

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Aerospace, automotive and airplane construction count on lightweight construction. But to make sure that lightening the load does not come at the cost of safety, Fraunhofer researchers are working on new quality assurance systems for material testing. At the Composites Europe trade show (October 27 – 29) Hall 4, Booth D04, in Stuttgart, they will demonstrate a new kind of non-destructive diagnostic procedure.

Boats, airplanes and spacecrafts are getting lighter and lighter: Lightweight structures help save fuel and lower CO2 emissions. “To ensure that police and marine emergency services can rely on their lifeboats, even in high seas, the lightweight components undergo comprehensive quality assurance before being put to actual use,” affirms Joachim Montnacher, Head of Department for Testing Systems at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA in Stuttgart. Together with Dr. Tina Wilhelm, Group Manager for Measurement and Testing Technology, and colleague Wolfgang Schmidt, the experts are hard at work on quality assurance systems for lightweight construction.

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Whether recreational craft, aircraft components such as the fuselage and wing shells, railway trucks, surfboards, rotor blades for wind power plants or superstructures of commercial vehicles or caravans, without sandwich structures the most important applications of composites would be inconceivable. A sandwich structure is a type of lightweight construction, in which the components consist of force absorbing covering layers that are kept at a distance by a relatively soft, normally light, core material.

The sandwich structure is a production process for semi-finished goods, in which several layers with diverse characteristics are embedded in a material. Almost always, this involves the use of diverse composites, since despite being of a low weight these components are very rigid. They are computed according to the linear sandwich theory. The core material preferably consists of paper honeycombs, foam materials or balsa wood. It transmits arising shear loads and supports the covering layers. The thermally insulating and acoustic insulating properties of the very light core materials are also frequently utilized.

Optiplan GmbH from Oelsnitz is one of the leading manufacturers of glass fibre reinforced plastics as panels and reels under the Polydet brand. Apart from the main application as high-grade wall coverings on vehicle superstuctures, GRP products are also used in the technical, industrial and construction sectors. The company will present its latest products at the Composites Europe trade fair, which takes place in Stuttgart from 27 to 29 October 2009.

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