Research underway in the Minakuchi Lab – new fiber features to control crack propagation in composite materials

Composite materials are materials that are made by combining one or two materials. Composite materials have been used by humans for thousands of years but as technological developments increase, more and more examples of composite materials have been created which has led to a staggering number of innovations in a wide range of different fields. One major example of this is the aerospace industry which relies on materials that are strong but light. It is essential that an aircraft is strong enough to resist the enormous stresses that are placed on it by its mechanisms and the environment in which it operates, but light enough to be propelled thousands of miles into the sky. Some of the most abundant composite materials used in the aerospace industry are carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) which are the focus of Dr Shu Minakuchi's research team at the Minakuchi Laboratory within the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, The University of Tokyo. Minakuchi's team is working on advanced composite materials represented by CFRPs, with a view to overcoming some of the problems associated with cracks from stresses and their propagation.

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Processing-Property Relationships in Advanced Multi-Functional Composite Materials: Management of Dielectric Behavior

Materials Science Forum ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/msf.783-786.1560 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 783-786 ◽

pp. 1560-1566

Author(s):

Kenneth Reifsnider ◽

Fazle Rabbi ◽

Jeff Baker ◽

Jon Michael Adkins ◽

Q. Liu

Keyword(s):

Energy Storage ◽

Composite Materials ◽

Dielectric Behavior ◽

Energy Storage And Conversion ◽

Materials Management ◽

Extrinsic Factors ◽

Advanced Composite ◽

Advanced Composite Materials ◽

The Subject ◽

Materials Used

Many of the advanced composite materials used in aerospace, energy storage and conversion, and electrical devices are multifunctional, i.e., they operate on (or in the presence of) some combination of mechanical, thermal, electrical, chemical, and magnetic fields. Designing composite materials for airplanes, for example, must include not only structural, but also thermal and electrical considerations. Most energy storage and conversion devices are made from advanced composite materials, and they must be designed to interact and sustain their functions in multiple fields, often mechanical, electrical, electrochemical, and thermal. The functional characteristics of such materials are not only controlled by the constituent properties, but are highly dependent on the size, shape, geometry, arrangement, and interfaces between the constituent materials, the extrinsic factors controlled by processing. That is the subject of the present paper. In particular, we will focus on the design of microstructure in heterogeneous materials to manage the dielectric properties and character of such materials.

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The Uses of Composite Materials in the Design and Manufacture of Formula 1 Racing Cars

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part D Journal of Automobile Engineering ◽

10.1243/pime_proc_1990_204_131_02 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 204 (1) ◽

pp. 41-48 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

B P O'Rourke

Keyword(s):

Composite Materials ◽

Major Part ◽

Design Criteria ◽

Geometric Accuracy ◽

Impact Performance ◽

Advanced Composite ◽

Advanced Composite Materials ◽

Component Design ◽

Wide Range ◽

Design And Manufacture

In recent years a new application for advanced composite materials has been in the construction of load-bearing components for Formula 1 racing cars. Their use has been progressively extended and they currently comprise a major part of the vehicle assembly for all competing Formula 1 designs. Here the experiences gained with these materials at Williams Grand Prix Engineering are described. The initial interest in this technology was for optimization of structural efficiency. A wide range of component design criteria are covered and advantages have also been found in the areas of strength, impact performance, geometric accuracy and speed of manufacture.

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