September 2008 Issue

September 2008

Equibiaxial flexural strength testing of fiber-reinforced ceramics

In my last column, I discussed uniaxial flexural strength testing of fiber-reinforced ceramics, that is, simple three- or four-point bending of a strip of material of rectangular cross section (see "Learn More," at left). As was noted, the strength of this test specimen is sensitive to machining defects at its edges. Also, in many applications of fiber-reinforced ceramics (and unreinforced ceramics), the stress state is not uniaxial, but rather biaxial.

Features

Featured articles from the September 2008 issue of CompositesWorld

Aerospace 9 Sep 2008

2008 Farnborough Airshow Report

This biennial aerospace showcase underscores the ascendancy of composites in airframes and jet engines.

Aerospace 9 Sep 2008

ATL and AFP: Signs of evolution in machine process control

Improved machine-control software, placement accuracy and design simulation have made automated fiber placement and tape laying machines truly production-worthy. The evolution, however, still continues.

Out of Autoclave 9 Sep 2008

Aviation Outlook: Composites in commercial aircraft jet engines

Airlines' need for fuel-efficient flight provides the thrust behind composite lightweighting strategies in jet engine manufacturing.

Editorial 13 Sep 2008

CW Forum launches

About once a month, I get into a low-grade argument with an elderly acquaintance, who likes to tell me what a complete flop the Internet is.

NDI 15 Sep 2008

Low-cost ultrasonic NDT method yields real-time results

Ultrasonic nondestructive inspection methods are based on the principle of wave propagation through a solid medium. A transmitter emits a sound wave, above the range audible to humans, that excites the structure, while the same (or a second) transducer picks up the resulting structural waves. In a typical setup, a C

ATL/AFP 15 Sep 2008

New packaging machine uses lightweight carbon fiber airshafts

When Premier Paper Converting Machinery (New Berlin, Wis.) introduced its new custom machine for producing Kraft paper honeycomb used to make packaging materials, the device was equipped to hold four massive 98-inch/2.4m wide rolls of paper, each one weighing 5,300 lb/2,409 kg. To support these paper rolls during u