Sourcebook 2009

Introduction

• Sourcebook 2009: The Online Edition
  Welcome to the online Sourcebook, the searchable, updatable, Internet-based counterpart to CompositesWorld's annually published print Sourcebook. In print and here online, we've gathered composites i...

Industry Overview, Part I

• Composites: Materials and processes
  High strength and low weight remain the winning combination that propels composite materials into new arenas, but other properties are equally important. Composite materials offer good vibrational da...
• The fiber
  The structural properties of composite materials are derived primarily from the fiber reinforcement. In a composite, the fiber contributes high tensile strength, enhancing properites in the final par...
• Fiber reinforcement forms
  Fibers used to reinforce composites are supplied directly by fiber manufacturers and indirectly by converters in a number of different forms, which vary depending on the application. Roving and tow. ...
• Supply and demand: Advanced fibers
  Manufacturers of carbon and other advanced fibers respond to sustained composites industry growth with new fiber production capacity.
• The matrix
  The matrix matieral binds the fiber reinforcment and gives the composite component its shape and determines the quality of its surface. A matrix can be polymeric, ceramic or metallic. Polymer matric...
• Part design criteria
  Designers of composite parts can choose from a variety of fiber reinforcements and resin systems. Knowledge of material properties is a prerequisite to satisfactory product design, but cost is a majo...
• Tooling
  The molds used for forming composites, also known as tools, can be made from virtually any material. For parts cured at ambient or low temperature, or for prototyping, where tight control of dimensio...
• Fabrication methods
   The most basic fabrication method for thermoset composites is hand layup, which typically consists of laying dry plies or prepreg plies by hand onto a tool to form a laminate stack. Resin is applied...
• Composites repair
  As more composite materials find a place on aircraft, boats, bridges and hundreds of other applications where part replacement is both difficult and expensive, OEM engineers are considering the repair...

Industry Overview, Part II

• Composites: Multitude of markets
  The overall outlook for the composites industry in 2008 appeared healthy, driven in large part by ongoing development of new commercial aircraft, including The Boeing Co. ’s (Seattle, Wash. ) 787 Drea...
• The markets: Aerospace (2009)
  Developments in the aerospace world, the point of origin for advanced composites and where they still find most use, repeatedly made headlines in 2008. Aircraft giant Airbus (Toulouse, France) delive...
• The markets: Automotive (2009)
   Rising fuel prices in the latter part of 2008 continued to motivate automotive OEMs to lightweight their vehicles to improve fuel economy. The U. S.
• The markets: Boatbuilding (2009)
  In a 2007 Freedonia Group study, the recreational boating segment was expected to rise 5. 3 percent annually to $20 billion by 2011. New boat sales, which hit bottom in 2003, rebounded in 2004 and ...
• The markets: Civil infrastructure (2009)
  More than 250,000 deficient or obsolete structures, such as bridges and parking garages, need repair, retrofit or replacement in the U. S. alone.
• The markets: Construction (2009)
   Composite materials continue to play an increasingly significant role in building construction, primarily in residential applications. Unfortunately, the U. S.
• The markets: Corrosion resistance (2009)
  The direct cost of metallic corrosion in the U. S. alone is estimated at $300 billion (USD) per year by CC Technologies Laboratories Inc.
• The markets: Fuel cells (2009)
      Reinforced thermosets and thermoplastics are likely candidates for the eventual materials of choice used to make the bi-polar plates, end plates, fuel...
• The markets: Oil and gas (2009)
  Composites are recognized as an enabling technology in deepwater drilling scenarios, because the materials are able to stand up to the harsh subsea environment. In mid-2008 as the price of oil on the...
• The markets: Renewable energy (2009)
  As demand on finite petroleum reserves and the price of the fuels derived from them continues to rise, renewable forms of energy are becoming more cost-effective and profitable. Wind power is the wor...
• The markets: Sports and recreation (2009)
   Composites are found in products used for 7 of the 10 most popular outdoor sports and recreational activities. Glass-reinforced and carbon-reinforced composites (alone or in hybrids with other fiber...
• The markets: Utility infrastructure (2009)
   As natural insulators with high dielectric strength, fiberglass composites revolutionized the handling of electricity when they first replaced wood and metal in 1959. Today, utilities in the U. S.

Further Research

• Industry Organizations
• Glossary of Terms