02GF74
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| posted on 5/11/08 at 07:46 AM |
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Who will be the first ....
.... to make their bodywork from GLARE?
quote:
A very different type of composite, a laminate of aluminum and glass-fiber, makes up another 3 percent of the A380. Called GLARE, this
metal-fiber laminate consists of alternating layers of aluminum and sheets of glass-and-epoxy prepreg. Airbus uses about 5,000 square feet of it on
the A380, mainly on upper fuselage skins and for the leading edges of the fin. GLARE weighs anywhere from 15 to 30 percent less than a standard
aluminum sheet (2024 T3), with the exact savings depending on the type and thickness of GLARE's layers.
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ReMan
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| posted on 5/11/08 at 07:54 AM |
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How about quartz-reinforced epoxy on the nose cone 
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smart51
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| posted on 5/11/08 at 08:07 AM |
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from the link:
"A very different type of composite, a laminate of aluminum and glass-fiber, makes up another 3 percent of the A380. Called GLARE, this
metal-fiber laminate consists of alternating layers of aluminum and sheets of glass-and-epoxy prepreg. Airbus uses about 5,000 square feet of it on
the A380, mainly on upper fuselage skins and for the leading edges of the fin. GLARE weighs anywhere from 15 to 30 percent less than a standard
aluminum sheet (2024 T3), with the exact savings depending on the type and thickness of GLARE's layers.
For example, Airbus uses two kinds of GLARE — a standard version and a high-static-strength version. Each kind of GLARE also offers the ability to
vary the orientation of the fibers. "We tailored the fiber orientation to specific loading conditions," says Rabois. Thus, the company
uses different orientations to accommodate hoop stresses, axial loads, biaxial loads and shear loads. "GLARE looks like a metal but behaves like
a composite," Rabois says of the ability to use fiber orientation to optimize mechanical properties.
GLARE has other things going for it from a properties standpoint. According to Rabois, the layers of fiber fight both crack propagation and corrosion.
Fiber layers also enhance fire resistance, since the fibers act as an insulator. Finally, the fibers increase impact performance "by creating a
secondary load path," Rabois notes.
The material scores when it comes to design freedom too. "With aluminum joints, rivet hole placement and sizes are limited by fatigue
performance," Rabois points out. "GLARE has no limits on joint placement." What's more, the material allows large panels to be
created from spliced sheets of the material. Airbus interleaves the plies of two smaller panels and permanently joins them. According to Rabois, this
method eliminates many rivet holes and the related stress concentrations. "The size of the panels is limited only by the size of your autoclave
and transportation equipment," he says.
All these design advantages don't come at the expense of repairability. Rabois says that GLARE repairs almost the same way as straight aluminum,
except for a couple of minor procedural changes — such as not dressing out dents and using carbide tools.
As with any material, however, there are always trade-offs. And in GLARE's case, it involves a loss of stiffness. The material has a flexural
modulus that's 5 to 6 percent lower than a comparable aluminum sheet. That stiffness hit isn't a big deal within an individual structure,
but it can shift loads to other parts of the airframe. "When you reduce the modulus of one structure, you often put a burden on other
structures," Rabois explains. On the A380, the lower modulus of the upper fuselage structures transfers some of the overall loading to the lower
fuselage, he continues.
Then there's cost. Rabois acknowledges that GLARE has a "slightly higher price" than standard aluminum. But he says it costs about
the same as advanced aluminum alloys when looked at from a cost per kilogram of weight saved. It may also have some in-service cost benefits, such as
reduced inspection for cracks. So it may be a bargain at the end of the day."
quartz-reinforced epoxy also sounds interesting.
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adithorp
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| posted on 5/11/08 at 08:28 AM |
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I flicked through the channels on Sunday and came across a BBC "Country File" piece about the uses of hemp. Lotus are useing it instead of
glass mat on the "Eco Elise". It was done with a clear gel-coat on the bonnet and roof and looked pretty different; A bit like walnut!
adrian
"A witty saying proves nothing" Voltaire
http://jpsc.org.uk/forum/
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minitici
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| posted on 5/11/08 at 09:34 AM |
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Of course you could use the new cellucomp fiber made from *CARROTS* 
Article
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Rek
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| posted on 5/11/08 at 10:23 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by adithorp
I flicked through the channels on Sunday and came across a BBC "Country File" piece about the uses of hemp. Lotus are useing it instead of
glass mat on the "Eco Elise". It was done with a clear gel-coat on the bonnet and roof and looked pretty different; A bit like walnut!
adrian
Does that mean if your Lotus catches fire you'll get a load of stoners stood round it inhaling the smoke?
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RK
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| posted on 5/11/08 at 02:25 PM |
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I don't see why you couldn't use resin and old blue jeans. Imagine a car made of old rags!
I'm going to try it on my dash. Anybody see why not?
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smart51
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| posted on 5/11/08 at 02:49 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by RK
I don't see why you couldn't use resin and old blue jeans. Imagine a car made of old rags!
I'm going to try it on my dash. Anybody see why not?
I tried laminating denim. It was very floppy. I think a lot of the stiffnes in GRP is due to the glass fibres being stiff. The cotton and lycra in
denim are stretchy. I also found that the layers of denim didn't stick together well.
I bet you could use canvas as a core material with glass as the outer two layers.
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