On-Demand Presentations
Carbon Fiber NOW attendees also have access to numerous On-Demand presentations. These On-Demand presentations will be available at any time during the Carbon Fiber Conference.
Simply click on the presentation you’d like to watch and enjoy. You will be able to submit questions while you watch that will be sent to the speakers. These On-Demand presentations not only meet our high standard for quality information but also meet your immediate need for information.
Please be sure to contact any member of the Carbon Fiber team if you have any questions!
ON-DEMAND PRESENTATION
Carbon Fiber from Pitch – Equipment Scale and Considerations
Renee Bagwell, Harper International
Carbon Fiber from Pitch – Equipment Scale and Considerations
Renee Bagwell, Harper International
As Coal Tar Pitch is being looked at as an alternative material for manufacturing cheap carbon fiber; there are some realities and challenges that need to be realized by those new to manufacturing carbon fiber from pitch. These include the scales of the equipment, the planned thermal processing requirements, the fragility of the raw material and though Harper is not an expert, there is also the arduous learning process of making good pitch precursor.
ON-DEMAND PRESENTATION
Once a Challenge, Today and Opportunity: On the Emergence of Carbon Fiber Recycling
Hans Miltner, Procotex Corporation
Once a Challenge, Today and Opportunity: On the Emergence of Carbon Fiber Recycling
Hans Miltner, Procotex Corporation
Carbon fiber has very substantially contributed to the development of today’s composites industry; countless applications rely on the outstanding performance and low weight of carbon fiber. Yet whereas carbon fiber composites do play a key role in making end-use applications more sustainable, their increased use is also a cause of growing concern. Across the value chain, no less than one third of all prime-quality carbon fiber produced ends up being wasted – despite its elevated performance, cost, and embedded CO2 footprint.
Today, however, new needs are emerging from the automotive, consumer goods or packaging industries that will drive the demand for lightweight and conductive materials. Plastics reinforced with carbon fibers can address these new needs, and more cost-effectively so when relying on high-quality post-industrial waste. It is therefore anticipated that carbon fiber waste will play a crucial role in the development of the circular economy of tomorrow.
This paper will review some of the challenges associated with carbon fiber recycling, from raw materials sourcing over surface modification to handling and processing. A commercial portfolio of cut, milled, granulated or pelletized recycled carbon fiber products will be introduced, with a wide range of sizing chemistries to ensure optimum matrix compatibility. Performance data will be shown for a number of engineering plastic compounds at different fiber lengths, and the potential for material substitution will be discussed for a structural automotive component. Finally, the benefit of using an industrial production process that does not involve high-temperature pyrolysis will be highlighted by considering the CO2 footprint of recycled carbon fibers in comparison with alternative options.
Today, however, new needs are emerging from the automotive, consumer goods or packaging industries that will drive the demand for lightweight and conductive materials. Plastics reinforced with carbon fibers can address these new needs, and more cost-effectively so when relying on high-quality post-industrial waste. It is therefore anticipated that carbon fiber waste will play a crucial role in the development of the circular economy of tomorrow.
This paper will review some of the challenges associated with carbon fiber recycling, from raw materials sourcing over surface modification to handling and processing. A commercial portfolio of cut, milled, granulated or pelletized recycled carbon fiber products will be introduced, with a wide range of sizing chemistries to ensure optimum matrix compatibility. Performance data will be shown for a number of engineering plastic compounds at different fiber lengths, and the potential for material substitution will be discussed for a structural automotive component. Finally, the benefit of using an industrial production process that does not involve high-temperature pyrolysis will be highlighted by considering the CO2 footprint of recycled carbon fibers in comparison with alternative options.
ON-DEMAND PRESENTATION
Carbon Fiber Composites and the Hydrogen Economy
Mike Favaloro, CompositeTechs, LLC
Carbon Fiber Composites and the Hydrogen Economy
Mike Favaloro, CompositeTechs, LLC
As changes in climate have become scientifically linked to fossil-based fuels, alternate fuel sources are being developed for the power -hungry global economy. Hydrogen as a fuel has been identified as a sustainable, realistic option for powering cars, heavy-duty trucks, forklifts/logistic equipment, rail, marine and aircraft, as well as stationary power plants. Efforts are underway globally to accelerate the hydrogen economy. Many of these systems require use of composite-based storage systems for the hydrogen fuel in pressurized gaseous and liquid states. Some projections indicate the hydrogen economy will become a major user of carbon fiber. This paper describes the use of carbon fiber-based composite materials as an enabling technology to spur the growth and utilization of the hydrogen economy. Rationale for composites applications in the hydrogen economy and growth projections are provided.
ON-DEMAND PRESENTATION
Advances in Carbon Fiber Manufacturing Equipment
Volker Koehler, ONEJOON GmbH
Advances in Carbon Fiber Manufacturing Equipment
Volker Koehler, ONEJOON GmbH
Over the last decade, carbon fiber lines have become much more energy efficient and productive. The presentation gives an overview of the advancements in thermal processing equipment that have been adapted by the carbon fiber industry and provides an outlook on what technology carbon fiber manufacturers are pursuing for their capacity expansions.
ON-DEMAND PRESENTATION
Carbon Fiber Sheet Moulding Compound: High Performance Delivered at Industry Scale
Guillermo Astorqui, Astar S.A.
Carbon Fiber Sheet Moulding Compound: High Performance Delivered at Industry Scale
Guillermo Astorqui, Astar S.A.
Fiber reinforced thermosetting composite materials have been used for more than 50 years and the Sheet Molding Compound (SMC) process has proven to be one of the most versatile production methods due to the combination of low waste production and high volume capability with design freedom and integration of functions. Today, the industry's demand on performance is increasing while high volume applications still require a cost competitive process. Cost issues have prohibited a wide-spread use of Carbon Fiber (CF) SMC in the industry. To enlarge the use of CF, Zoltek has developed a 50k large tow, low cost CF that can be opened up in the SMC process to reach small tow CF performance, as shown by Astar, that is running a self-designed CF-SMC production line with a capacity of 5000 tons per year. AOC has developed resin systems called Daron® that combine high mechanical performance with the ease of processing that SMC users are accustomed with such as thickening and storage under ambient conditions. Due to the low viscous nature of Daron® resins, the fine filament bundles of the opened-up CF can be impregnated well up to high volume fractions. Furthermore, as the Daron® resins adheres very well to the CF, the resulting mechanical properties of the parts are very high. The combination of Zoltek's split tow fiber, the opening up of the fiber by Astar and the Daron® resin from AOC results in one of the best CF-SMCs in the market in terms of performance/cost ratio.
ON-DEMAND PRESENTATION
Fives Lund Slalom Fiber Lamination
Erik Lund, Fives Composites and Automation
Fives Lund Slalom Fiber Lamination
Erik Lund, Fives Composites and Automation
Creating a middle ground between the traditional worlds of automated tape lamination and fiber placement was the goal of creating the Fives Lund Slalom technology. Utilize the benefits of both worlds while also creating a lamination process that could respect lamination quality for flat and contoured parts. The biggest challenge besides the design of this equipment is getting people to think differently about tape lamination.
Topics to be presented on the Fives Lund Slalom will cover machine configurations and target part geometries, benefits to lamination speed and quality, and misconceptions of laminate boundary crenulations.
Topics to be presented on the Fives Lund Slalom will cover machine configurations and target part geometries, benefits to lamination speed and quality, and misconceptions of laminate boundary crenulations.
ON-DEMAND PRESENTATION
Development of Type V All Composite Pressure Vessels for Hydrogen Gas
Shamim Mondal, Infinite Composite Technologies
Development of Type V All Composite Pressure Vessels for Hydrogen Gas
Shamim Mondal, Infinite Composite Technologies
This investigation reports on the use of additively manufactured biaxial strain gauge sensors for assessing the loads and deformations in a linerless (type V) composite pressure vessel (CPV) and for overall health monitoring of the CPV. Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is a type of rapid prototyping or additive manufacturing technique that is widely used and has been used en masse since 2009. Its desirable due to its relatively fast processing time and low cost. However, additive manufacturing of strain gauge sensors using FDM is almost unheard of and there are good reasons for that. It is because there are very few suitable conductive filaments commercially available and conductive filament technology is still in its early stages. The filament selected for the strain gauge sensors in this study is a conductive polymer with low resistivity and high melting point. These characteristics are crucial for the strain gauge in order to maintain its shape and integrity and to obtain accurate, low power readings after being subjected to high temperatures during the post-curing process of CPVs. A small footprint and the lack of a permanently attached substrate allows the placement of strain gauges integrated into the composite layer to have minimal impact on the structural integrity of the pressure vessel. These embedded strain gauges will be placed on both the inside and outside surfaces of CPVs. All this allows us to create a 3D strain map of the overall health of the CPV when it is in use and when it is initially pressurized to test its limits. The strain gauge sensors display 90% correlation between their designed and tested resistance values and are capable of accurately reading strain data just like their off-the-shelf regular strain sensor counterparts. The applications for this study include but are not limited to pressurant and propellant tanks for launchers and spacecraft, self-contained breathing apparatus, space habitats and alternative fuel tanks.
ON-DEMAND PRESENTATION
Effect of Nanocalcite-Modified Epoxy Resins on Burst Pressure and Design of Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels for Hydrogen Storage
Jim Nelson, 3M Company
Effect of Nanocalcite-Modified Epoxy Resins on Burst Pressure and Design of Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels for Hydrogen Storage
Jim Nelson, 3M Company
A study was undertaken to investigate the effect of nanocalcite matrix modification on Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels (COPVs) for hydrogen gas storage. Thick-walled type III COPVs were prepared via filament winding using a conventional unfilled epoxy matrix as a control material and an epoxy matrix resin modified with surface-treated nanocalcite particles at 35% by weight (3M Developmental Resin AMD 931). The COPVs were evaluated for burst pressure. The results show that the modification of the filament winding matrix resin with nanocalcite significantly improved burst pressure relative to the unmodified control resin. Additionally, impregnated strand tensile strength testing was performed on Toray T700S carbon fiber to investigate the effect of matrix resin on realized fiber strength. Data from impregnated tow specimens made using 0 and 35 weight percentage nanocalcite in the epoxy show that nanocalcite modification shifts the delivered fiber strength (DFS) distribution. The higher performance demonstrated for a given design suggests that use of nanocalcite-modified matrix resin could enable improved margins of safety, qualification at increased burst pressure, or redesign to reduce COPV weight and cost. To examine the implications of the measured increase in hydroburst pressure on article design, a design optimization study based on finite element analysis (FEA) was performed for a nylon-liner 52L COPV design using the increased DFS values. The optimized tank having the same external envelope had overall weight reduction of 12% and increased gas-carrying volume of 12% due to reduction in composite wall-thickness enabling increasing the internal volume. The impact of increased hydrogen tank capacity on fuel cell electric vehicle range will be discussed as well as additional design options that are enabled.
ON-DEMAND PRESENTATION
The Convergence of Composites and Topology Optimization, Ushering in the Next Era of Lightweight Structures
Riley Reese, Arris Composites
The Convergence of Composites and Topology Optimization, Ushering in the Next Era of Lightweight Structures
Riley Reese, Arris Composites
Although advanced composite material outperforms metal on material data sheets, actual composite structures often fail to provide a significant improvement over metal. In part, this is due to the application of design approaches that were originally meant for metallic constructions. As a result, advanced composite structures end up having a redundant layup, with a quasi-isotropic stacking sequence that eliminates anisotropy, instead of leveraging it, so called black aluminum. Today’s approach to take better advantage of continuous carbon fiber’s mechanical properties, fibers are aligned based on the anticipated loading conditions. This can be achieved using hand layup or automated tape layup (ATL) / automated fiber placement (AFP) techniques. Though this provides a significant improvement over the “black aluminum” approach, it still falls short of realizing the full potential of continuous fiber anisotropy. Since carbon fibers perform best in tension, the part itself should be redesigned to take advantage of this effect. Though this exercise may seem intuitive for simple parts, in the aerospace and automotive industries these coupled design activities easily become non-intuitive due to the complex loading conditions the structures are subjected to.
Arris Composites has developed a new process, additive molding, capable of manufacturing complex geometries, using continuous fiber. This presentation presents optimizing topology and fiber orientation for an aerospace bracket, having complex 3D load cases. These optimized structures are shown to outperform current composite structures as well as structures machined and 3D printed from metal, making them ideal for next generation aerospace brackets and joining structures. Results from work with Northrop Grumman will be presented.
Arris Composites has developed a new process, additive molding, capable of manufacturing complex geometries, using continuous fiber. This presentation presents optimizing topology and fiber orientation for an aerospace bracket, having complex 3D load cases. These optimized structures are shown to outperform current composite structures as well as structures machined and 3D printed from metal, making them ideal for next generation aerospace brackets and joining structures. Results from work with Northrop Grumman will be presented.
ON-DEMAND PRESENTATION
Composites for Energy Storage in Mobile Applications
Viktor Reimer, Advanced Composite Technology Center
Composites for Energy Storage in Mobile Applications
Viktor Reimer, Advanced Composite Technology Center
Due to increasing environmental requirements, efficient storage of drive energy in the form of electricity and hydrogen in mobile applications is becoming increasingly relevant. Carbon fiber composites will play an important role in this context.
Heavy batteries are used to store electricity. Here, the heavy battery can be partially compensated through lightweight housing. While thick-walled and thus heavy high-pressure vessels are used to store hydrogen. In both applications, carbon fiber composite materials can be used to save weight and thus play a decisive role in the implementation of both electric and fuel cell vehicles.
Both applications are currently being developed by the HF (Jiangsu) Advanced Composite Technology Center Co., Ltd (ACTC) to bring them to mass production according to individual customer requirements. This requires, on the one hand, flexible and, on the other hand, industry-oriented equipment that is offered by ACTC.
Heavy batteries are used to store electricity. Here, the heavy battery can be partially compensated through lightweight housing. While thick-walled and thus heavy high-pressure vessels are used to store hydrogen. In both applications, carbon fiber composite materials can be used to save weight and thus play a decisive role in the implementation of both electric and fuel cell vehicles.
Both applications are currently being developed by the HF (Jiangsu) Advanced Composite Technology Center Co., Ltd (ACTC) to bring them to mass production according to individual customer requirements. This requires, on the one hand, flexible and, on the other hand, industry-oriented equipment that is offered by ACTC.
ON-DEMAND PRESENTATION
Nano Thickness Coating on Carbon Fiber Composites at Room Temperature
Archal Shah, Composites Tomorrow
Nano Thickness Coating on Carbon Fiber Composites at Room Temperature
Archal Shah, Composites Tomorrow
The very advent of composites has relaxed the limitation and redefined the boundary conditions for many designers. Composites gave designers the flexibility to dovetail materials to match their requirements.
Carbon fiber composites are already well known for their excellent strength to weight ratio, corrosion resistance, high electrical conductivity, et al. The ability to add a nano thickness layer of metal on carbon fiber composites can revolutionize the feasibility of carbon fiber application in many niche areas. The applications requiring mirror-like reflectivity. The applications that desire copper-like conductivity.
The paper discusses the physical vapor deposition of metal on carbon fiber composites. The paper gives a detailed account of the science behind it, the process, key challenges, and advantages.
Carbon fiber composites are already well known for their excellent strength to weight ratio, corrosion resistance, high electrical conductivity, et al. The ability to add a nano thickness layer of metal on carbon fiber composites can revolutionize the feasibility of carbon fiber application in many niche areas. The applications requiring mirror-like reflectivity. The applications that desire copper-like conductivity.
The paper discusses the physical vapor deposition of metal on carbon fiber composites. The paper gives a detailed account of the science behind it, the process, key challenges, and advantages.
ON-DEMAND PRESENTATION
Carbon Fibre Based Composite Industries: A Bright Future Ahead
R.K. Singh, Composites Excellence Center of Asia
Carbon Fibre Based Composite Industries: A Bright Future Ahead
R.K. Singh, Composites Excellence Center of Asia
The potential of carbon fiber-based composites with regard to their thermomechanical properties is far from being exhausted in today’s industry, since the highly complex mechanisms of structure formation in fiber production and the process parameter–structure–property relationships have so far only been investigated in the academic field and have a very bright future ahead. The development of smart materials and intelligent structures with improved properties and functionalities will meet the current industrial challenges at the global level and the use of smart materials will allow improvements on the quality of life of society. The challenges that appear in the field of composites semi-products are mainly related with the development of new semi-products, with the best performance to cost ratios and with lower environmental impact that can be quantified through life cycle analysis. There are great opportunities ahead for sustainability and future growth and many more.
