Materials

Uncle Sam wants innovative solutions from suppliers A retired military officer who was the development manager for the U.S. Department of Defense's $3 trillion, six-year Future Year Defense Plan wants suppliers to know that the military wants innovative product solutions. Read full story

GM tools up for high-volume aluminum structures with new welding technology The process centers on a new electrode-tip design. It will enable GM’s global body shops to spot-weld virtually any combination of aluminum sheet, extrusions, and castings at higher production rates than are currently used in automotive aluminum-structures manufacturing. Read full story

Composite structures pose EMI challenges The all-composite commercial aircraft has become a reality, and the need for the aircraft designer to consider electromagnetic threats has also grown. Bombardier Core Electromagnetic Engineering has conducted a lightning indirect effect measurements campaign on different cylindrical barrels simulating all-metal and all-composite fuselages. Read full story

Galvanic corrosion modeling for aircraft environments Galvanic corrosion in aircraft is important as it occurs whenever dissimilar metals or certain types of composites are joined or are located close to each other. SICOM, a recent project involving Airbus, EADS, BEASY, and a number of research centers, investigated how the “find it and fix it” approach can be replaced by a more fundamental approach based on computer modeling. Read full story

Engineers work off extra engine-blade weight Changing from alloy to composite materials for engine fan blades is an identified path to reducing overall engine weight by a significant amount—typically up to 1000 lb. Read full story

Flying car makes debut in New York With folding wings to reduce width to garageable status, the Terrafugia Transition Roadable Aircraft fits into the “light sport plane” category and delivers 35 mpg fuel economy on the road. The company claims 100 orders with $10,000 deposits for the $279,000 vehicle. Read full story

Handheld ultrasonic camera ‘gun’ finds composite cracks Norwegian start-up’s easy-to-use NDT technology for carbon fiber-reinforced plastics has been adopted by EADS. Read full story

Dunmore materials insulate in space Insulating films and tapes supplied by Dunmore Corp. are providing protection from thermal damage and magnetic interference for the electronic systems on board NASA’s Juno probe, which was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Aug. 5. Read full story