This work describes the technological and scientific efforts on designing, manufacturing and testing validation for high performance-low cost composite structures for Light Sport Aircrafts (LSA). A Mexican initiative to conceive, manufacture and assembly a Light Sport Aircraft has been developed by using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Liquid Composite Manufacturing (LCM). These consolidated techniques are used to characterize novel approaches to manufacturing and assembly carbon-fiber based structural components. As large structures are manufactured via Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion (VARI), impregnation strategies are studied to minimize inner flaws and also to improve the manufacturing time and surface quality of each component. The first case of study, to validate this methodology, involves non-structural components such as the cowling. Control surfaces (ailerons, rudder, elevator and flaps) have been manufactured, each of them having common issues but also unique challenges. As an example, a second case of study, the aileron main beam is analyzed. Furthermore, test portfolio will be developed with the goal to perform 1-to-1 scale mechanical tests for validation in compliance with ASTM standards.
A thermal computational analysis for the composite structure of a CubeSat is presented. The main purpose of this investigation is to study the thermal performance of carbon fibre/epoxy resin composite materials with Zinc Oxide nanoparticles in order to be used in the panels of the primary structure of a CubeSat. The radiative heat fluxes over each composite panel are computed according to the orbit trajectory and they are utilized as boundary conditions for the analysis. The direct solar, albedo and Earth infrared radiation fluxes are considered in this study. The model implementation, including the computation of the orthotropic thermal conductivity of the composite material is presented. The thermal simulations were performed for three different orbit inclination angles: the selected mission ( β = 57 ∘ ), the worst hot ( β = 90 ∘ ) and the worst cold ( β = 0 ∘ ). The temperature ranges in the electronic boards are analyzed in order to show that are into the operating limits of each electronic component.
Complex engineering challenges are revealed in the wind industry; one of them is erosion at the leading edge of wind turbine blades. Water jet erosive wear tests on carbon-fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) and glass-fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) were performed in order to determine their resistance at the conditions tested. Vacuum Infusion Process (VIP) was used to obtain the composite materials. Eight layers of bidirectional carbon fabric (0/90°) and nine glass layers of bidirectional glass cloth were used to manufacture the plates. A water injection platform was utilized. The liquid was projected with a pressure of 150 bar on the surface of the specimens through a nozzle. The samples were located at 65 mm from the nozzle at an impact angle of 75°, with an exposure time of 10, 20 and 30 min. SEM and optical microscopy were used to observe the damage on surfaces. A 3D optical profilometer helped to determine the roughness and see the scar profiles. The results showed that the volume loss for glass fiber and carbon fiber were 10 and 19 mm3, respectively. This means that the resistance to water jet erosion in uncoated glass fiber was approximately two times lower than uncoated carbon fiber.
In this research work, temperature erosion wear tests, on composites materials (carbon fiber and glass fiber), were carried out. The tests were made on uncoated and coated materials using a polyester resin (Gelcoat), which is used to protect the leading edge of wind turbine blades against the weather and UV rays and is of interest, in this study, to know the behaviour of this coating subjected to hard particles erosion. The tests were performed at 50°C, in order to simulate de extreme temperature in the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico, where some wind turbines are installed using blades made of fiberglass coated with gelcoat. Erosion tests were performed in a platform that was developed from the ASTM G76 standard. The rectangular samples had 25×18 mm and thickness of 4 mm. Sea sand from coast of Oaxaca was utilized as erosive particle. Three different impact angles were used 75°, 85°and 90°. The particle velocity was adjusted at 12 m s −1 . To determine the mass loss, the samples were weighed before the test and reweighed every 2 min to measure the amount of mass loss until complete the 6 min of the test. In order to identify the wear mechanisms, Scanning Electron Microscopy was used. The average roughness (Ra) and profiles of the samples tested were determined with a 3D optical profilometer. The results showed that Carbon fiber composite material had 3 times more resistance to erosive wear than fiberglass.
Astronomical devices, such as optical benches, carry high precision instrumentation work at low temperatures (−150 °C). To fulfill engineering requirements, glass-epoxy composite trusses are proposed. To evaluate the performance of this solution, thermomechanical characterization is carried out by means of dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), flammability tests, and tensile test and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) observations. Two family of coupons are tested; first one environmentally aged for 10 years and second one recently fabricated, both at 20, 0 and −20 °C. Ageing influence is more noticeable on thermal behavior as Tg and self-extinguish capacity are lower. Ultimate tensile strength and maximum strain are lower for the aged coupons (16–25%), but there is not a remarkable difference in terms of stiffness. Also, coupons mechanically tested at −20 °C show a slight increment in strength. These results show that ageing of glass-epoxy composites must be considered when high performance devices are conceived to be fabricated with.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.