October 2021 Composites Blog
October 1, 2021
Hemp-based composites could be the future of soil free farming
Hemp has been a more popular crop in the United States and abroad in the last half-decade, due to its wide range of applications. As a result of this increased output, there has been a spike in demand for a desirable byproduct: hemp fiber. Hemp fibers may be combined with other materials to create multifunctional biocomposites that can be used to grow plants in hydroponics, a sort of soilless horticulture that, among other things, saves land, water, and pesticides.
Barry Cheung, a chemist from Nebraska, and his colleagues have proposed a method for chemically coupling lignin, a framework component of hemp fibers, with “linking molecules” that strengthen the final biocomposite. Unlike previous methods, the team's method uses just water as a solvent and produces safe inorganic salts instead of VOCs as a byproduct.
Learn more here
Barry Cheung, a chemist from Nebraska, and his colleagues have proposed a method for chemically coupling lignin, a framework component of hemp fibers, with “linking molecules” that strengthen the final biocomposite. Unlike previous methods, the team's method uses just water as a solvent and produces safe inorganic salts instead of VOCs as a byproduct.
Learn more here
October 2, 2021
A new composite innovation is off to a great start
A new composite innovation is off to a great start
Engineers have partnered with Dowty Propellers on a £20 million initiative to produce next-generation propeller blades for cleaner, less expensive air travel. Innovate UK and the Aerospace Technology Institute supported and funded the four-year project. The Digital Propulsion (DigiProp) research and development initiative aimed to improve every element of propeller design, manufacturing, and testing. Engineers from three HVM Catapult facilities collaborated on the project: the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, the National Composites Centre, and the Manufacturing Technology Centre.
The initiative will assist to revolutionize propeller R&D, and the manufacturing innovation has already been implemented at the company's new Gloucester plant. Dowty Propellers claims that the three HVM Catapult centers' knowledge in both established and developing technologies has enabled it to unleash some of the UK's greatest next-generation capabilities and breakthroughs.
Learn more here
The initiative will assist to revolutionize propeller R&D, and the manufacturing innovation has already been implemented at the company's new Gloucester plant. Dowty Propellers claims that the three HVM Catapult centers' knowledge in both established and developing technologies has enabled it to unleash some of the UK's greatest next-generation capabilities and breakthroughs.
Learn more here
