CFRP in

Orthopedics:
OPPORTUNITIES IN
EXOSKELETONS

JUNE 2016

Selective reinforcements boost

commodity FRP properties / 20

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Structural adhesives, Part I:

Industrial applications / 30
Virtual simulation yields onepiece <700g CF bike frame / 44
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
JUNE 2016

COLUMNS

/ Vol: 2 No
: 6

FEATURES

4 From the Editor

24 CFRP: Opportunities in
Orthopedics

6 Past, Present and Future

Orthopedics is the branch of medicine that

addresses impairments of the skeletal system,
ligaments and muscles. It comprises two
sectors: prosthetics devices that substitute
for a limb or joint and orthotics, such as lower
back supports and knee braces, which
compensate, assist or stabilize a body part.
Carbon fiber has a niche here, but can it secure
a larger piece of a high-growth pie?

20

10 Perspectives &
Provocations
12 Gardner Business Index
20 Work In Progress
Contributing writer Peggy Malnati provides
this detailed examination of a selective
reinforcement strategy for what are
generally considered "commodity"
composites that has reportedly
demonstrated "transformative" benefits in
finished parts in terms of weight and cost
reduction, plus large increases in flexural
strength, stiffness and impact strength.

By Ginger Gardiner

24

30 Structural Adhesives,
Part I: Industrial

30

Although fasteners always will have a place in

manufacturing assembly, one of the Holy Grails
of composites manufacturing is adhesive joinery
that eliminates them. Relieved of fastener
weight, much lighter bonded composites could
be leveraged for cascading weight and cost
benefits elsewhere in the larger structures of
which they are a part. Todays myriad chemistry
options enable formulators to tailor adhesives
to customers exact application requirements.
By Sara Black

DEPARTMENTS
14 Trends
37 Calendar
38 Applications
40 New Products
42 Marketplace
43 Showcase

40

43 Ad Index

ON THE COVER

The INDEGO exoskeleton, which uses carbon fiber in the foot braces, has been FDAapproved for increased efficiency during
rehabilitation of those afflicted with spinal
cord injuries. Demand for similar wearable
robots in the workplace is predicted to be
on par with that for industrial robots. The
role composites will play in this likely huge
market, however, is potentially big but still
unclear. Read more on p. 24.

FOCUS ON DESIGN

44 Carbon Fiber Meets

Simulation in Ultralight
Bike Frame
Rolo Bikes wanted to design a bicycle frame
with carbon fiber in mind, and it wanted to
test it in the virtual world.
By Jeff Sloan

Source / Parker Hannifin

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FROM THE EDITOR

As I write this, in mid-May, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton

are the presumptive US presidential nominees of the Republican

and Democrat parties, respectively. Each nominee has pointed to
the US manufacturing economy and, one way or another, emphasized its decline as a brake
on the engine of middleThoughts on the
class growth.
decline of US
Trump identifies China
as the culprit of this alleged
manufacturing.
decline, aided and abetted by
profit-chasing manufacturers:
They [China] are stealing our jobs, theyre beating us in everything, theyre winning, were losing. The New York Times reported
on May 4 that Trump says one of his first acts as president would
be to call up corporate executives to threaten punitive measures if
they shift jobs out of the United States.
Clintons position is less direct, but she stated in January that
we do need to try to revitalize the manufacturing sector, and she
calls for a New Manhattan Project to rebuild American manufacturing. Clintons use of the words revitalize and rebuild signal,
obviously, that she believes the manufacturing sector is something
less than vital and in need of help.
Each time a presidential election rolls around, manufacturing
provides a big and easy target for politicians of all stripes who
equate its apparent decline in the US (accompanied by manufacturing growth in developing countries) with the decline of the
American middle class. And that middle class, through the 50s,
60s and 70s, bought a lot of homes and cars and sent a lot of kids
to college with the income that manufacturing jobs provided.
Today, however, according to the narrative, those middle class
jobs have been captured by Mexico, China, Taiwan and a handful
of other countries that have significantly lower labor costs. Meanwhile, US manufacturing and the middle class have become
a shell of their former selves.
The truth, of course, is not so simple. Its also much less adaptable as a political campaign narrative.
Understanding what has really happened in the US manufacturing economy requires first that we de-couple two concepts
that have been falsely linked: Manufacturing growth and

JUNE 2016

manufacturing employment. The fundamental belief, if youre a

politician, is that overall manufacturing health is tied proportionally to manufacturing employment. If one is good, the other is good;
if one is bad, the other is bad. The fact is that, over the past 30-plus
years, that is an assumption that cannot be supported by the data.
Michael J. Hicks and Srikant Deveraj, from Ball State Universitys Center for Business and Economic Research, published in
2015 a short report titled, The Myth and Reality of Manufacturing
in America. In it, they note that the countrys growth of manufacturing production has been a constant feature of the economy
throughout the past century. They present Federal Reserve Data
that show the US manufacturing GDP since the early 20th Century:
In inflation-adjusted dollars, it has Depression and recessions
not withstanding demonstrated long and strong expansion, not
contraction. They point out that this has been accompanied by a
decrease in employment, but primarily due to productivity improvements (offshoring accounts for less than 20% of the losses). The math
is simple: You take the value of all goods manufactured and divide
by the number of workers. In fact, say Hicks and Deverarj, Had we
kept 2000-levels of productivity and applied them to 2010-levels of
production, we would have required 20.9 million manufacturing
workers. Instead, we employed only 12.1 million.
And thats the good news/bad news here. Good: The manufacturing economy has been and is expanding. Bad: Increasingly
efficient manufacturing requires fewer and fewer workers, which
throws highly qualified, motivated people out of the workforce, and
leaves them struggling to find a place in a fast-changing economy.
And this leads me back to the presidential election and the vision
our candidates should be communicating: The American worker is
among the most efficient and dynamic in the world. We know that
because they created this efficient and dynamic manufacturing
economy. Imagine what this country could be if all of its workers
were given a chance to prove their mettle.

JEFF SLOAN Editor-In- Chief

CompositesWorld

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COMPOSITES: PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE

Aerospace growth climbs with carbon fiber

Just 10 years ago, three major suppliers of carbon

MUSD

Planned production rates for B787, B777X, A350 & A380

By 2034, the launch of new

2500
narrowbody platforms will
Scenarios for penetration into new narrowbody platforms
fiber supplied 70% of the worldwide market. Today,
tell us more about the success
Source | FMG
of their big brothers
the same three suppliers Toray Industries, Toho
2030
2000
Introduction of
Tenax and Mitsubishi Rayon Corp. (MRC), all based
new narrow1,477
body platforms
1500
in Tokyo, Japan have a combined market share of
2020
739
45% (excluding Torays recent acquisition of Zoltek
Start of new
1000
295
narrowbody
Corp., St. Louis, MO, US), with nearly 20 competiplatform design
tors vying for position. Notably, every player in this
500
850
850
850
850
burgeoning sector of the composites market can
400
0
point to massive expansion. Overall, there is now
2034
2034
2034
2034
2014
Scenario 2
Scenario 3
Scenario 1
Scenario 4
three times the capacity and three times the demand
10% CF
25% CF
0% CF
50% CF
Assumptions
for carbon fiber, compared to 2005.
CF cost of ~US$2M on Boeing 787
Intermediate-modulus CF at US$70/kg
Boeing and Airbus build rate only
That growth has been reflected not only in the
At equal CF penetration, CF value/
Currently no structural CF on narrowbodies
Structural CF only
seat is constant
supply chains development but also in its value:
Hexcels share price, for example, in June 2005, stood
at US$16.30, but by the same date in 2015, it was US$49.49. Hexcel
for damage tolerance, tending to increase laminate thicknesses
manufactures everything from carbon fiber to finished aircraft
beyond that needed for purely structural reasons. This increases
structures, and it is in the aerospace industry that carbon fiber has
weight and cost, reducing the benefits of carbon fiber.
seen massive increases in usage.
Industry projections point to nearly 27,000 new narrowbody
The Boeing Co.s (Chicago, IL, US) 787 and the Airbus (Toulouse,
aircraft deliveries by 2034. By 2030, many of the Boeing 737 and
France) A350 XWB and A380 widebody platforms accelerated
Airbus A320 planes delivered in the 1980s and 1990s will need
composites use in aircraft exceeding the airlines requirements
replacement. New platform designs are in progress, but the level of
for reduced fuel consumption and emissions, reduced maintecarbon fiber use in them is unknown at present.
nance and longer design life, fewer parts, and reduced tooling and
For the operators, however, our data point to emerging drivers
assembly costs. Composite materials also deliver an enhanced
that could radically alter the uptake of carbon fiber technology,
passenger experience (by damping engine noise/vibration) and
and those data are based on the track record of quality and relia cabin atmosphere less conducive to dehydration. For large,
ability that composites have established over the past 10 years.
widebody aircraft, carbon fiber delivers a winning value proposiBoeings experience with composite floor beams in the Boeing
tion. Competition, legislation and the uncertainty of fuel pricing
777 is a good example: In 565 aircraft, not one composite floor
created the perfect storm necessary for technology adoption.
beam has been replaced in more than 10 years of commercial
Over the next 20 years, nearly 9,000 new widebodied aircraft
flight service. The Boeing 777 composite tail is 25% larger than the
are due for delivery, and they will all use predominantly carbon
Boeing 767 aluminum tail, and yet the maintenance logs show a
fiber composites for their primary structures. Narrowbody aircraft
savings of more than one-third in labor hours. Similarly, Airbus
orders are increasing in similar fashion, typically at a compound
claims that the high penetration of carbon fiber on the A350 XWB
annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 4%, driven by the growth
will reduce fatigue and corrosion-related maintenance by 60%.
of air travel in China, the Middle East and other emerging markets.
The business case for carbon fiber in narrowbodies has become
Future Materials Groups recent in-depth research into the specific
a lot stronger now that these operational benefits are in evidence.
opportunities for composites in the widebody and narrowbody
Metal producers are responding to the carbon fiber threat with
commercial aircraft markets has underscored some challenges,
new alloys and new technologies. Most of all, they are underlining
but also prompted some intriguing conclusions.
their established position in the supply chain: The relatively low
For narrowbody aircraft, it might be assumed that carbon fiber
cost of manufacture, the good recyclability of metals, and the
demand would mirror that of the past 10 years and continue the
wealth of knowledge about metal properties and performance.
widebody story. Yes, there are drivers for carbon fiber adoption for
Previously, composites suppliers would not have been able to
narrowbodies, but our research reveals that there also are barriers
overcome these claims for metal. Although concerns about carbon
that make carbon fiber use less compelling. Narrowbody aircraft
fiber recyclability remain, carbon fibers enhanced durability can
demand much higher build rates often a problem for composreduce some of the issues. At the design stage, stress analysis,
ites manufacturing processes and fuel consumption is much
finite element analysis, materials selection and mechanical perforless of a factor on short-haul trips. Plus, parts must be designed
mance are all fully available for composites. Improved fabricaand built to specifications similar to those for widebodied aircraft,
tion processes are increasing throughput capacity and, thus,

JUNE 2016

CompositesWorld

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COMPOSITES: PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE

carbon fiber part costs are declining. Most of all, major aerospace
producers have many years of closely working with the composites
supply chain: The days of early adoption and high risk are over.
It is highly unlikely that carbon fiber will not be adopted for
the new narrowbody platforms. The question is, how much? On a
Boeing 787, 50% of the aircraft is composite, with 20% aluminum,
15% titanium, 10% steel and 5% other materials. If this mix is replicated in narrowbody aircraft, then by 2034 the total carbon fiber
market would be more than US$2 billion annually (Scenario 4 in
the chart on p. 6). This would necessitate installation of at least one
new carbon fiber production line every year until 2034. In the worst
case no structural carbon fiber in any future narrowbody aircraft
(Scenario 1) growth in widebody production alone would more
than double the carbon fiber market in 20 years. We anticipate a
three-way battle between the airframe OEMs driving down cost
and the carbon fiber suppliers and the metal suppliers fighting for
market share. Ultimately, the airlines will be the final arbiter and
likely to favor a high penetration of carbon fiber for its maintenance
and passenger comfort benefits, pointing to Scenario 4 or, possibly,
3, if fiber/metal laminates are successful in narrowbody fuselages.
In summary, the aerospace market for carbon fiber is predictable, manageable and expanding. Demand comes from a relatively
small number of large and highly professional manufacturers
with long-term design and production cycles. Further, composite

materials are an accepted solution to major lightweighting issues,

and composite parts are recognized as robust and durable.
So where are the problems? Any increase in volume results in
pricing pressure, and to the inevitable commoditization of carbon
fiber. On the fiber supply side, market leaders will have to decide
whether to protect market share by building capacity, adding value
to processes or products, acquiring competitors or all three.
In addition, the aircraft manufacturers themselves will see
greater competition, especially in the narrowbody market, and will
need to differentiate: Airframe suppliers in China and Russia are
now emerging and with strong home markets could challenge the
Boeing and Airbus dominance. Protecting margins in this environment will be challenging.
But the good news is that the quality and performance of carbon
fiber structures will not only deliver reduced lifecycle costs, but
also make it impossible for metals to regain their previous market
share in aerospace.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adrian Williams is co-founder and managing director of Future
Materials Group (Cambridge, UK), an independent strategic
advisory firm. Its services include growth strategies, mergers
and acquisitions, strategic partnerships and growth capital.

Hufschmied USA
203.988.9426
www.hufschmied.net

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JUNE 2016

CompositesWorld

PRESENTED BY

www.generalplastics.com

DATE AND TIME:

June 21, 20162:00 PM EDT

PRESENTER

G. JOEL MEYER, PH.D.

Chemistry Laboratory Manager

Choosing Core Materials

for Aerospace Applications
EVENT DESCRIPTION:
Commercial aircraft OEMs, and Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers are continually
faced with cost reductions and efficiency challenges, as well as a growing
need for core materials to pass stringent FAA fire, smoke, toxicity and heat
release requirements. With fuel accounting for up to 50% of an airlines
direct operating cost, design engineers look for solutions to make everything lighter without sacrificing mechanical properties. Honeycomb,
polyethersulfone, polymethacrylimide, polyetherimide, polyurethane and
end-grain balsa are some core materials to consider. Some may be light and
cost-effective but do not pass FST/OSU criteria, while others may pass FST/
OSU requirements but prove to be expensive and over-engineered for an
application. With these challenges, an FST/OSU-compliant core material
with high strength and toughness was developed for the aerospace industry.
PARTICIPANTS WILL LEARN:
Aerospace industry trends and its impact on weight, cost, FAA specifications and
other requirements
FAA regulations and an in-depth look at fire, smoke, toxicity and heat release
requirements
FST/OSU-compliant core material developed for the aerospace industry
REGISTER TODAY FOR WEBINAR AT:
Registration Link: http://short.compositesworld.com/GenPlas621

PERSPECTIVES & PROVOCATIONS

Composites manufacturing
where the excitement lives
Not long ago, someone asked me how many factories I have

10

toured. It seemed to them that I had been to quite a few, which is

true. As I write this, I am en route to Europe, where I will visit five
manufacturing facilities related to composites, some at pilot scale
and others at full scale.
I grew up making things my father was a carpenter and shade
tree mechanic, so it always seemed natural to have a hammer or
wrench in my hand. I also grew up in the shadow of large chemical
plants and refineries in Houston. More than 20 of them lay within
about a half hours drive from my childhood home. The sheer size
of these facilities, with their tall towers and networks of pipes,
always fascinated me, especially at night
Ph.D in manufacturing could
when they were
be the door to an exciting,
lighted.
alternative career path.
I went to university, earned my degree
in chemical engineering
and received multiple job offers, some from those very same
refineries and chemical plants. Almost all of them wanted me to
crunch numbers behind a desk, designing distillation columns
and such. Except one, which also happened to be my lowest salary
offer. Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, MI, US) wanted me to put on
a hard hat and steel-toed shoes and be a manufacturing engineer.
I took the job in a heartbeat. It offered me the chance, every day,
to be in the action, being in charge of a 500,000 MT propylene
oxide plant and a 140,000 MT propylene glycol plant. I still have
fond memories of getting middle-of-night calls to come to the
plant to troubleshoot some issue. Thats what engineers live for,
right? To solve problems!
I also learned a lot about safety, especially considering we
were injecting gaseous propylene and gaseous chlorine into a
rapidly flowing pipe of de-ionized water heated to 60C, which five
seconds later, due to the exotherm, was 90C! That mixture was
crossed with another that contained sodium hydroxide (caustic
soda) to complete the reaction, yielding propylene oxide and hot
salt water. I also got my first exposure to composites, because
we used a lot of vinyl ester/fiberglass piping due to the corrosive
nature of the materials we were handling.
Although my career, thereafter, switched more to market development and general management, manufacturing remains in my
bloodstream to this day. There is just something about being in an
environment where physical products come off the end of the line.
Luckily, my subsequent positions have enabled me to be inside
numerous factories, including those of my employers, partners
and customers. The list includes materials manufacturing facilities,
JUNE 2016

such as textile mills, those that do polymer synthesis, resin formulators, compounders and prepreggers, plus glass and carbon fiber
lines. Ive seen all sorts of preforming techniques, including sewing,
stitching, braiding, 3-D weaving and thermal forming. Also on the
list are molding shops that have employed processes that include
hand layup, ATL/AFP, autoclave, vacuum bag, chopper gun, RTM,
pultrusion, filament winding, compression molding, injection
molding and VARTM processes, to name a few. I love molding
facilities each has a characteristic aroma, be that styrene (even at
todays low levels), phenolic or molten thermoplastic.
Seeing how all these composite parts get put together is special,
as I have toured airplane and jet engine factories, automotive
assembly plants, boat shops, tank and pipe fabricators, electronics
manufacturers, motor assemblers and, more recently, several wind
turbine blade manufacturers. Yes, manufacturing is in my blood.
But we also need bench chemists, part designers, stress analysts,
laboratory technicians, technical service and customer service
people to make the composites industry work. One thing I think is
important is to get our non-manufacturing colleagues out into the
field and see what all our customers make. Having that appreciation goes a long way toward providing improved quality of service.
In my travels in Germany over the years, and more recently in
the UK, I have heard about and interfaced with advanced university programs that graduate engineers with a doctoral degree
in manufacturing. Typically, Ph.D programs yield folks who
specialize in research tracks, but not with a bent toward full-scale
manufacturing. I think such an approach would be welcomed by
industry in the US, and I do hope we can see this evolve, because
it provides an exciting alternative career path for some of our
brightest students.
Now, back to the initial query from my colleague. How many
factories have I visited? I would venture to say at least 500, but it
could be many more. Whatever the number, Ill never tire of seeing
things produced. Especially if they are related to composites!

Dale Brosius is the chief commercialization officer for the

Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation
(IACMI, Knoxville, TN, US), a US Department of Energy (DoE)sponsored public/private partnership targeting high-volume
applications of composites in energy-related industries. He is
also head of his own consulting company and his career has included positions
at US-based firms Dow Chemical Co. (Midland, MI), Fiberite (Tempe, AZ) and
successor Cytec Industries Inc. (Woodland Park, NJ), and Bankstown Airport,
NSW, Australia-based Quickstep Holdings. He served as chair of the Society
of Plastics Engineers Composites and Thermoset Divisions. Brosius has a BS in
chemical engineering from Texas A&M University and an MBA.

CompositesWorld

PRESENTED BY

abaris.com

btglabs.com

DATE AND TIME:

June 9, 20162:00 PM EDT

PRESENTERS

LOUIS C. (LOU) DORWORTH

Abaris Direct Services Manager

LUCAS DILLINGHAM
Head Sales Engineer-BTG Labs

Measuring Surface Energy

in Manufacturing and Repair
of Composites to Assure Quality
of Bonded Interfaces
EVENT DESCRIPTION:
This interactive tutorial provides a comprehensive look at common industry
practices, including typical surface preparation methods for composites
and an overview of the basic scientific principles involved in measuring
surface energy and how it relates to material performance in manufacturing
and repair. This presentation will focus on universal methods and
techniques used to measure and achieve durable and consistent surface
preparation in manufacturing across all industries. Ensuring surface
condition and consistency is a vital component for guaranteeing success in
sealing, coating, bonding, painting, printing or cleaning.
PARTICIPANTS WILL LEARN:
Common surface preparation methods and techniques for composite substrates.
What is surface energy and why is it important to maintain and understand
it in manufacturing.
How the Surface Analyst measures energy in a manufacturing or repair environment.
Using surface energy measurements to modify surface energy, determine process
optimization, and perform quality assurance.
REGISTER TODAY FOR WEBINAR AT:
Registration Link: http://short.compositesworld.com/Abaris616

GARDNER BUSINESS INDEX: COMPOSITES

April 2016 46.3

Another uptrend in future capital spending plans
points to an increase in capital equipment investment.

With a reading of 46.3, the Gardner Business Index for

April 2016 showed that the US composites industry fell back

into contraction after two months at an index of 50 or higher.
However, the rate of contraction in April was slower than it was
during a previous period of contraction that ran from August
2015 through January 2016.
New orders contracted in April after two months of growth.
In general, however, the trend in the new orders subindex was
still toward the upside. The production subindex also contracted
after showing expansion in the previous two months. New orders
generally had increased more than production in recent months.
The backlog subindex contracted at an accelerating rate for the
second straight month. The employment subindex contracted

A GBI reading of >50.0 indicates expansion; values <50.0 indicate contraction.

60
APRIL
GBI

46.3

50

New Orders
Production
Backlogs
Employment

70

60

Apr 16

Mar-16

Feb-16

Jan-16

Dec-15

Nov-15

Oct-15

Sep-15

Aug-15

Jul-15

Jun-15

May-15

Apr-15

40

46.0
45.4
43.1
45.5

after showing expansion in February and March, and the rate

of contraction was the second fastest recorded in this subindex
since the GBI composites survey began in December 2011.
Exports contracted in April at their fastest rate, to that point, this
year. Supplier deliveries lengthened at their fastest rate since
October 2015.
Materials prices increased in the US at an accelerating rate for
the third month in a row. Aprils was the second fastest rate of
materials price increases since November 2014. Prices received
decreased for the seventh month in a row, but the rate of
decrease was relatively constant for the third straight month. The
future business expectations subindex for the US region fell in
April after two months of improvement in February and March.
On the composites fabricators front, plants in the US with
more than 250 employees showed contraction for the fifth
straight month in April. US-based facilities with 100-249
employees were unchanged after contracting significantly in
March. Companies with 50-99 and 20-49 employees contracted
for the first time since January of this year. Fabricators with fewer
than 20 employees also contracted in April, but did so for the
second month in a row.
In terms of major markets served, the aerospace industry, by
the end of April, had expanded for three months in a row and
in five of the previous seven months. Although the aerospace
industry had performed well for composites fabricators recently,
the automotive industry, as April closed out, had contracted for
five consecutive months. This mirrored motor vehicle and parts
consumer spending, which has contracted four months in a row.
Compared with one year earlier, future capital spending plans
increased by 12% in April, which was the second straight month
of growth in this key subindex. The trend in spending plans was a
clear sign that the US composites industry was in the early stages
of its next expansion in capital equipment spending.

50

40

12

JUNE 2016

Apr 16

Mar-16

Feb-16

Jan-16

Dec-15

Nov-15

Oct-15

Sep-15

Aug-15

Jul-15

Jun-15

May-15

Apr-15

30

Steve Kline, Jr. is the director of market intelligence for Gardner

Business Media Inc. (Cincinnati, OH, US), the publisher of
CompositesWorld magazine. He began his career as a writing
editor for another of the companys magazines before moving
into his current role. Kline holds a BS in civil engineering from
Vanderbilt University and an MBA from the University of Cincinnati.
skline2@gardnerweb.com

CompositesWorld

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TRENDS
Composites innovators in the aerospace, automotive and wind energy
markets put out of the box ideas into practical applications.

ENERGY

Vestas thinks outside the big blade box

Source | BMW

Source (both photos) |

Vestas Wind Systems

For a decade, the prevailing wisdom in wind energy circles

has been this: A wind turbines power output is proportional to the square of its blade length. Therefore, the
longer the blade, the more efficient the turbines output.
There has been a downside, however. A blades volume and
weight are proportional to the cube of its length. So the
price of a turbine climbs faster than its power output as
its size increases. A factor in that climb is the difficulty of
transporting that massive blade to sometimes quite remote
installation sites.
Vestas Wind Systems A/S (Aarhus, Denmark) and the
Technical University of Denmark are working together to
test the technical feasibility of operating multiple, smaller
turbines, with shorter blades on a single support structure (see artists conception, top right). Their multi-rotor
concept demonstrator will use four refurbished V29-225kW
nacelles mounted as depicted in the photo above, and
has a peak blade tip height of 74m. They are erecting the
demonstrator at the Ris test site near Roskilde, Denmark
(see photo, top left), where it will be fitted with sensors and
studied closely in the coming years.
Although Vestas looks to challenge the core scaling rules
mentioned above and address/installation challenges, the
14

JUNE 2016

unprecedented design concept poses many new unknowns

to engineers in terms of load cases. What will be the effects
of the interactions of vibrations generated by four interconnected rotors? How will rotor blades turning in such
close proximity affect aerodynamics and, as a result, power
generating efficiency? Load and control features will need
to be developed, tested and proven to assess the technical and commercial feasibility of the concept.Not the least
of these would be the need for blade makers to adjust to
producing 12 shorter blades in the same cost/time frame
once devoted to three long blades.
Installing a concept turbine shows that innovation sometimes entails entirely new thinking and new approaches,
says Jorge Magalhaes, senior VP, Vestas Innovation &
Concepts. This process of continuous innovation and
exploration is extremely important. It provides us with
essential knowledge that can help us bring down our products cost of energy and integrate key technologies to solve
our customers challenges. Ultimately, the goal is to assess
if we can build an even more cost-efficient turbine by challenging the scaling rules.
View a video about the multi-rotor concept |
short.compositesworld.com/4Rotor

CompositesWorld

TRENDS
MONTH IN REVIEW
Notes on newsworthy events recently covered on the CW Web site. For more
information about an item, key its link into your browser. Up-to-the-minute news |
www.compositesworld.com/news/list
Honda Aircraft delivers first HondaJet in Europe
Honda Aircraft Co.s composites-intensive aircraft received type certification in
December 2015 and deliveries into North America began immediately.
05/09/16 | short.compositesworld.com/HondaJetEU

CH-53K achieves first external lift flight

Sikorskys composites-intensive CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopter successfully carried a 12,000-lb external load as part of its flight test program.
05/02/16 | short.compositesworld.com/CH-53Klift

NASA selects Sierra Nevada for Mars 2020 mission contracts

Sierra Nevada Space Systems (Louisville, CO, US) will design and manufacture the
descent brake, as well as actuators for the robotic arm and sample caching system.
05/09/16 | short.compositesworld.com/SNC-Mars

California EPA adds styrene to labeling regulation

The American Composites Manufacturers Assn. (Arlington, VA, US) says labeling will
be required for some styrenated products sold, or that might be sold, in California.
04/25/16 | short.compositesworld.com/CalEPA

Argosy International to open new honeycomb core facility in Alabama

The New York, NY, US-based companys new facility will provide US panel manufacturers with a local manufacturer and distributor of honeycomb core products.
05/02/16 | short.compositesworld.com/ArgosyAla

US Army evaluating composites solution for airfield damage repair

The Armys Engineer Research and Development Center is working on use of an FRP
matting system to repair damaged military airfields.
04/25/16 | short.compositesworld.com/ArmyAirRep

Hexcel breaks ground on new Moroccan core plant

The Stamford, CT, US-based suppliers African plant will be fully operational in 2017
and will convert HexWeb honeycomb into engineered core for aerospace applications.
05/02/16 | short.compositesworld.com/HexcelMoro

Shell unveils concept car built with recycled carbon fiber

Weighing in at 1,212 lb, the city car features recycled carbon fiber in the body and
almost the entire car can be recycled at the end of its lifecycle.
04/25/16 | short.compositesworld.com/ShellCar

Airbus, Safran sign agreement for space joint venture

The 50/50 joint venture will focus on the development of cost-competitive launchers
that meet the needs of both government and commercial customers.
05/02/16 | short.compositesworld.com/SpaceJV

NASA seeks new designs for deep space habitation prototypes

The US Congress has instructed NASA to finish development of working prototypes
of a deep space habitat by 2018.
04/20/16 | short.compositesworld.com/NextSTEP-2

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CompositesWorld.com

15

TRENDS

AUTOMOTIVE

Clemson Universitys Deep Orange 6 concept vehicle wows SAE congress

Source | Clemson University ICAR

The Deep Orange 6, a next-generation Toyota concept

vehicle engineered by students from Clemson University
(Clemson, SC, US), was unveiled at the recent SAE
International 2016 World Congress and Exhibition in Detroit,
MI, US, held April 12-14.The collaborative effort involved
18 students backed by 21 industry partners among them,
automaker Toyota Motor Corp. (Tokyo, Japan), Oxeon AB
(Bors, Sweden), Sage Automotive Interiors (Greenville, SC,
US), and Altair Engineering (Troy, MI, US).

Clemson is home to the International Center for

Automotive Research (CU-ICAR), a well-known and wellsupported automotive research and engineering education
group started in 2003. Supported today by dozens of OEMs,
equipment suppliers and research partners in the global
automotive/motorsports sector, CU-ICAR is involved in a
broad spectrum of strategic research projects.
Deep Orange, a graduate-level program, challenges
students to create a clean-sheet prototype car, says Johnell
Brooks, an associate professor at Clemson Universitys
graduate Department of Automotive Engineering and part
of the CU-ICAR Deep Orange 6 team. Paul Venhovens,
another Clemson educator at CU-ICAR, came from BMWs
(Munich, Germany) Research and Development group, and
Brooks says Venhovens believes in the importance of having
students responsible for a ground-up vehicle build.
The Deep Orange 6 concept is aimed at Generation Z (or
post-Millenials, born mid- to late-1990s through to 2010),
and Toyotas support came from its interest in learning more
about the demographic, says Brooks, noting that Toyota
might introduce the concept, or a similar model, to the US
market in 2020. The concepts features include a flat floor
with easily reconfigurable seats; a Toyota electric powertrain;

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CompositesWorld

Deep Orange
6
NEWS

and the ability to be transformed from a utility hauler to a

mobile office or even to a camper, using bSPOKE features
that suit an individual owners personal aesthetic. A feature
called mPower enables the vehicle to function as a mobile
power source for devices and equipment, with 120V AC
receptacles. The Deep Orange 6 team sees the concept as a
value proposition for a younger generation that
has little money to spare.
has less interest in vehicle ownership than past
generations.
needs a personal mobility solution for commuting and
shopping at low cost of ownership.
wants extra space, range and performance for leisure
activities.
To realize weight savings, ensure the concepts emissions
compliance and promote part surface smoothness without sacrificing mechanical performance, the team selected
Oxeons trademarked TeXtreme ultralight spread-tow carbon
fabrics for the cars door panels, rear hatch, dashboard, and
bumpers and cladding. With our exposed CFRP interior
components on Deep Orange 6, it was a high priority to use
a woven carbon fiber fabric with a unique weave pattern.
The Textreme materials exceeded our expectations, gave
us a beautiful finish on the interior, and were easy to lay up
without distorting the weave. The spread tow fabrics leave a
very smooth finish on the final part, says CU-ICARs Brooks.
She adds that project participant Sage Automotive Interiors

Source | Clemson University ICAR

helped with material selection and company is a huge partner in helping the students understand automotive trends.
The Clemson team has been very good at utilizing the
unique benefits of TeXtreme and designing the composite parts, balancing the mechanical properties and weight
savings to get the optimal results on the car, says Oxeon
CEO Henrik Blycker.
A YouTube video about the Clemson project, including
interviews with some of the automotive industry partners in
the project, can be viewed here |
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmfG0PG5fAs.
More information about Deep Orange is available here |
www.cuicardeeporange.com

CompositesWorld.com

17

TRENDS

AEROSPACE

Aircraft door demo satisfies primary-structure

joint redundancy rule without fasteners
Cyclone Ltd. (Karmiel, Israel), a subsidiary of Elbit Systems (Haifa,
Israel), has successfully demonstrated one-shot resin transfer molding
(RTM) of its all-composite, fastener-free passenger aircraft door.
Because catastrophic failure of doors jeopardizes safe flight, they are
considered primary (flight-critical) structures in aircraft. To be certified
for use on commercial aircraft, doors that use adhesively bonded joints must

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Source | Cyclone Ltd.

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case the bonds fail. Cyclones patented
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the typically used metal fasteners
because they interlock in such a way
that, even if the adhesive bond fails,
they satisfy that redundancy requirement. The result is a 30% reduction in
door weight and cost vs. similar doors of
aluminum and black aluminum.
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18

JUNE 2016

CompositesWorld

Trace-based accelerated
composites design/testing:
Online workshop set for June
In the July 2014 issue of CW, Dr.
Stephen Tsai, professor research emeritus in the Department of Aeronautics
& Astronautics at Stanford University,
suggested an invariant-based method
for accelerating aerospace certification testing (see short.compositesworld.com/
TsaiCerTst). He identified trace (the sum of
three components of stiffness, plus that
of shear) as the one and only property
of composites that can make them
easier to understand, and make design
and testing of composites much more
simple and straightforward.
Tsai and Jos Daniel Diniz Melo, a
consulting professor at Stanford,
expand on this in their book, Composite
Materials Design and Testing Unlocking
mystery with invariants, explaining that
for all carbon/epoxy composites in
use today, the stiffness of all laminates

Fly-In InfusionNEWS
Demo

AEROSPACE

Oshkosh Fly-In: Multi-day infusion demo

Visitors to Wittman Field for the Experimental Aircraft Assn.s
(EAA) AirVenture 2016 (July 25-31, Oshkosh, WI, US) will have
the opportunity to attend a reprise of last years multi-day
infusion processing demonstration, again sponsored by Innegra
Technologies (Greenville, SC, US) and hosted by Innegras infusion
expert Russ Emanis. More extensive than the 2015 offering, it will
involve infusion of the majority of parts for two composite aircraft,
including the Star-Lite (pictured at
right). Distributor Composites One
(Arlington Heights, IL, US) will have
two technical specialists on hand and
a host of suppliers will donate materials, equipment and supplies to help
with the processing. This is all about
education, says Emanis. Were
going to demonstrate single bag
and double-bag infusion methods,
and people will see the differences
between epoxy and vinyl ester
infusion.
Read a more detailed preview at
short.compositesworld.com/EAADemo16
A demo schedule is available at the
Innegra Web site | www.innegratech.com
For more about EAAs AirVenture
2016, visit | www.eaa.org/en/airventure

Source | Brian Burghgrave

We create chemistry
that makes automotive
leaders love the road
less traveled

is simply a fixed fraction of trace.

Beyond their simplicity, trace-based
calculations net the user many design
benefits (see short.compositesworld.com/
CompoTrace and short.compositesworld.com/
TraceWS).
Tsai, Melo and others are offering a
Composites Design Workshop, June
20-24, to give participants a solid
foundation and skills to master this
invariant-based approach. The intensive online course includes 20 hours
of sessions via WebEx; live software
demonstrations and practice sessions;
a free copy of the book referenced
above; additional free reference
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software packages designed by Tsai;
and access to an interactive Q&A
forum. Registration and cost information can be found here: web.stanford.edu/
group/composites/Workshop/priceinfo.html.
For those new to the concept, Dr.
Tsai will reintroduce the trace invariant
to CW readers in an illustrated article
scheduled for the August issue.

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CompositesWorld.com

19

WORK IN PROGRESS

Selective
reinforcements
boost commodity
composite
properties
Strategically placed advanced
fiber reinforcements reduce
weight and cost while
dramatically increasing
mechanical performance and
dimensional stability.
By Peggy Malnati / Contributing Writer

New reinforcement technologies developed by Integrated

Composite Products Inc. (ICP, Winona, MN, US), when selectively

placed in part structures molded from conventional discontinuous long- or short-fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (and possibly
thermosets) have demonstrated transformative benefits. Reportedly, they can reduce part weight by 20% or more, reduce part
cost 20-40%, increase flexural strength and stiffness by 100-300%,
increase impact strength 100-500%, provide superior (noncatastrophic) failure modes and address warpage/differential
shrinkage issues to help molded parts hold closer tolerances.
Sound impossible? Consider that these technologies, called
advanced fiber reinforcements (AFRs), accomplish the above
without the use of carbon fiber or other expensive high-performance fiber forms the composites industry usually associates with
the term advanced fiber. Instead, AFRs employ continuous glass
rovings and relatively inexpensive thermoplastic resin systems.
The real promise of AFRs, says Derek Mazula, ICPs CEO, is that
they allow commodity composites to perform at levels normally
only seen with dramatically more costly premium materials.
AFR technology is the brainchild of Mazula and ICPs chief
science officer Ron Hawley. Serial inventor Hawley has a remarkable 45-year history of composites innovation and commercialization, having developed extrusion compounding (1969;
trade secrets only; no patents filed), and having been issued
patents on long-fiber thermoplastics (LFT, 1979), direct-(inline
compounded)-LFT (D-LFT, 1989), and the Pushtrusion D-LFT
variant (1999). Developed in 2013, AFR technology builds on all
four of Hawleys previous breakthroughs.

Avoiding the doom loop

Like so many other composites-industry veterans, Hawley says,
he and Mazula had long faced the frustration of technologies
20

JUNE 2016

AFRs in three types

that promised much, then
came close, but fell short,
Three advanced fiber reinforcements
(AFRs) reportedly reduce part weight
a pattern he calls the doom
by 20% or more and part cost by
loop. When technology fails
20-40%, increase flexural strength
to live up to its potential,
and stiffness by 100-300% and
explains Hawley, it hurts
impact strength 100-500%. Tension
all parties in the composites
members (TM-AFRs, left) resemble
rods of varying thickness that are
supply chain from material
placed at potential points of failure.
and equipment suppliers to
Impact members (IM-AFRs; middle
compounders to processors
white mesh) and structural members
to customers. Customers
(SM-AFRs; right top, black mesh) look
must endure the cost and
similar but feature different material
formulation and composition to drive
time required for part and
their respective benefits in impact or
tool redesigns and retesting,
structural performance.
increased weight and costs,
Source | Integrated Composite Products Inc.
and delays or even failures to
launch on time. The processor
sees shrinking margins with
each redesign, might have to add secondary operations, and
could suffer delayed or lost programs. The compounder risks that
material prices will have to be reduced or another compounders material will be selected, and also could suffer delayed or
lost programs. And the designer is blamed for poor correlation
between predicted and measured part performance and weight,
and failure to meet specifications, which can lead to costly
redesigns and further delays. Such failures to launch, or launch
successfully, also necessitate that financial models be revisited
throughout the supply chain.
Hawley and Mazula founded ICP in 2013 with the express
purpose of finding a way to avoid the doom loop. They assembled
a team with extensive research, application development and
molding experience, and formed a strategic network of design,

CompositesWorld

Advanced Fiber Reinforcements

NEWS

molding and compounding partners. It was this experience that

led them not only to develop the AFRs, but also to invest in proprietary material models for finite element analysis (FEA) to ensure
rapid design optimization and repeatable implementation of the
technologies. As a result, they say they can help customers design,
formulate and place AFR elements exactly where theyre needed.
If customers substitute as little as 5% of the base materials in
a given application with our AFRs, Hawley contends, they can
simultaneously reduce weight and cost two eternal pressures
while at the same time increasing both flexural strength and
impact performance two objectives that are tricky to accomplish in parallel. And they can do all this with a high level of
predictability.

Putting fiber where its needed

AFRs rely on the fact that continuous glass rovings are 20-60 times
stronger than discontinuous glass fiber plus resin. AFR technologies feature continuous glass rovings impregnated and coated
with special formulations of common resins (e.g., polypropylene).
The proprietary formulation and the continuous glass impregnation/coating process used eliminates voids and ensures excellent
wetout of the rovings to maximize adhesion with the matrix while
still providing an excellent, resin-rich surface that will ensure
good aesthetics right out of the tool. The coated rovings are then
formed as needed into specific shapes for insertion, via manual
or automated methods, into molds used in compression, injection or transfer molding processes. Once in the tool, they are
combined with the base materials (typically, discontinuous longor short-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic).
There are three types of AFRs: tension members (TM-AFRs),
impact members (IM-AFRs) and similar looking but differently
formulated structural members (SM-AFRs). TM-AFRs resemble
rods of varying thickness that are placed at the point of failure,
typically at the end/top of ribs (in the bottom of the tool), in order
to prevent failure by halting crack propagation. IM-AFRs and
SM-AFRs resemble mesh screens and typically are embedded in
part skins to provide what Hawley calls a safety-glass sandwich
that allows material to flow through to ribs. Although similar,
IM-AFRs and SM-AFRs feature a different material formulation
and composition to drive their respective benefits in impact or
structural performance. All three elements reportedly also can be
used to improve flatness/dimensional control.
ICP claims performance improvements can be achieved with
a wide variety of part shapes and designs, including elaborately
ribbed structures. Further, little to no special tooling or molding
process changes are needed, and the technology often can be
applied on the fly for a rapid prove-out before finalizing tooling/
process changes, which makes it ideal for use in development
projects as well as for troubleshooting commercial applications.
Using ICPs proprietary FEA material models, the team reports
tight correlation between predicted and measured part performance. Reportedly, the models work with static and dynamic
loads across a variety of glass reinforcement lengths (short to long)

Combining AFRs and compounds in-mold

TM-AFR, IM-AFR and SM-AFR materials (top to bottom) can be inserted into tools
by hand (as shown here) or via automated means to avoid delays in production efficiency. In the tool, they are combined with base materials (typically
discontinuous-reinforced thermoplastics). Proprietary formulation and the continuous glass impregnation/coating process minimize voids and ensure wetout of the
rovings to maximize adhesion to the matrix. Source | Integrated Composite Products Inc.

CompositesWorld.com

21

WORK IN PROGRESS

Performance of Polypropylene
with varying Glass Percentages and Lengths
Scaling of 100 = Failure Point for 40% LFT Baseline Materials
600
551

500
400

400

300

300

335

200
100
0

500

200
100
40%
Long Fiber
W/O ICP
Adv. Tech.

100

100
40%
Long Fiber
WITH ICP
Adv. Tech.

40%
Long Fiber
W/O ICP
Adv. Tech.

Impact Force Scaled

Flexural Force Scaled

600

0
40%
Long Fiber
WITH ICP
Adv. Tech.

Flexural strength & Impact performance improved

ICP contends that AFR technology can enable commodity composites, such as
discontinuous glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene (PP), to perform at levels
normally seen only with dramatically more-costly premium materials. In the graph
above, application of IM-AFR technology to the same part (while maintaining the
same fiber-volume fraction of 40%) boosts flexural strength 3.3x (left) and impact
performance 5.5x (right) vs. the baseline 40% glass-reinforced LFT PP material, and
do so without negatively affecting cost, weight, cycle time or aesthetics.
Source | Integrated Composite Products Inc.

22

CompositesWorld-halfpage.indd 1

JUNE 2016

as well as with a variety of molding processes (injection, compression, and transfer). Thanks to extensive design of experiments
work, the team has learned how to optimize rib sizes and wall
thicknesses. It is also able to control which mechanical properties
are improved on a part via controlled AFR placement techniques,
and by adjusting the size (length, thickness, mesh opening) and
formulation of AFR elements.
For example, in the case of a standard-duty food bin, ICP has
demonstrated how it can easily upgrade performance through
selective use of TM-AFRs to meet the needs of a heavy-duty food
bin program. Conversely, the company also can convert the same
standard-duty food bin into a lighter-duty produce bin merely by
adjusting the type, quantity, and position of the AFRs going into
the tool all without altering the tooling or cycle time (reportedly,
when AFR loading is automated, little or no time is added to the
molding cycle) or delaying the program. This allows the molder
to use a single toolset to make a variety of products, e.g., 1,000-,
2,000- or 3,000-lb (454-, 907- or 1,361-kg) capacity reusable plastic
containers (RCPs), greatly extending tooling functionality.

IP protection and commercialization

ICP has taken steps to protect its intellectual property. The companys first patent, covering TM- and IM-AFRs, has been published
by the US Patent Trade Office and is in the final stages of active
examiner review. Two additional patents, covering advances in

CompositesWorld

4/14/16 8:58 AM

Advanced Fiber Reinforcements

NEWS

IM-, SM-, and TM-AFR technologies, along with proprietary formulations and manufacturing techniques, are currently working their
way through US and Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) systems.
Moreover, ICPs trade secrets, which are shared only with partners
and licensees, deal with additional formulations and manufacturing techniques.
The company also has
formed
strategic partRead this article online |
nerships with several
short.compositesworld.com/ICP-AFRs
multi-million/multibillion-dollar companies along the value chain (including compounders, molders,
asset managers/distributors and customers). Mazula says, Our
partners bring a wealth of knowledge and resources and have
signed MOUs [memorandums of understanding] supporting global
growth. Thanks to that collaboration, weve already developed a
pipeline of programs, including two for RCPs/bins and one for a
pallet. Were now in the phase of rapid commercialization, with
projected 2017 startup dates on programs that are each worth in
excess of US$100 million and projected to consume over 1 million
kg of AFRs and 18 million kg of base LFT materials per geographical
market. Although ICPs initial focus is on the transportation-packaging/materials-handling market (pallets, RPCs, bins, totes, etc.),
it welcomes new partners to accelerate development of additional
applications in other industries.

How to put AFRs to work

According to Mazula, molders or customers who wish to incorporate AFRs into their product development processes would
typically begin their work with ICP by signing a two-way nondisclosure agreement, followed by determination of the issue(s) to
be resolved or area of design optimization to be tackled. Next,
they provide their FEA work to ICPs design partners to facilitate
a design review. Then, ICP would apply its proprietary material
models to the design, quickly determining which changes will
improve performance, reduce cost, and meet customer-specified
optimization goals. With data in hand, the customer then decides
which scenario(s) to run on production tooling with molding
trials conducted either on the customers equipment or at ICPs
fully equipped R&D center. Results are then confirmed by part
testing, performed either at the customers site or by an independent lab. Finally, the customer and ICP enter into a relationship
that includes licensing or other forms of long-term contracts that
leverage ICPs technology to benefit both organizations.

Contributing writer Peggy Malnati covers the automotive and

infrastructure beats for CW and provides communications
services for plastics- and composites-industry clients.
peggy@compositesworld.com

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CompositesWorld.com

23

Opening the door

into orthopedics
Carbon fiber composites have carved
a niche in high-performance lowerlimb prosthetics (left) and orthotics,
such as this knee brace (below).
Sources | Otto Bock and (below) ssur

CFRP: opportunities
in orthopedics
Carbon fiber has a niche, but can it secure
a larger piece of a high-growth pie?
By Ginger Gardiner / Senior Editor

Orthopedics is the branch of medicine that addresses impairments of the skeletal

system, ligaments and muscles. It comprises prosthetics devices that substitute for
a limb or joint and orthotics, such as lower back supports and knee braces, which
compensate, assist or stabilize a body part.
Blade-like lower-leg-and-foot prosthetics like those worn by double-amputee
Oscar Pistorius when he ran the 100m dash in 11.04 seconds (the current world
record is 9.58 seconds, held by non-amputee Usain Bolt) put carbon fiber-reinforced
polymer (CFRP) under the spotlight in the Paralympic, Olympic and medical worlds.
But strong showings in the sports media have not necessarily mirrored market realities in the medical arena.
For lower-limb prosthetics, CFRP is a very good candidate. If you look at the feet,
they act like a spring, explains Maximilian Segl, head of composite development at
the worlds largest prosthetics manufacturer, Otto Bock (Duderstadt, Germany). The
best springs are made with titanium or special steels, but CFRP is lightweight, strong
and has especially good fatigue resistance.
But composites place in the wider orthopedics market is not a given. As bionics
and other human augmentation devices continue to be developed, manufacturers
are looking for lightweight components, but at a lower cost and a greater ease of
24

JUNE 2016

CompositesWorld

Orthotics & Prosthetics

NEWS

processing not typical, historically, with composites. There also is a push, particularly in
the burgeoning orthotics exoskeleton market, toward less bulky soft
devices that rely on textiles instead of
hard molded components.
That said, opportunities abound
where composites high performance and low weight justify cost.

Making the most of

lower-limb mobility
Composites and carbon fiber will continue
to help us improve peoples mobility, says
CFRP for fleet, flexible feet
Christophe Lecomte, R&D engineer at ssur
CFRPs excellent load-bearing capability
(Reykjavik, Iceland), which manufactures the
and fatigue properties work well to emulate
the spring-like function of the human foot,
Flex-Foot Cheetah and a range of other, mostly
providing shock absorption and forward
lower-limb, orthopedic products.
energy. Spring-like CFRP structures are incorDue to increased load-bearing and lightweight
porated into both Otto Bocks Triton (above)
requirements, CFRP is most common in lower limb
and (at left) ssurs Flex-Run lower-leg
prosthetics and orthotics. Carbon fiber has different,
prosthetics. Sources | (above) Otto Bock / (left) ssur
unmatched properties to other materials, say Lecomte. For
example, in ssurs CTi Knee brace, carbon fiber is used on the
and easy to clean. However, demand for ever greater increases
frame, where its high stiffness and low weight secure the knee
in device performance and wearer comfort and capability has
joint during sport activities. The same material is used in our Flexopened the door for fiber reinforcement.
Foot prosthetic feet, however, because the outstanding load capaThis part is directly on the person, so lightweight is good,
bility and fatigue properties allow shock absorption and return
says Otto Bocks Segl, who explains that sockets are somewhat
energy to the user. He also notes the materials tolerance to high
different from other prosthetic applideformations, amazing versatility and ability
cations. Some areas must be thicker
to tailor stiffness and strength by adjusting
and some thinner. The front side typilayup schedules.
Carbon fiber-reinforced
cally includes more flexible zones, so
ssur uses primarily epoxy prepreg,
plastic is most commonly
it is not too stiff when walking. But you
with a range of fibers depending on the
need stability on the sides. He notes that
device and intended use. Production
used in lower-limb prossome areas of the stump are stronger, with
is highly automated. ssur develthetic and orthotic devices.
bones underneath the skin, while others
oped its own tape laying machine to
are not so reinforced. You must look at the
achieve high efficiency in low-void
shape and composition of the stump, and also
laminates, which are then vacuumwhere the forces are acting as the person moves.
bagged and autoclaved. Cured parts are post-processed using
Segl says that socket constructions in the industry are no longer
waterjet cutting, CNC machining and robotic grinding. They are
simply braided fabric impregnated with resin and then cured
incorporated into prosthetic assemblies using structural adheover a mold. There are new constructions, he explains. They
sives and bolts.
are not round, but now have sections that are stiff and sections
CFRP has helped ssur consistently push the boundaries of
that are flexible. They also use very flexible materials between the
prosthesis performance. We found an innovative way to combine
stiff sections, much like a stringer in a wing. Hand layup acrylic
several carbon fiber blades in our new Pro-Flex prosthetic foot,
is an older construction, used to give flexibility. Though not as
which has increased ankle range of motion and peak ankle power,
stiff or strong as an epoxy laminate, says Segl, you can design
notes Lecomte.
more rounded edges and can also heat locally to form it like a
Selective stiffness in sockets
thermoplastic. Newer constructions use epoxy prepreg cured
A promising area of prosthetics is the socket, the part of a prosbelow 100C vs. previous systems that required >120C. Segl notes
thesis into which the stump of the remaining limb fits. Most,
these new systems enable stiffer and thinner constructions, which
today, are made from plastic, which is cheap, fairly lightweight
results in greater design flexibility.
CompositesWorld.com

25

FEATURE / ORTHOPEDICS

Selective stiffness
in sockets
Prosthetic sockets are
tailored to individual
stump shape and
composition, making use
of newer epoxy prepregs, for
thinner, stiffer sections with
more flexible materials in
between.
Source | Otto Bock

Bionics: Powered
prosthetics
Developments in prosthetics
have increased rapidly during
the past decade. Powered limbs
are increasingly common, with motors that can be
controlled by muscles in the stump pushing switches,
or by electromyography, which uses algorithms to
decode electrical signals in natively innervated or
surgically reinnervated muscles, combined with data
from sensors on the prosthesis to interpret the patients
intended movements. There are a variety of robotic,
multi-dexterous hands commercially available today,
including Otto Bocks Michelangelo hand, Touch Bionics
(Livingston, UK) i-Limb and Steeper Groups bebionic3
(see photo, p. 27). Notably, none of these uses composites.
We use a water-transfer printing process to give the
bebionic hand the look of carbon fiber, explains Martin
Wallace, mechanical design manager at Steeper Group,
noting, I investigated carbon fiber for some of the components, but had little interest from the suppliers contacted and
my early attempts met with cost barriers. Instead, bebionic
products use cast and machined aerospace-grade aluminum,
machined stainless steel, bearing brass and engineering
polymers, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and polyetheretherketone (PEEK)
overmolded with thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) i.e., rubberized polymers like polyolefin blends and thermoplastic polyamides, polyurethanes or copolyesters as well as conductive TPE
to allow the use of touch-screen devices.
We have attempted to use glass fiber-filled materials for
some of our finger components and would like to use them due
to cost savings, says Wallace, however, we have often found at
the prototype stage that the brittleness of the material discounts
its use in favor of more durable cast aluminum. Cost and durability are serious issues. Powered prostheses can cost many
tens of thousands of dollars, while the less-advanced average
prosthetic device has a lifespan of only three years
according to the National Limb Loss Information Center/Amputee Coalition (Manassas,
VA, US). Thus, materials that can increase
26

JUNE 2016

durability and/or reduce cost have opportunities at varied points

along the product spectrum.
In addition to Otto Bocks individualized products (such as
the sockets mentioned earlier), it also makes more industrial,
standardized parts, which also use CFRP, such as prosthetic feet
and very stiff covers for the knee. Its C-Leg above-knee prosthesis uses a microprocessor-controlled knee mechanism to
enable a more stable and efficient gait that more closely
resembles a natural walking pattern. For individualized devices made by orthopedic shops, we
must look at how they can use the materials
even though their processes are not industrial-type production, explains Segl.
For industrial parts, we use autoclaves,
stamping, pressing and resin transfer
molding, with material selection driven by
function of the part. For example, the C-Leg
cover must be stiff to protect the hydraulics
and electronics inside.
In July 2015, ssur unveiled successful
demonstrations of mind-controlled lower
limb (MCLL) prosthetics, using its implanted
myoelectric sensor (IMES) technology. The first
two cases include one above-knee amputee
using the dynamic Rheo Knee device and one
below-knee amputee using the dynamic ProPrio
Foot, made with CFRP. ssur has large-scale
clinical trials underway, aiming for commercialization in 3-5 years.

CompositesWorld

Exoskeletons: Robotic orthotics

As bionics technology begins to transform
prosthetic manufacturing, a parallel shift in
the orthotics paradigm is well on its way. In
2015, Robotics Trends Media (Framingham,
MA, US) managing editor Steve Crow reported
the robotic exoskeleton market is forecast to
reach US$1.8 billion in 2025, up from US$68
million in 2014, with a CAGR of almost 40%.
Crow noted that lower-body exoskeletons used
as rehabilitation tools or to improve quality
of life are the market leaders, but commercial
systems that augment human capabilities will
have the strongest growth. And in the workplace, demand for these wearable robots is
predicted to be on par with industrial robots.
The goals here are injury prevention and
productivity improvement for tasks that
include heavy lifting, extended standing,
squatting, bending or walking, with
applications that range from construction and agriculture to transportation
and healthcare (e.g., nurses lifting
patients).

Orthotics & Prosthetics

NEWS

Bionics get a hand

According to ExoskeletonReport.com,
there are at least 40 companies working
on hard exoskeletons, both powered and
unpowered, and more looking into soft
exosuits (see Learn More). A few products
tout the use of CFRP for lightweighting,
but many rely on metals and plastics.
Segl says exoskeletons naturally
evolved from orthoses. Do composites have any opportunity here? The
question is whether it is an active or
passive system, he responds. Active
means powered, and the issue is where
the power comes from. Though he
acknowledges big steps are being made in
energy storage, If you need an exoskeletal system to climb stairs, you are moving
a 60- to 80-kg load upward, and a battery
then also adds weight.

Composites were investigated for the

bebionic3 hand, but lack of supplier interest,
cost and a need for less brittle parts resulted
in a metals and plastics makeup with a printed
carbon fiber look. Source | Steeper Group

He says that many exoskeletons are

now more nearly robotic than orthotic,
but with energy sources gaining in efficiency, you might be able to integrate an
active system via a composite with piezofibers. For example, look at NASAs folding
systems for satellites. However, they are
moving only grams in space and we are
moving kilograms acted upon by gravity.
Otto Bock has licensed two patents
from Ekso Bionics (Richmond, CA, US),

SIDE STORY

Orthopedics: Carbon foam fosters bone growth

The Center of Innovation for Biomaterials in Orthopedic
Research (CIBOR) at the National Institute for Aviation
Research (Wichita, KS, US) applies aerospace materials
and process knowledge to orthopedic devices and works
with aerospace manufacturers to pursue opportunities
in the medical industry. It has two patents on the use of
carbon foam as a bone-graft material to improve success
in orthopedic implants. CIBOR research engineer Joel
White describes it as a very open-celled, rigid, carbon/
ceramic foam. Its structure mimics that of trabecular
[spongy] bone, and its pore size and interconnected
structure are able to be tailored for our applications.
Extremely machinable, the material was being used by a local aerospace manufacturer as a core material for layup tools for the autoclave. It
also offered much lower thermal mass vs. aluminum or Invar. The carbon
foam performed really well in biocompatibility studies, says White, who
also notes very good results with small animal bone-regeneration studies.
These involved creating a defect in mice femurs and evaluating if the
carbon foam aided regeneration. We also have run studies where small
samples were placed in muscle pouches and we were able to induce bone
growth even in areas that would not normally support this, White adds.
Trials in large animals (sheep) showed the carbon foam induced bone
growth in an 8-mm by 18-mm hole in the femur. We put our material in
with BMP-2 [a protein which helps to induce bone growth] and were able
to use dramatically less than the normal clinical dosage, but still achieved
the same amount of regeneration in bone volume as we did with the full
clinical dosage.
White says the carbon foam is, indeed, amenable to bonding with
different proteins and other osteoinductive materials, which provides

Carbon foam: Stimulating bone growth

Performing well in tests as a bone-graft material for orthopedic implants, such as
these PEEK intervertebral cages used in spinal fusions (left), carbon foam (50X
micrograph, right) could potentially eliminate bone harvesting, reducing surgery
duration and invasiveness. Source | CIBOR

a lot of options. He illustrates the impact it could have on a common

spinal fusion procedure. They take the damaged disk out, and to fuse the
vertebrae they insert a load-carrying device, like a PEEK intervertebral cage,
he explains, noting, We could put the carbon foam in the middle of this
donut-shaped cage instead of having to harvest a patients own bone
and get good bone growth, because the PEEK alone does not support good
bone formation. So the carbon foam provides a great synthetic conduit for
bone growth through the implant and provides us with an exciting option.
White says the carbon foam could eliminate the need to harvest the
patients own bone and reduce overall risk involved in surgery. See Learn
More for news about CIBORs research into CFRP use in implants for joint
replacement surgery and the surgical instruments used to install them.
.

CompositesWorld.com

27

FEATURE / ORTHOPEDICS

CFRP for fleet,

flexible bionic feet
ssur has moved from its
Pro-Flex foot (left), which has
increased ankle range of motion
and power, to the dynamic
ProPrio Foot (right) now undergoing tests as a mind-controlled
bionic prosthetic for below-knee
amputees. Both devices incorporate CFRP. Source | ssur

exoskeleton pioneer and partner to the US

Army and Lockheed Martin Exoskeleton
Technologies (Orlando, FL, US) in developing assistive devices for soldiers and
noncombatants, such as shipbuilders.
The INDEGO exoskeleton by Parker
Hannifin (Cleveland, OH, US) has been
approved by the US Food and Drug
Admin. (FDA, Silver Springs, MD, US)
for use with spinal cord injury patients.
We use carbon fiber in the foot braces,
says Parker Hannifin director of global
communications Aidan Gormley, but the rest
is made from metal and a mix of ABS and polycarbonate plastic.
INDEGO exoskeletons will initially be supplied
to rehabilitation centers, which will manage
their use with patients. The current focus is not
lifetime mobility restoration for these patients,
says Gormley, but instead to achieve significant
health benefits and efficiencies during rehabilitation by replacing the current robotic treadmill
training, which requires numerous physical
therapists/attendants, while the INDEGO only
requires one.
In the same price range as many exoskeleton
products, INDEGO costs roughly $80,000. Gormley
says personal lifelong use is a definite goal, but
the cost is a factor and work is still needed
to document its health benefits and usage
outcomes if users are to obtain health insurance
reimbursements. Parker Hannifin has started a
four-year, multi-center study funded by the US
Department of Defense and the Congressionally
28

JUNE 2016

Directed Medical Research Programs to do just that.

Ekso Bionics also has received FDA approval for
its Ekso GT product to be used with stroke and
spinal cord injury (SCI) patients, while the US
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA, Washington,
DC, US) has issued a national coverage policy
for ReWalk Robotics Inc.s (Marlborough, MA,
US) robotic wearable exoskeletons for qualifying
veterans with SCI. Veterans will be evaluated for
use of the device, which uses CFRP footplates to
support the patients weight, while powered hip
and knee motion enables the patient to stand
upright and walk independently. Training will
begin on an outpatient basis and proceed to
home or community settings, followed by
consideration for procurement of a personal
device for long-term use. Although both ReWalk
and Parker Hannifin are focused primarily on rehabilitation
products, Parker also is pursuing human augmentation products
via its investment in and partnership with Freedom Innovations (Irvine, CA, US), which uses CFRP in a
number of its standard prosthetic devices and
component upgrades.

Developments for future devices

Segl is hopeful for improved materials. Although
he concedes that carbon fibers are now better
performing and more precise, he contends that
they are still merely tweaks of the same basic materials created in the 1970s. We need to take the next
step in order to make the fibers and matrix more
connected, Segl explains. We need a better interface between the fiber and matrix so that you are
able to get the best performance out of the fiber
for each part. Then you will be able to build
lighter weight and thinner parts with the same
mechanical performance.
Segl also sees a need for tighter production
tolerances. He explains that with thermoset
composites, youre making the material and
the part at the same time, so you must have
very tight control on the temperature, pressure,
viscosity, etc. Variability causes part performance to go down. Simulation of composites
is also not as good as with a metal part, which is
very exact with standardized material performance
Exoskeletons:
Lightweighting external support
The INDEGO exoskeleton, which uses carbon
fiber in the foot brace, has been FDA-approved
for increased efficiency during rehabilitation
and improved health for spinal cord injury
patients. Source | Parker Hannifin
CompositesWorld

Orthotics & Prosthetics

NEWS

data sheets. Our computer simulation is getting closer and

closer to actual part performance. If you can improve simulation, you reach the right part design much faster.
Lecomte says ssur expects its future devices to provide
more information to the patients and allow patients to interact
with their
prostheses.
Like Segl, he
Next-generation composites
suggests that
could use piezoelectric
next-generalayers to harvest energy to
tion composites
recharge device batteries.
could use piezoelectric fibers,
for example, as
layers in laminates
that harvest energy while patients walk to recharge prosthesis
batteries. Next-generation composites also could adjust device
stiffness on-the-fly in response to in-use conditions or even
self-heal in case of damage.
Our goal is to design prostheses that are closer to the human
leg, says Lecomte. There is still a lot to do to achieve this goal.
Human limbs are complex systems that adapt to the environ-

Read this article online | short.compositesworld.com/CFRPOrtho

Read more online about the opportunities for the use
of Composites in Exoskeletons at the CW Blog site |
short.compositesworld.com/exoskel
Read about how CIBOR advances aerospace materials in medical
applications at the CW Blog site | short.gardnerweb.com/CIBOR
Read more online about multifunctional composites capable of
energy harvest and self-healing in Aerocomposites: The move to
multifunctionality | short.compositesworld.com/AeroMFComp

ment and situation. He says that current bionic prostheses

collect data via sensors and adjust behavior with motors. Our
next challenges are to reduce prosthesis weight and volume and
efficiently detect and communicate user intent.
We expect further developments in resin and fibers in the
coming years, which will lead to the design of new, lighter
and stronger orthotics and prosthetics, says Lecomte. ssur
is also looking at means to reduce material usage, waste and,
possibly, recycling. There is a need to make the industry more
sustainable.

CW senior editor Ginger Gardiner has an engineering/

materials background and has more than 20 years in
the composites industry.
ginger@compositesworld.com

Dssel
dorf
Hall 14
/
A0 2

Lightweighting
Your World
SMC | CFRP | LFT | Hybrid
Process technology and automated
systems for manufacturing
fiber-reinforced components

www.dieffenbacher.com

CompositesWorld.com

29

Structural
adhesives,

Part I:
Industrial

Adhesive vs. fasteners

Adhesive bonding of composites, to like
and unlike materials, without the use of
mechanical fasteners, enables manufacturers
to eliminate hole drilling and leverage
cascading benefits of weight and cost savings
throughout larger assembled structures.
Perhaps most important, it can significantly
shorten production cycle, a critical goal in
automotive assembly operations such as the
one pictured here, using Pliogrip structural
adhesive from Ashland Performance
Materials (Columbus, OH, US).

Todays myriad
chemistry options
enable formulators
to tailor adhesives
to customers
exact application
requirements.

Source | Ashland

By Sara Black / Technical Editor

Fasteners always will have a place in manufacturing assembly,

adhesives exceeds US$45 billion, with 8% annual growth predicted
but one of the Holy Grails of composites manufacturing is adhesive
by research firm Markets and Markets (Pune, India). According to
joinery that eliminates mechanical fasteners. Relieved of fastener
Structural Adhesives: Chemistry and Technology author S.R. Hartsweight, much lighter bonded composites could be leveraged for
horn, structural thermosetting adhesives comprised 10-15% of the
cascading weight and cost benefits elsewhere in the larger structotal adhesives market in 2015, and were posting annual growth
tures of which they are a part. Further, with no fastener holes,
rates of 7-9% as early as the 1980s. Meanwhile, the Freedonia
those composites would deliver better fatigue
Group (Cleveland, OH, US) says global
performance. Perhaps most important, elimidemand for adhesives and sealants
nation of drilling operations would accelis forecast to grow 4.5% per annum
One of the Holy Grails of
erate manufacturing cycle time, ensuring
through 2019 to 20.2 million MT.
composites manufacturing
lower overall cost even if the adhesives
Conservatively, then, the structural
material cost were greater than the cost
adhesives market could be worth US$4.5
is adhesive joinery that elimiof the fasteners it replaces.
billion, today, and US$6 billion-$7 billion
nates mechanical fasteners.
Although redundant fasteners
by 2020.
are mandated in adhesively bonded
Getting the glue right
commercial aerospace structures a
At least 40 adhesives suppliers now serve the composites industry.
situation unlikely to change in the near future (a subject CW will
Although structural adhesives offer an opportunity to simplify
address in Structural Adhesives, Part 2: Aerospace, see Learn
assembly of manufactured products, it is no simple matter to
More, p. 36) fabricators in marine, wind energy and other
arrange that opportunity either for those who formulate them or
industrial market sectors have enthusiastically embraced adhefor the molders who must find a formula to match a particular
sive-only bonding. Many more applications from architecture to
composites application.
automotive stand to benefit from advances in bonding technology.
Adhesives mean chemistry, and chemistry is complex, emphaThe result has been rapid, long-term growth in the developsizes George Bullen, president and CEO of Smart Blades Inc.
ment of structural adhesives. The worldwide market for all types of

30

JUNE 2016

CompositesWorld

Structural Adhesives, Part

1
NEWS

Truck-hood
tough bonding

(Oxnard, CA, US). Formerly with Northrop

Grumman and a Fellow in the Society of
Manufacturing Engineers (SME), he points
out, Many factors need to be considered
before undertaking structural bonding of
composite materials. (Structural adhesives
are defined and their forms enumerated in
the Side Story on p. 33.)
Making and selecting adhesives has,
historically, involved formulation and applications tradeoffs that can prove challenging.
For example:

Ashlands (Columbus,
OH, US) Pliogrip polyurethane, epoxy and acrylic
chemistries are already
used to bond most
Class 8 truck-hood and
raised-roof assemblies,
and, in automobiles, to
bond composites for
roofs, doors, hoods and
liftgates.

Tougheners added to improve elongation and impact resistance can

reduce adhesive strength and glass transition temperature (Tg).
Heat during fixturing and cure might be needed for best
results, particularly with epoxies, but also can contribute
to bond line read-through in bonded assemblies, in
which the adhesive bonds within the assembly can be
detected on the outer cosmetic surface. Room-temperature cure is less susceptible to read-through but, historically, less efficient.
When bonding dissimilar materials, the adhesives formulation must accommodate potentially significant differences in coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) and
surface properties of the bonded components.
Surface preparation and cleaning prior to adhesive application, fixturing and cure optimizes joint adhesion but
can significantly prolong processing time and increase
per-part cost.
On a joint with a large surface area,
such as a boat hull, longer open-time
or out-time will be required, yet the
additional out-time has the potential to degrade the adhesives cured
mechanical properties.
If the surface to be bonded during
assembly is oriented vertically, the
adhesive must have enough sag resistance to remain where placed.

Source | Ashland

on the road. And as the multi-material vehicle mantra spreads

in the auto industry, composite-to-metal bonding has become a
necessity. The adhesives that meet this requirement must accommodate significant differences in the materials. Key innovations
here also include adhesives that cure rapidly and require little-tono surface preparation.
Dow Automotive Systems (Auburn Hills, MI, US) revealed
in 2014 that its trademarked BETAFORCE urethane composite
bonding adhesive is being used by BMW Group (Munich,
Germany) to bond the carbon composite elements of the all-electric BMW i3 car (see Learn More). The urethane offers a balance
of strength, flexibility and good adhesion to multiple substrates,
and a very high elongation. It has a unique two-part, pre-polymer
chemistry, which means that some of the diisocyanate is already
reacted with the polyol to create an intermediate, partially reacted
polymer with higher molecular weight for better mixability and
stability. Dow Automotives Christophe van Herreweghe, adhesive

Notably, adhesive suppliers are reporting

a number of recent product developments
that mitigate or circumvent such difficulties,
offering customers an unprecedented degree
of design freedom.

Bonding the
BMW 7-Series
B-pillar
L&L Products (Romeo,
MI, US), developed
a customized epoxy
film adhesive for BMW
(Munich, Germany), for
use in bonding a carbon
fiber stiffener to metal
inside its new 7-Series
B-pillar. The adhesive
performs multiple functions, including galvanic
isolation).

Automotive multi-material
applications
A key property required in automotive
structural adhesives is elongation, necessary
to accommodate CTE differences and the
movement of body parts in relation to each
other under dynamic and fatigue loading

Source | L&L Products

CompositesWorld.com

31

MARKET OUTLOOK

Automation increases application speed

New World Doors (Ballymena, Northern Ireland) has reduced
its cycle time by 73% for its inner door sash bonding step, and
significantly increased adhesive application speed through the
use of an automated dispensing machine. Scott Bader (Wollaston,
Northamptonshire, UK) supplies the adhesive: Crystic Crestabond
M1-05 10:1 methyl methacrylate (MMA). Source | Scott Bader

market manager, says, BETAFORCE, depending on the specific

grade, has a modulus varying from 20 MPa to 300 MPa and an
elongation as high as 400% for superior energy absorption under
dynamic and fatigue loading.
Van Herreweghe says that previous grades of BETAFORCE
required a primer coat or application of an activator, but the latest
grade does not. Although any mold release that remains on the
composite parts must be removed prior to bonding, he emphasizes that BETAFORCE bonds well to composites. After adhesive
is dispensed via automated meter/mix machine, cure occurs with
application of heat, typically infrared or other rapid method, to
more than 80C for 1-3 minutes to achieve handling strength.
Dow Automotive is currently working on expanding the adhesives open time, in combination with faster cure via heat acceleration. Were researching more sophisticated application technologies, he adds, such as bead injection into cavities for bonding
composites to metal frames, and new encapsulated formulations
for spot curing under heat acceleration.

Another BMW adhesives supplier, L&L Products (Romeo, MI,

US), which entered the automotive/commercial vehicles market
with noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) products, already has
a composite-to-metal adhesive in serial production. A custom
formulated, heat-activated, toughened epoxy film adhesive is
used to bond a carbon/epoxy composite structural stiffener to
the inside of the BMW 7-Series steel B-pillar. The adhesive cure
can be as high as 190C for a sub-1-minute cure time, explains
Didier Trau, project manager of advanced development at L&Ls
Molsheim, France, facility. However, for the BMW process, cure
is tailored to match the cure profile of the carbon prepreg, and still
achieves a 2-minute cure. The film is cut to shape, preformed with
the carbon prepreg and cures in the compression molding process
that shapes the stiffener (see photo, p. 31).
Trau notes that no surface preparation is required for either
the metal or the prepreg material, saving considerable time. The
films elongation accommodates differences in thermal expansion between the composite and the steel. A key point, adds Trau,
is that the film includes an embedded glass veil that ensures
consistent separation between the carbon prepreg and the steel
substrate, to avoid galvanic effects: If we used microspheres for
bondline control, there is the chance that stray fibers of carbon
might still contact the metal. The veil ensures a complete separation, yet guarantees the minimum bondline thickness.
SciGrip Smarter Adhesive Solutions (an IPS company, Durham,
NC, US, and Tyne and Wear, UK) supplies acrylic structural adhesives to a number of transportation customers, among them GRP
HighTech (Bangkok, Thailand), which uses SciGrips SG5000 1:1
high-performance methyl methacrylate (MMA) for bonding fiberreinforced acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) rear spoilers
and front skirt parts to a metal substructure for major auto OEM
customers, including Toyota (Tokyo, Japan). SG5000 reportedly has excellent adhesion to the ABS parts and the stainless
steel supports to which theyre bonded because acrylics form
strong covalent bonds that provide high tensile strength yet also
exhibit high elongation (up to 150%) to adjust to variations in
CTE. More importantly, its fast room-temperature cure with
little or no surface preparation MMAs are generally suitable
Adhering to excellence in yacht racing
Ian Burns, performance team manager for ORACLE TEAM USA
(San Francisco, CA, US), says his yacht-building team uses
PRO-SET epoxy adhesives (Gougeon Bros., Bay City, MI, US)
to build high-quality small parts, which are eventually joined
to elements of the teams racing vessels. The pre-thickened,
two-part structural pastes, based on resins and hardeners that do
not require elevated-temperature post-cure, reportedly achieve
good adhesion and mechanical properties on a great variety of
substrates. Source | ORACLE TEAM USA

32

JUNE 2016

CompositesWorld

Structural Adhesives,
Part 1
NEWS

for applications involving moderate temperatures (80-100C)

matches production speed, says Mark Rogan, SciGrips European
sales and marketing manager.
SciGrip offers its products in two ways: in a 1:1 mix ratio paste
for typical transport and industrial applications. Its 10:1 mix ratio
paste products, with a peroxide-based activator, provide higher
performance on more diverse substrates, delivering up to 150%
elongation and up to 90% of the strength of epoxy, says Rogan.
SciGrip SG230HV (high viscosity) and SG300, both intended for
high-production-rate vehicle manufacturing, are 10:1 mix ratio
products, used often for composite-to-metal bonding, with higher
temperature resistance than the 1:1 products: SG300 requires no
surface preparation before bonding and gives very good fatigue
performance, he adds.
3M (St. Paul, MN, US) offers a range of epoxies built on legacy
Scotch-Weld chemistry pioneered and trademarked for composites more than 30 years ago, says Brent White, 3Ms global structural adhesives manager. 3M Scotch-Weld two-part 420NS epoxy
offers good fatigue performance and can withstand automotive
E-coat and powder-coating temperatures.
Customer needs have led to our teams development of polyurethane adhesives, such as 3M Scotch-Weld urethane adhesive
620, adds White. Theyre very effective where flexibility is
needed, such as in composites/metal bonds. The adhesive has
a low dispense viscosity, yet is non-sagging after dispensing and
provides low temperature flexibility.
Ashlands (Columbus, OH, US) trademarked Pliogrip structural
adhesives available in polyurethane, epoxy and acrylic chemistries have been employed for more than 40 years in automotive and heavy truck applications. Our Pliogrip 9100 two-component heat cure urethane is capable of achieving a heated fixture
time as short as 2 minutes, with little or no surface preparation,
contends Keith Grover, Ashlands industry manager for structural
assembly adhesives. The tailored cure helps to maximize our
customers productivity. A second adhesive, Pliogrip 8500, offers
a room-temperature cure option. Because urethanes degrade at
high E-coat process temperatures during vehicle painting, Ashland
also offers Pliogrip 5500 two-component epoxy. It provides an
open time of 30 minutes and a 2-minute heated fixture cure that
can withstand 205C, for applications that will be post-painted.
Pliogrip products are used to bond most Class 8 truck hood and
raised roof assemblies, and, in automobiles, to bond composites
for roofs, doors, hoods and liftgates.
Pliogrip products are designed to reduce or eliminate surface
prep and to streamline production. But Grover adds that the
selected adhesive should be qualified to ensure it meets the
performance requirements for the application, a process that
Ashland can assist the customer with, in its laboratory. Lightweighting is a hot trend in many markets, he sums up, and were
developing new products capable of minimizing part distortion,
joining dissimilar substrates and curing at even faster speeds to
enable high-volume production rates.
LORD Corp. (Cary, NC, US) also supplies a portfolio of epoxy,
urethane and acrylic adhesives for a range of markets including
vehicle metal bonding, and is a supplier to bus and commercial

truck OEMs, says Julie Miller, LORDs global market manager.

Although Lords 200- and 400-series acrylics are general-market
adhesives, its 600-series provides extended working times for
large parts, such as big rig fairings. The adhesive also can form
large beads where large bond gaps exist, and can accommodate
composite-to-metal bonding.
Our newer 800-series acrylics are specifically designed to
reduce or eliminate bondline read-through, adds Dr. John Hill,
principal engineer, structural adhesives R&D, who explains that
read-through is a not yet fully understood phenomenon. LORDs
urethane grades, used for automotive and heavy-duty truck
assembly, include 7542 and 7545: 7542 is a low-viscosity liquid that
allows gravity feed, yet offers instant sag resistance when applied
to vertical surfaces, thanks to its chemical thixotropy (7545 has
similar properties but comes as a paste). For higher temperature

SIDE STORY

Structural adhesives: The basics

An adhesive is structural if it has sufficient strength to transfer or share
loads between highly stressed components. Adhesive manufacturers
typically stipulate that a force of at least 6.9 MPa is required to separate
a structural adhesive bonded joint in a lap shear coupon test (for more
background, see Learn More, p. 36). To achieve such performance, or
effective adhesion, the adhesives chemistry must dissolve molecules in
the adherend, enabling it to form covalent chemical bonds that lock the
adhesive and adherend together.
The bond can be enhanced by increasing surface free energy through
abrasion of the substrates surface. Although this must be done carefully
to avoid fiber damage, the microscopic crevices it creates increases
surface area (which increases the opportunity for effective adhesion) and
captures the adhesive for a mechanical interlock as well. Additionally, the
structural properties of adhesives can be tailored with numerous additives,
including plasticizers, rubbers, curatives and accelerators to increase
or reduce viscosity, elongation out-time and/or cure speed. Further,
microspheres are often added as spacers to maintain consistent bondline
thickness.
There are three dominant thermosetting resin chemistries: epoxy (the
most common), polyurethane and acrylic (including methyl methacrylate
or MMA). Epoxy is the strongest, and offers high temperature and
chemical resistance, so is most common in aerospace. Tough urethanes
perform well in a wide variety of environments, but in general have lower
strength than either epoxies or acrylics. Acrylics and MMAs provide high
bond strength on plastics, metals and composites, and good performance
for bonding even on oily surfaces, and at lower surface temperatures than
epoxies. Chemistry choice depends on many factors, including expected
thermal, chemical and stress environments.
Structural adhesives are offered in liquid, paste and film form. Liquids
typically offer better load transfer due to the thin bond line, but can be
brittle when cured. Pastes, with viscosities of 8,000 centipoise or more,
tend to form thicker bond lines and offer greater elongation and impact
resistance. Films need heat, and are commonly used in aerospace for
bonding faceskins to honeycomb core; most will be covered in Part 2 of
CWs Structural Adhesives coverage.

CompositesWorld.com

33

MARKET OUTLOOK

Selective conductivity

applications, LORD offers a

range of epoxies.
With a long history of engineering adhesive development, Permabond (Colden,
Hampshire, UK and Pottsdown, PA, US) serves virtually
all markets and offers a large
range of adhesive chemistries
in liquid and paste form. A
recent application of Permabonds MMA product TA4810
is on the Western Michigan
Universitys Sunseeker solarpowered car project, headed by WMU senior Cameron Tyler Knight
(see Learn More). Knight says that the 2016 Sunseeker car is under
construction now, and that the complex composite chassis is made
with Nomex-cored carbon/epoxy prepreg panels that are waterjet
cut to shape. To bond the cars chassis components, Permabonds
MMA adhesive provides a thick, non-sag bondline thats reportedly easy to control, curable within 15 minutes and eliminates the
need for elaborate holding fixtures. Our previous epoxy adhesive
required fixturing, says Knight, but with the Permabond MMA, we
can virtually hold the components in place while the adhesive sets.
A big part of our success in solar racing is using strong adhesives in
the right places.
A research focus at Master Bond
(Hackensack, NJ, US) is development
of thermally conductive epoxies that
function at thicknesses as thin as 10-15
microns (0.0004 to 0.0006 inch), so
that less adhesive is required without
compromising part functionality. A
new series of thermally conductive,
electrically insulating structural
epoxies applied in ultra-thin bond
lines, in parts such as those pictured
here, is designed to maximize heat
transfer. Source | Master Bond

Marine, construction and more

One arena in which structural adhesives have established a solid
niche is competition yachtbuilding. Americas Cup racing catamarans are built with methods comparable to processes used
in the aerospace industry today, says Jimmy Spithill, ORACLE
TEAM USAs (San Francisco, CA, US) skipper and helmsman, yet
without that industrys requirement to use redundant mechanical
fasteners. The boats must be extremely light, yet stiff and strong
34

JUNE 2016

enough to take real punishment on the water,

and PRO-SET adhesives are like the nuts and
bolts that make our builds possible.
Ian Burns, ORACLEs performance team
manager, says the team uses PRO-SET adhesives
to build very high-quality small parts, which are
eventually joined to the boat. Made by Gougeon
Bros. Inc. (Bay City, MI, US), PRO-SET adhesives are pre-thickened, two-part structural paste
epoxies, based on resins and hardeners that do
not require elevated-temperature post-cure to
achieve good adhesion and high mechanical
properties on virtually any substrate, says the
company. Depending on the hardener selected,
working out-time can range from 20 minutes to
150 minutes at room temperature, and PRO-SETs
shear thinning technology reportedly enables
users to dispense paste easily by hand, or via
powered dispensing equipment, through static
mixing nozzles. For best results, says technical
director Jeffrey Wright, faying surfaces should be cleaned with a
solvent to remove contamination, then abraded.
Elsewhere in the marine market, 3Ms recently developed
two-part acrylic adhesive, says Shari Loushin, the companys
structural adhesive lead technical service specialist, is specially
formulated to bond to many low-surface-energy plastics, including
polyolefin, polypropylene, polyethylene and thermoplastic elastomers, all of which are notoriously difficult to bond without
surface preparation. Structural plastic adhesive 8010 Blue can
bond dissimilar substrates in the same application, replacing
mechanical fasteners and plastic welding, contends Loushin.
3M customer Aqua-Cal (St. Petersburg, FL, US) made the switch
to 8010 Blue, replacing sonic welding. The company produces
pool heat pump condensers molded with 40% glass-filled polypropylene, in a barrel shape with domed top and bottom. Plant
manager Jason Taghikhani says Aqua-Cal has gone from a 40-50%
failure rate using welding to less than 2% failure, using adhesive to
bond the condensers together: Our laboratory testing shows that
with the 8010 Blue adhesive, the polypropylene breaks before the
adhesive, which is proof of a great bond. (See Learn More).
Scott Bader Co. Ltd.s (Wollaston, Northamptonshire, UK)
trademarked Crystic Crestomer is a hybrid urethane/acrylic that
also was developed originally for the marine market, first used
to replace titanium rivets on Sandown-class naval minesweeper
vessels in the British navy. All Crestomer variants have earned
approvals from several maritime classification societies. Jon
Stowell, Scott Baders global business leader for adhesives, says,
The ability of MMAs and urethane/acrylates to bond dissimilar
substrates has broadened their acceptance in many industries,
beyond composites, and were conducting research to widen the
number of bondable substrates.
In the construction arena, Scott Baders Crystic Crestabond
M1-05 10:1 MMA adhesive is preferred by New World Doors Ltd.
(Ballymena, Northern Ireland) to bond its molded composite door
components, including the inner sash frame and door skins (see

CompositesWorld

Structural Adhesives, Part

1
NEWS

photo, top of p. 32). The company has reduced

its cycle time by 73% for the inner sash bonding
step, and significantly increased application
speed with automated dispensing equipment.
Asa McGillian, New Worlds managing director,
says, With the fixture time of 12 minutes that
Scott Bader provides, we have made significant
productivity gains. Part quality has improved as
well, particularly during colder weather periods,
because of the consistency of the Crestabond
weve less scrap and fewer breakages compared
to the adhesives we used previously.
Crystic Crestabond is one of two groups of
structural adhesives Scott Bader manufactures
for a wide range of markets. Crestabond MMAs
are modified using proprietary chemistry for a unique set of properties, says the company, and 1:1 or 10:1 mix ratios are available, in
a wide range of working times (3-100 minutes). Crestabond bonds
composites, metals, plastics and dissimilar substrates, with no
primer needed and minimal surface cleaning. However, peel ply
(without silicone lubricants) is recommended to keep composite
surfaces clean and ready to bond.
Gurits (Newport, Isle of Wight, UK) Spabond structural epoxies
are well known for performance in marine, industrial and wind
blade applications. Developed initially for marine hull-to-deck
bonding, the Spabond range includes 2:1 and 1:1 mix ratio products
that cure overnight, or 5-minute fast-curing formulations, says Ian
Lancey, Gurits formulated product manager: All Gurit Spabond
adhesives are designed primarily for bonding of epoxy-based
composites, in hand layup, RTM and infusion processes. They will
bond well to most composites as well as metals.
Gurits Spabond SP340LV toughened epoxy adhesive formulation was chosen for its high strength, ease of application and resistance to saltwater for assembly of the blades used on the Andritz
Hydro Hammerfest (Scotland) tidal turbine rotor, the largest single
tidal turbine installed to date (see Learn More).

A wealth of additional applications

Venkat Nandivada, manager of technical support at epoxy adhesives specialist Master Bond Inc. (Hackensack, NJ, US), says his
companys niche is customized formulations for demanding
applications. We pride ourselves on tweaking formulations
based on conditions, processing demands and packaging requirements involved, he says. We can modify viscosity, working time/
cure time, hardness/modulus, and temperature resistance, to
name a few.
A research focus at Master Bond, says Nandivada, is developing
thermally conductive epoxies (see photo, p. 34) that function at
thicknesses as thin as 10-15 microns (0.0004 to 0.0006 inch): The
goal is to use less adhesive, which reduces the carbon footprint
of the part, without compromising functionality. We have a new
series of thermally conductive, electrically insulating structural
epoxies applied in ultra-thin bond lines that help maximize heat
transfer. A recent case involved carbon fiber parts that had to be
bonded in two configurations: the first required a low-viscosity

Solar-powered car
liquid, while the second
chassis assembly
needed a thixotropic paste,
Permabonds (Colden, Hampshire, UK
applied via syringe. Both had to
and Pottsdown, PA, US) MMA product
withstand cryogenic temperaTA4810 is used by Western Michigan
tures, and be low-outgassing.
Universitys Sunseeker solar-powered
Our two-part EP29LPSP heatcar project techs to assemble the
curing, low-viscosity resin
complex composite chassis of
Nomex-cored carbon/epoxy prepreg
handled the first configurapanels. The adhesives thick, non-sag
tion, while one-part SUPREbondline was easy to control, and
ME10AOHT-LO worked in
cured within 15 minutes, eliminating
the second, he notes, adding,
the need for elaborate fixtures.
Both products meet NASA
Source | Western Michigan Univ. / Permabond
out-gassing specifications and
are cryogenically serviceable.
Royal Adhesives and Sealants (South Bend, IN, US) specializes
in MMA chemistry, but also manufactures and sells epoxy and
polyurethanes through some well-known brands, says Dr. Richard
Foukes, Ph.D., Royals VP of technology: Tailoring and tuning
high-performance, specialized adhesives is what we do best. We
custom-formulate for an application, rather than requesting a
customer adjust preparation or change a substrate. Adhesives for
severe working environments are a specialty, he adds, those with
excessive vibration, shock and impact.
Royal is involved in a number of co-research projects with key
customers. One involves MMA that can withstand impact at -51C,
yet maintain bond integrity and flexibility. Another is a project
to move its Korapur 4W polyurethane adhesive into wind blade
assembly, with an automated dispensing system to significantly
reduce cycle time, which Foukes says is a huge industry issue.
ACRALOCK MMA adhesives, from Engineered Bonding Solutions (Titusville, FL, US), were used to build a marine dock along
the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, FL. Jacksonville Fire & Rescue
Department (JFRD) Station 40, designed by George Register of
Register Marine (Jacksonville, FL, US), is an all-composite structure that can resist Category 3 hurricane winds (see Learn More).
Explains Register, We developed a system where all of the
composite pultrusions are held together using both ACRALOCK
structural adhesive and stainless steel through-bolts.
The ACRALOCK MMA successfully bonded glass-reinforced
polyurethane and glass/polyester structural elements used on

CompositesWorld.com

35

MARKET OUTLOOK

the project, which was completed on schedule in 2013 and within

a tight budget. ACRALOCK designs its two-part MMAs for tough
applications in bus, truck, rail, marine, architectural and other
industrial projects. In the future, Register would like to eliminate
the fasteners on similar projects, but the structural redundancy
they provided was, he says, necessary to appease the structural
engineer on the dock project.

Adhering to a growth trajectory

So, whats the future for structural adhesives? Certainly, the
trend toward customer- and application-specific products will
continue. These adhesive products enable engineers to optimize
part design for better production and more intelligent assembly,
concludes Ashlands Grover, We foresee a continued increase in
adhesive use as an enabler for composites in many market spaces.
But Smart Blades Bullen cautions, The best adhesive in the
world wont work well if its not applied correctly by the people
involved in the process. To crack this nut, we need more automated application processes and better quality control.
The composites industry is in need of effective bonding solutions as customers look to specify more and more lightweight
composite materials, 3Ms White sums up, noting that adhesive
suppliers need one particularly important ingredient, that of
feedback: We look to those customers to inspire our innovation.
Stay tuned for CWs follow-up coverage, Structural Adhesives,
Part II: Aerospace, in an upcoming issue of CW.

36

JUNE 2016

Read this article online | short.compositesworld.com/SA-PART1

Read our previous review of Bonding technology: Thermosetting
structural adhesives online | short.compositesworld.com/Bonding07
Read about the BMW i3 online in BMW Leipzig: The epicenter of i3
production | short.compositesworld.com/BMWLeipzig
See a YouTube video about Aqua-Cal and its transition to
3M adhesive in pursuit of a better product |
www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1hcVgvQtoo
Heres a link to the Sunseeker solar challenge car being
built by Western Michigan University | www.wmich.edu/sunseeker
Heres a link to the Andritz Hydro Hammerfest tidal turbine
story on CompositesWorlds Web site |
www.compositesworld.com/articles/tidal-turbine-blade-toughenedfor-turbulent-salt-sea
Read more online about the St. Johns River dock facility in
Composites upgrade marine infrastructure |
short.compositesworld.com/JohnsDock

CompositesWorld

Sara Black is CWs technical editor and has served

on the CW staff for 19 years.
sara@compositesworld.com

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37

APPLICATIONS

TAKING THE
HIT WITHOUT
ADDING WEIGHT

Although high stiffness and strength at very low weight have made carbon fiber (CF)

Damping ratio

a mainstay in high-performance sporting goods, athletes now also desire vibration

damping, which improves athlete control and reduces fatigue. This trend toward a
better feel a quality CF cannot provide on its own created a niche for Innegra,
the tradename for high-modulus polypropylene (HMPP) fiber produced by Innegra
Technologies (Greenville, SC, US). An early adopter was HEAD Sport (Kennelbach,
Austria). Tennis players valued the energy absorption HMPP added to HEADs carbon
fiber racquets: HEAD has measured a 17% reduction in vibration in its hybrid HMPP/CF
HMPP fiber hybrids
racquets, which are now a standard product line, reports Innegra Technologies business
graduate from tennis
development director Jen Hanna. Surfers appreciated HMPPs ability to keep their
to tornados!
fiberglass boards from breaking. Similarly, HMPP in Adventure Technologys (Greenville,
SC, US) whitewater kayak paddle shafts significantly reduced catastrophic failure and
increased abrasion resistance by 200% in the paddles glass fiber blade.
What were seeing, Hanna emphasizes, is a real push for increased toughness,
durability and vibration damping, but without sacrificing light weight.
Innegra also iced a spot in the National Hockey League (NHL). A
Vibration Damping of lnnegra S
hybrid HMPP/CF fabric and a special resin developed for Bauer (Exeter,
0.006
NH, US and Mississauga, ON, Canada) was used in Bauer goalie sticks for
100% InnegraS
years. NHL players suggested applying the hybrid fabric in goalie masks,
0.005
60/40 Carbon/Innegra
which must withstand multiple hits per game from 100-mph pucks.
100% carbon
HMPP reportedly dissipates energy very quickly, with a sonic velocity
0.004
the rate (m/sec) at which energy is dispersed in ballistics testing near
that of more expensive aramid fiber. The players say they dont get the
0.003
ringing in their ears that they do with the normal masks, says Hanna.
You could build up more toughness and durability with more CF layers,
concedes Hanna, or with plastics like nylon, but this also means adding
0.002
weight. She says HMPP offers a higher elongation-to-break than CF
while offering a higher modulus than either standard PP, polyethylene
0.001
(PE), or polyamide (nylon). And although HMPP is hydrophobic, like
ultrahigh-molecular-weight PE (UHMWPE) fiber, it has enough surface
0
roughness to enable good bonding, which the UHMWPEs slick surface
0 200 400 600 800
makes difficult.
Source | Innegra Technologies
Resonant Frequency (Hz)
Innegra really excels in applications that have to
take a lot of abuse, says Hanna. That was not lost
on Tornado Pod (Dallas, TX, US) founder Wes Kouba.
Seeing what Innegra hybrids had achieved in the
sporting goods world, he sought to use the fiber in
his cost-effective, compact alternative to traditional
storm shelters. His TornadoPod uses a submerged
1.5m-diameter PE unibody, anchored to the ground
with poured concrete, to accommodate up to six adults,
and a slidable hybrid glass/HMPP fiber composite
dome that extends almost 1m above ground to permit
easy entry and exit. The dome has been tested to
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA,
Washington, DC, US) standards, for which certification
testing includes four 100-mph impacts from wooden
two-by-fours fired from a cannon at close range. The
two-by-fours just bounced off the dome, recalls
Innegra Technology chief composites engineer Russ
Source | BAUER Hockey
Emanis.
View a video of the TornadoPod testing online |
Innegra fiber offers low mass, toughness, durability and vibration damping (see chart, above) in glass
and carbon fiber composites, expanding from Bauer hockey sticks to goalie masks.

38

JUNE 2016

CompositesWorld

short.compositesworld.com/tornadopod

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ADHESIVE FILM & TAPE PRODUCTS

High-temperature,
silicone-free
adhesive tapes
DeWAL Industries (Narragansett,
RI, US) has introduced a line of
high-temperature, silicone-free
adhesive tapes for the aerospace
composites market. Said to be
ideal for low out-gassing applications, the line includes a woven glass tape, a foil/glass laminate tape,
a red polyester tape and a high-density PTFE tape. DW 915-1 and
DW915-2 polyester tapes for composite layup processes provide a
high-bond, clean-release acrylic adhesive, pass the ASTM E595 Low
Outgassing Test, and use a 1-mil and 2-mil film, respectively. The
DW716-2HD PTFE tape is for use as a composite tool coat. The printable glass tape, DW379, is used in aerospace blanket seaming and
also as a wire harness and transformer wrap. The fourth tape in this
new series, DW417, is a flexible dead-soft foil, supplied on a release
liner. Its aluminum laminate reportedly makes it an ideal heat-shield
tape. www.dewal.com

RocTools (Le Bourget du Lac, France; Charlotte, NC, US) new HD Plastics
technology reportedly applies the companys fast, high heating and fast
cooling to optimize tool surface
replication of thermoplastic
resin systems in injection
molding applications. With the
technology, RocTool says the
surface replication level goes
up to 97.2%, providing product
designers premium looks, highgloss possibilities and excellent
texture matching. In the case
of the latter, the microphotos
at right show parts pulled
from the same mold. The
most faithful texture (bottom)
was made with HD Plastics
technology. RocTool says the improved material flow possible with its
high-heat molding technology unlocks design rules and maximizes
the potential for molders to create thin-wall applications. RocTool has
begun building a materials database that will record the HD Plastics

Walton Process Technologies, Inc.

Mansfield TX 682-518-9002

Autoclaves
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Best Customer Service in The Industry

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40

JUNE 2016

CompositesWorld

New Products

technologys level of replication in terms of tool surface, weld line

strength and flow length. Target resins include commodity, engineering
and high-performance polymers, including PEEK, PEI and those with
high filler content. www.roctool.com

PRECISION TESTING & MEASUREMENT EQUIPMENT

Lab-scale testing system

Instron (Norwood, MA, US) has launched three new-generation HV
Series systems, designed to reduce the workload and increase the
efficiency of HDT and Vicat testing in the lab. The manually operated
HV3S, with two (optionally,
three) testing stations, is
designed for laboratories
that perform HDT or Vicat
tests at low volume. Where
HDT or Vicat testing is done
daily, the HV6M features
manual weights application on up to six stations
with a motorized lifting
mechanism, designed to significantly reduce operator effort. Where time
is absolutely crucial, the HV6X system offers motorized lifting station
and weights application on all of its up to six testing stations. HV6M and

HV6X feature larger bath size and more automation. All of them use
advanced electronics that automatically zero the position of the LVDT
measuring sensors before starting a test, reducing test time and human
errors. All three systems also use silicone oil as a heat-transfer medium
to cover a temperature range of 20-300C with a resolution of 0.1C. A
continuous oil-monitoring routine reduces the risk of running invalid
tests by alerting the operator when the bath level is low or oil degradation could adversely affect test results.
www.instron.com

THERMOET RESIN & ADHESIVE SYSTEMS

Sprayable adhesive system

Quin Global (Perth, Australia) has launched the TensorGrip TC range
of solvent-based polymer adhesive inpressurized canister spray
delivery systems, developed specifically for use with composite
materials in marine applications. They include web adhesives, suitable
for building plugs from MDF, polystyrene foam and similar materials,
and mist spray products for use as reinforcement and preform binders
in infusion and resin transfer molding (RTM) processes. The new
adhesives also are available with the companys CO-REZ technology, a
highly engineered resin-and-gas matrix formulation that requires less
gas and, therefore, provides up to 15% more adhesive coverage at 2-3
kg less weight per canister. www.quinglobal.com

Make it Precision Board Plus

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and Core Material

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Exceeds aviation flammability standards
No out-gassing
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(800) 845-0745 www.precisionboard.com

New Material! Low-to-no dust! See the 22-second machining video on our website
CompositesWorld.com

41

MARKETPLACE

MANUFACTURING SUPPLIERS

RECRUITMENT/
HELP WANTED

Available in various temperature ranges

Used world wide by composite manufacturers

www.forcomposites.com

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Phone (225) 273-4001 Fax (225) 275-5807

P.O. Box 40086, Baton Rouge, LA 70835
Email: contact@forcomposites.com

Manufactured by:

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800-762-1144 626-961-0211 Fax 626-968-5140

Website: http//:www.generalsealants.com
E-mail: sticktoquality@generalsealants.com

TESTING

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www.matec.com
Email: sales@matec.com

KNOWLEDGE CENTER

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CompositesWorld.com

42

JUNE 2016

CompositesWorld

SHOWCASE / ADVERTISING INDEX

SHOWCASE

For Bonding and Sealing

EP46HT-1AO Epoxy

Thermal conductivity: 9-10 BTUin/fthrF

Electrically insulative
Serviceability: -100F to +550F
Tg > 215C

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541-359-2980
WWW.REALCARBON.COM

CUSTOM CARBON FABRICATION

PROTOTYPE DESIGN AND DEVELOPEMENT

+1.201.343.8983 www.masterbond.com

ADVERTISING INDEX
A&P Technology Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover
www.braider.com

Magnum Venus Products Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

www.mvpind.com

Altair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover

www.altairhyperworks.com

McClean Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
www.mccleananderson.com

ACMA/CAMX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
www.thecamx.org

Miller-Stephenson Chemical Co. Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

www.miller-stephenson.com

BASF Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
www.aerospace.basf.com

North Coast Composites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

www.northcoast.us

C.R. Onsrud Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

www.cronsrud.com

Pacific Coast Composites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

www.pccomposites.com

Coastal Enterprises Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

www.precisionboard.com

Pro-Set Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
www.prosetepoxy.com

Dieffenbacher GmbH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
www.dieffenbacher.com

Revchem Composites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
www.revchem.com

Geiss, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
www.geissllc.com

Superior Tool Service Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

www.superiortoolservice.com

Hawkeye Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
www.duratec1.com

Torr Technologies, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

www.torrtech.com

Hufschmied USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
www.hufschmied.net

Walton Process Technologies Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

www.autoclaves.com

Magnolia Advanced Materials Inc. . . . . . . Inside Back Cover

www.magnolia-adv-mat.com

Wyoming Test Fixtures Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

www.wyomingtestfixtures.com

CompositesWorld.com

43

FOCUS ON DESIGN

Carbon fiber meets simulation

in ultralight bike frame
Rolo Bikes wanted to design a bicycle frame with carbon fiber
in mind, and it wanted to test it in the virtual world.
By Jeff Sloan / Editor-in-Chief

The modern bicycle was conceived and developed around

1820 by a German named Baron Karl von Drais, who built the
draisine, a 22-kg, pedal-less, wood-framed, iron-wheeled vehicle
that riders propelled simply by walking while astride the bike
frame. It featured a hand-activated brake on the back wheel. Drais
reported that he could ride his draisine over a distance of 13 km in
less than one hour.
Since then, inventors have added a chain-and-sprocket drive,
crankshaft and pedals, put brakes on the front wheel, modified
wheel sizes, developed rubber tires, improved seat design and

Rolo Bikes (Luxembourg; Stockholm, Sweden) was founded on the

premise that carbon fiber bike frame design should avoid the limits
implied by the term black aluminum. Although Rolo technicians
best efforts led to one of the
bike industrys few single-piece
monocoque bicycle frames, Rolos
founder Adam Wais turned to Altair
Engineering (Troy, MI, US) to optimize
the 830g baseline frame, yet meet a more
ambitious target of <700g. Source | Rolo Bikes

44

JUNE 2016

employed lightweight materials, the latter culminating, today,

in the dominance, on the markets high end, of aluminum and
carbon fiber composites. Along the way, the bicycle has become
the most efficient and fastest form of human-powered transport.
As bicycle materials and technology improved, bicycle design
matured. Today, it revolves primarily around two factors:
Weight reduction and rider comfort/ergonomics. The former
has reached its zenith in all-carbon fiber composite bike frames,
for which riders pay a high premium similar to that paid
for carbon fiber use in high-end automobiles. The latter have
focused on optimizing the transfer of human muscle power to
the crankshaft.
Despite these advancements, however, carbon fiber bike frame
design and manufacture has largely mirrored that employed for
steel and aluminum: a series of mass-produced tubes that are

CompositesWorld

Superlight Road Bike Frame

HEAD TUBE
ROLO BIKES ROAD BIKE

Stack/reach ratio
ideal: 1.5:1

Reach

Seat
angle

Head
tube

Bike frame weight

reduced from
830g to <700g

Head tube bearing

seat substantially
optimized to
reduce carbon
fiber use

Stack

Head tube
angle

Seat tube
Bb drop
Rear center

Rake

Front Center

Bottom bracket
stiffness minimum 65
N/mm units

Trail

Trail optimized
at 52 mm

Rolo Bikes/Altair Ultralight Bike Frame

D esign optimization improves ply placement,

reduces weight by 14%.

V irtual testing proves stiffness capabilities of

optimized design.

N ew plybook adds efficiency and speed to

manufacturing process.

Illustration / Karl Reque

subsequently bonded together (aka, black aluminum). The bike

manufacturer is rare who has developed a single-piece, monococque carbon fiber frame. And until recently it was virtually
impossible to find a bike manufacturer who has designed, developed and manufactured such a frame optimized specifically to use
carbon fiber composites.
That is, until Rolo Bikes (Luxembourg; Stockholm, Sweden) met
Altair Engineering (Troy, MI, US).

Designing the perfect bicycle

Rolo Bikes was founded by Adam Wais, who is not a lifelong
cyclist. But, his friend Anders Annerstedt is. Wais and Annerstedt,
says Wais, found themselves talking more and more about bikes
and biking, and about current bicycle design and materials. Wais
eventually broke down and decided to get a road bike.
This raised a difficult question for Wais: What really matters in
a bike? What is the hierarchy of importance? How do we evaluate

CompositesWorld.com

45

FOCUS ON DESIGN

Altair Engineerings Kate Fisher provided optimization services and says two frame
components the head tube and the bottom bracket (shown here) received
the most attention. Plies were added and rearranged to enhance stiffness, but the
weight added in the head tube and bottom bracket was more than offset by the
minimization of reinforcements in other areas. Source | Rolo Bikes

bike quality? The short answer was simple: Fit, handling and
engineering. But he could not find a bike with the fit, handling and
engineering he desired. Thus, Rolo Bikes was launched in 2011.
Rolos mission is simply stated, but complex in execution:
Design a bike frame that optimizes rider comfort and pedaling
efficiency, applying carbon fiber in a way that maximizes material
application while minimizing weight. This would require a holistic,
back-to-basics design assessment, says Wais. We started, he says,
by looking at the relationship between the three human contact
points on a bike: The
saddle, handle bars
and pedals.
Read this article online |
One data point
short.compositesworld.com/ClassChass
emerged as critically important in
overall frame design:
the stack/reach ratio. The stack is the vertical distance from the
bottom bracket (crankshaft) to the top of the head tube. The reach
is the horizontal distance from bottom bracket to the top of the
head tube (see drawing, p. 45). If this ratio is low, the rider is more
stretched out over the bike (less comfortable), but also in a better
aerodynamic profile. If stack/reach ratio is high, the rider sits more
upright (more comfortable), but in a less aerodynamic profile.
A variable in this ratio is body type leg, torso, arm length
but Rolos research, says Wais, revealed that regardless of body
46

JUNE 2016

type, most people have bodies that are, statistically, proportional.

So, the question became, What is the ideal stack/reach ratio?
Rolos answer is 1.5:1. This number offers the best balance of
comfort and aerodynamics.
Next, Rolo evaluated an apparently trivial design feature that
actually has significant impact on bike performance. Called the trail
(see drawing), its the imaginary distance on the ground created
by the angle between the head tube and an imaginary vertical line
through the front hub. A long trail is more self-stabilizing, but makes
wheel turning more difficult. A shorter trail tends to create wheel
flutter. So, what is the ideal trail? Rolo says 52 mm, which is relatively
short. Says Wais, We opted for a low-trail bike, which feels twitchy
at first, but as speed increases, handling gets much easier.
With these data in mind, says Wais, Rolo developed its first
carbon fiber monococque bike frame, designed in Dassault
Systmes (Waltham, MA, US) SolidWorks. The result, based
on M55J UD and M46J twill epoxy/carbon fiber prepreg (Toray
Carbon Fibers Europe, Paris, France), hand-laid in a metallic mold
with bladder core and cured in an autoclave, was estimated to
weigh 830g.

Making good even better

Rolo and Wais, however, werent done designing. The lightest bikes
in the world have frames of less than 700g, and Rolo had to be able
to compete at that level.

CompositesWorld

Superlight Road Bike Frame

Altairs design optimization work not only hit the <700g

weight target, but in the process, helped streamline
manufacturing because the resulting plybook calls for fewer,
larger plies, with cleaner, clearer edges that make layup
simpler and faster. This is evident in the frames transition
points, which belie the structures single-piece design.

Wais says conventional bicycle development involves making several prototypes and
then testing each to determine which design
performs best. Most critical in this process is that
the frame meet certain strength and stiffness
requirements established by the Zedler Institute
(Ludwigsburg, Germany). Designing a frame at
a competitive weight that also could pass the
Zedler tests would be a real challenge.
Wais wanted to limit as much as possible,
if not eliminate, this expensive trial-and-error
development process: I refused to believe that
there werent tools out there that allowed us to
do all of the design work virtually.
With that in mind, he started asking around
the composites industry and, eventually, settled
on Altair Engineering (Troy, MI, US). We went
to Altair and said, We really need your help and
we want to be smart about this, Wais recalls.
Rolo also did not want to invest the money,
time and intellectual capital required to acquire
and learn to use design simulation software.
So, it opted to use Altairs design services.
Thats when Altairs team manager, Kate Fisher,
entered the picture.
Working remotely and in person with Rolo
engineers, Fisher says she first created a virtual test structure
that emulates the type used in Zedler tests. Into it, she placed
a finite element model of the Rolo frame. Next, she looked at
strength and stiffness targets set by Wais:

Source | Rolo Bikes

areas was compensated for by taking out material

in other, less-critical areas.
Once these steps were done, we went back
to our virtual test rig to see how the design
performed, Fisher says. In short, it passed. Not
only that, but the new frame checked in at <700g,
14% lighter than its baseline predecessor. More
importantly, reports Fisher, we now have a
design that is much easier to manufacture. Plies
are relatively large and edges are very clear and
easy to see and place.

Proof in the prototypes

Bottom bracket stiffness: >65 N/mm

Head tube stiffness: >96 Nm/deg

The design optimization process, performed using Altairs

OptiStruct product, followed three steps. First, starting with a
0/45/90 ply schedule, Fisher conducted whats called free
element sizing, which basically determines where on the frame
plies should be placed to meet stiffness targets. The result, she
says, is an organic-looking patchy structure that highlights the
frames fundamental design elements.
Second, Fisher conducted sizing, which is an assessment
of how much material to put where to create the thicknesses
required. This step, she says, depends on the type of prepreg
used. The first two stages are the most crucial: Where to put
each material and how much, she says.
The third and final step is sequencing a shuffling of the
ply order to fine-tune stiffness and to avoid consecutive plies
oriented in the same direction.
Most of the optimization, say Fisher and Wais, was in the head
tube and bottom bracket, which suffered in the original design
from less-than-adequate reinforcement application. Says Fisher:
The additional [optimized] mass that was added in the thickest

With a new, optimized design and new plybook

in hand, Rolo then went to work proving that
the virtual results could be replicated in the
real world. We had a reasonable idea from the
simulation that the prototypes would be pretty
close, says Wais. Indeed, although the new design
required a few tweaks, on the whole, they matched up well. The
target we set for the head tube stiffness was over 96 Nm/deg, and the
bottom bracket stiffness target was over 65 N/mm, says Wais. We
are on target for the head tube and way over on the bottom bracket.
Further, with the design simulation process proven, Rolo has
simplified its manufacturing path for future bikes. The entire
process, first time around, says Fisher, took about five weeks. The
most difficult part is building your virtual test rig and making sure
that the baseline design is robust, Fisher says. Once these things
are in place, it becomes a much easier process.
Now, based on what we know, says Wais. I think we would be
pretty confident going straight from simulation right to production
tooling with only minor modifications.
With the optimized design and more efficient manufacturing
process that results, Wais hopes to drive down overall cost. As a
result, a fully assembled Rolo bike today runs 14,000-15,000
(US$15,900-US$17,000), but Wais thinks he can bring the bikes
price point down to 11,000 (US$12,500).
There is so much we can simulate, Wais says, thinking about
the future. We are only at the very beginning.

CompositesWorld.com

Jeff Sloan is editor-in-chief of CompositesWorld and has been

engaged in plastics- and composites-industry journalism for
22 years. jeff@compositesworld.com

47

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We helped ROLO Bikes design the lightest and stiffest composite road
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