| To build high-tech structures, one needs equipment that is equally advanced and accurate. As a sign of its seriousness in becoming a world-class center in the research and development of this high-tech composite cloth, the Australian Carbon Fibre Research Facility (ACFRF) recently acquired a testing machine that will allow it to measure specific properties of what has been called the building material of the 21st century, carbon fiber.
Called a Favimat, this robot is the only one in Australia as of this writing, and only one of 15 worldwide. With a Favimat, researchers at the ACFRF can simultaneously measure the tensile strength and linear density of a single strand of carbon fiber. Although most of the global population equate this composite material with bicycles, car parts, boat hulls or golf clubs, the carbon cloth from which all these parts come from are actually woven from these single strands of carbon fiber. And let’s not forget the initial applications of these composites, which originated with aerospace and military technologies in the 1960s, and which have not been replaced til now. If at all, these high-tech industries are actually pushing the boundaries of composite technologies, such as the fabrication of carbon fiber fuselages for the upcoming Boeing and Airbus commercial planes. And in other applications, even the blades for wind turbines are fabricated from this high-tech material.
Known as the gold standard for testing fibers, the Favimat enables Australian researchers to load up to five hundred samples of carbon strands for every batch and test them. This ensures very accurate and consistent measurements. Because single fiber tests are labor-intensive, time consuming and require a highly skilled engineer to perform, the arrival of the Favimat at the ACFRF ensures higher quality tests and faster cycle times. With the Australian government betting on composites as one of the industries for the future, it’s imperative that the Australian Carbon Fibre Research Facility make the most of this and other testing equipment, such as its Surface Energy Analyzer, which facilitates the characterization of carbon fibers.
But more than being a research facility, the ACFRF, which is located at the Deakin University campus in Australia, has already inked agreements with a manufacturer to set up a production line at its site. This will possibly be used for the production of electric vehicles, which are making huge inroads into the automotive market these days.
With an independent production line onsite, scientists do not have to wait for a manufacturing run to finish before they can conduct whatever tests and experiments they need to do. Already, this facility has attracted worldwide attention and companies such as Lockheed, Boeing and others have made visits to the ACFRF to see what advances are in the offing at this high-tech facility.
For more details :
Carbon Fiber Perth
Carbon Fiber Components
Fiberglass Moulding |
Article Details
