Fully encapsulated hard body armor.(PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY)

For interior applications, there's been the "traditional" materials -- solid wood and more recently wood-based composites, such as particleboard and MDF. Now it's time for the "untraditional." Making headway into the flooring, moulding, cabinet and furniture arenas are wood-plastic composites. These composites consist of a mixture of wood flour and ......

With technical developments, possible toughening of CAFE standards and market dynamics as the drivers, the applications for reinforced plastic are on quite a tare. In the so-so year of 2002, reinforced plastics (RP) usage grew by 10 percent in automotive applications, gaining some 42 million pounds. When I stepped out ......

Abstract The predominant filler used in the commercial extrusion of natural fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites in North America is wood flour. Fibers such as wheat straw (Triticum aestivum L.) represent a promising filler alternative. In this investigation, untreated and fungal-treated wheat straw was employed as filler for extruded high-density polyethylene ......

The U.S. Navy gradually plans to incorporate composite materials into the construction of new ships. Although experts agree that composites offer lighter-weight materials chat are easier to maintain, the Navy has been wary to pay the higher cost, arguing that traditional materials such as steel can do the job, are ......

HEADNOTE Materials HEADNOTE Natural-fiber feedstock is an attractive alternative to glass fiber for reinforcing thermoplastic composites. IMAGE ILLUSTRATION 2 Using natural fibers to reinforce thermoplastics produces composites that are low cost, lightweight, and easy to recycle. Fibers and fillers are commonly used to boost the strength of virgin plastic. Most ......

Nanocomposites are gradually gaining acceptance in the mainstream of global plastics processing. These polymer compounds, containing relatively low loadings (under 6% by weight) of nanometer-sized mineral particles, are beginning to show up in polypropylene and TPO-based automotive exterior claddings (see sidebar), barrier beer bottles, nylon packaging films, polyethylene pipe and ......

Advanced Composites Faster and more economical processing through automation and computerization are key themes. So are proliferation of high-tech materials, composite toughening methods, and bonding techniques. Threatened cutbacks in military spending have not yet been reflected in any slackening of the energetic pace of R&D on advanced composite materials and ......