Affordable processing of composite structures for the civilian infrastructure

The success of transferring high performance composite materials technology from defense-related to civilian applications depends primarily on making material and manufacturing costs affordable. Carbon fibers are highly desirable for their mechanical properties and corrosion resistance, but their per-pound cost is currently too high. Structural laminates in aerospace use are amazingly strong, stiff, and fatigue resistant, but their manufacturing cost, even with state-of-the art automation of layup and autoclave processing, is too high for civilian structural applications, even when total life-cycle cost is considered. This presentation will discuss important factors in reducing carbon fiber production costs, as well as a new injected pultrusion process for continuously producing structural shapes at much reduced costs.