National critical technologies report.

  • Office of Science and Technology Policy
Date:
1995
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: National critical technologies report. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    138/226 (page 112)
    automated, the manufacturing cost of composites could become competitive with metals. Composites are key to making lighter cars, an important part of meeting the PNGV goals of improved fuel efficiency without sacrificing safety which would make the new generation of U.S. automobiles more competitive on world markets. Composites contribute to the efficiency and competitiveness of the aerospace industry for the same reasons. New composites are already being introduced for surface (non-structural) parts of buildings, and will probably be used for structural elements in the future, contributing to the health of the U.S. construction industry in the U.S. and to competitiveness of U.S. construction companies on world markets. The ability of composites to reduce weight while maintaining strength is a contributor to enhancing national security and warfighting capabilities as well. It allows improvements in global power projection capabilities through the creation of lower-weight equipment. Europe and Japan are slightly behind the United States in composite technology. European firms lead in developing and using ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), although they rely on the high-quality, low-cost ceramic fibers available from the Japanese. France is the world leader in CMC technology with applications in nozzle flaps for the M-88 gas turbine engine for the Rafale. Japan has focused primarily on monolithic ceramics and is significantly behind European and U.S. efforts in CMCs. Despite the current European lead in CMC research, the United States has excellent long term prospects. Europe's lead is based largely on the R&D efforts of the French firms Societe Europeane Propulsion (SEP) and Aerospatiale on silicon carbide/silicon carbide composites aimed primarily at military and aerospace applications, although they continue to rely on reinforcing fibers from Japan. However, industry estimates predict that the major sectors for CMC applications will be in industrial applications such as radiant burners and heat exchangers. The United States—with CMC programs aimed at developing industrial applications—would gain the most from such a scenario, while France would likely need a substantial redirection of research strategy. The United States pioneered research in polymer matrix composites (PMCs) in the 1960s and continues to lead the world in this technology. PMCs are attractive for a number of applications—including civil and military aircraft, industrial - . equipment, and automotive components—due to their excellent strength-to- weight ratios and design flexibility. While manufacturing costs continue to limit the wide-scale introduction of PMCs into advanced applications, industry experts believe a growing acceptance in the automotive and commercial aerospace industries will offset shrinking military markets. The Japanese are ahead in some manufacturing processes, such as co-curing and tooling; and European companies have made important advances in compression moldings and tape-laying processes. Europe is using advanced polymeric composites to a limited degree in primary structural components for new aircraft such as France's