CompositesWorld
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89 CompositesWorld.com NEWS N E W S N S N E W S E N W S W Materials Sciences Corp. allowables, a key part of the method currently required to certify composite structures for use in aircraft and military platforms. But Cassin also sees this capability as strategic, because the industry is seeking ways to reduce the time and cost of design and certifcation. "Being able to characterize the composite material allows you to move away from conserva- tive designs," he says, "and also reduce the amount of testing." Terefore, MSC has developed a unique repository of models and model-building knowledge that enables it to understand and simulate a composite from its chemistry to its fber and resin constituents through to laminates and end-use structure behavior. Cassin maintains, "Tis is a powerful tool we are using to develop new material forms and solutions for the design and manufacture of advanced composite structures." Since the '70s, MSC has moved far beyond composite materials research as a design services provider to perform design, analysis and prototyping projects for government and industry, and manu- facture of commercial products as well. "Our mission is to develop advanced materials," says Cassin. "Product design and manufac- turing are inherently part of that, especially for composites." He notes that now, when MSC works with a customer to develop new mate- rials and/or structures, "we are often doing the qualifcation work." An engineer himself, Cassin has been with MSC since 1987. About 15 years ago, MSC moved from R&D; into applied engi- neering and began exploring how to transition the company's proprietary technologies into commercial applications. Since then, MSC has tripled in size, opening two additional US locations with dedicated staf and facilities to add signifcant in-house testing and manufacturing capabilities. Te frst, in Gulfport, MS, supports local customers and partners, including Seemann Composites, United States Marine Inc. (USMI) and large shipbuilding contrac- tors. Its latest is in Greenville, SC. "In South Carolina," Cassin points out, "our operations are all manufacturing." Tese include 3D weaving, fber commingling, automated resin application, kit cutting, parts fabrication and advanced nondestructive inspection (NDI). CW recently toured the Greenville facility, with Cassin as guide, and caught a glimpse of MSC's new materials for multifunctional composites and how they will be manufactured for commercial applications. Although the facility, at 1200m 2 , is not large, it is flled with equip- ment and activity. Each stop along the way revealed another facet of MSC's mission. Te tour began with COUNTERVAIL, an MSC technology that, because of its proprietary nature, is formed in a portion of the facility curtained from view. It was, however, possible to view rolls of the material as it was undergoing prepregging and was subsequently readied for shipment. Cassin did, however, reveal a good deal of detail about COUNTERVAIL's background. A sound challenge Te technology dates back to an MSC Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to develop an improved, all-composite sonar acoustic window for naval vessels, aimed at increasing struc- tural and sonar performance, while reducing weight and cost vs. existing versions. Cassin credits SBIRs with a great deal of MSC's growth: "Tere is a high risk to insert new technology into military vessels and aircraft. MSC uses SBIRs to develop the requisite tech- nology and reduce risk," he says. "Once you have verifed and vali- dated it, you can now insert the technology into trial operations." A sonar dome, he explains, is an underwater structure typically mounted to the bow of a vessel. It houses the sonar transducers, protects them from exterior loads and damage, and is fooded with seawater to acoustically couple them to the surrounding ocean. Sonar domes demand high structural properties to resist pounding from rough seas and potential impacts. Te sonar window is the part of the dome through which sound passes on its way to and from the transducers, and it must disrupt this transmission as little as possible. "Te challenge is to match the impedance, or speed, of sound through the material to that of the seawater," explains Cassin. Notably, a sonar window is not a simple structure. Some can measure more than 10m 2 in area and require compound curva- ture. MSC's solution is a low-acoustical-insertion-loss composite, using proprietary fber commingling technology. Te latter blends acoustical and structural fbers into a tailored fabric and multilayer composite that enables the high-strength, protective sonar window to mimic the density and acoustical impedance of seawater, mini- mizing sound-wave scattering and refection. Te result is a clearer, more accurate signal. MSC also had to reduce risk in the joint between the composite dome and the steel vessel. "Joining two dissimilar materials It's what's inside that counts MSC's new Greenville, SC, operation's exterior reveals little and its 1,200m 2 workspace might seem unassuming, but the facility is the commercializa- tion hub for new developments such as MSC's proprietary COUNTERVAIL vibration-canceling composites, which reduced fatigue for bicyclist Lars Boom (above) when incorpo- rated in his Bianchi bike frame during the cobblestone-intensive ffth stage of the 2014 Tour de France. Source | Materials Sciences Corp. Source (bike photo) | Bianchi