Tag: Carbon fiber
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How Carbon Fiber Composites Are Made—and What Their Grades Mean
A carbon fiber tow has its own strength and modulus, but it is not yet a structural material ready to be installed on a rocket or satellite. Once the fibers and resin become a laminate, and that laminate is made into a component with holes and joints, its performance changes with ply orientation, resin system,…
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Carbon fiber report whips up interest in SpaceX’s plans for a colony on Mars
An artist’s conception shows a Falcon Heavy rocket lifting off for Mars. (Credit: SpaceX) Is SpaceX planning to buy billions of dollars’ worth of carbon fiber for future Mars-bound spaceships? The answer’s up in the air, but a report to that effect from Japan’s Nikkei Asian Review has set SpaceX’s fans abuzz. The report claims…