Advanced Structural Materials

H. Hukimaka andj. P-em, Advanced Structural Materials, Elsevier, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 1991, p. 45. 

Clearly, aerospace has been a major driver for advanced structural materials. It will continue to be a driver, although perhaps at a slower pace, particularly for weight reduction and higher temperature reliability. The slowdown of military aircraft development presents a unique problem because many of these programs, such as the advanced tactical fighter (ATF), were test beds for advanced-performance materials for which... 

Zirconia ceramics represent a fairly new class of advanced structural materials (see Zirconium and zirconium compounds). Their potential use in structural applications was first realized in the mid-1970s. Since then numerous publications have appeared devoted entirely to these materials ( 76—81). 

At the domain level, controlled heterogeneity on the micrometer scale is, in fact, responsible for the unique properties of many, if not most, of our advanced structural materials. Fiber reinforcement, rubber toughening, crystallite reinforcement, and particulate reinforcement are familiar techniques. In each case, with proper adhesion at the interface, the resulting material provides the combination of strength, modulus, and toughness for the intended application. 

Based on the above advancement, CVD processes have been widely used to manufacture various semiconductor devices, MEMS, nanomaterials, and advanced structural materials for ultra-high temperature applications. Some of these applications are briefly introduced and summarized as follows. 

K. Wakashima, T. Hirano and M. Niino, in "Space Applications of Advanced Structural Materials", ESA SP-303 (European Space Agency, 1990) p.97. 

The prototype tanks LLNL is developing solve vehicle component cost problems as well as experimental tank affordability. Their small size does more than conserve costly advanced structural materials, direct costs, and fabrication costs - it prevents them from competing with existing or planned commercial products. They have been sized at the minimum scale that will yield experimental data relevant to calibrated predictions at all larger scales (4.5" diameter 12" long), yet they remain... 

The impact of new structural materials has not been as dramatic but polymer composites now make up about 5% of the structural weight of some commercial aircraft, even more in military and corporate jets. It is expected this proportion will increase to 20-40% when those now in development take to the air. So the future for advanced structural materials also seems rosy but so it has done for some years past less than 10 years ago, our own projections were for 25% pa growth in demand (Figure 1). Such expectations were widely shared. The materials in question include polymers, ceramics and metals, and most importantly, composites with polymer or ceramic or metal matrices, which offer intriguing blends of properties. 

So price is a problem because application of advanced structural materials typically involves substitution by doing the job better but in most cases not by enough to justify the extra cost. 

This and other aspects mean that the performance of businesses in advanced structural materials has not been anything like as impressive as those in electronic materials. Other features of the mateii s themselves added to the problems. 

Advanced Structured Materials 18, DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-20940-6 l, Springer-Vetlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013... 

Adhesive Bonding Handbook for Advanced Structural Materials, European Space Agency, ESA PSS-03-210, Issue 1, Nordwijk, The Netherlands, 1990,... 

M. Messori, in Recent Advances in Elastomeric Nanocomposites, Advanced Structured Materials, ed. V. Mittal et al., Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011. 

Thorne, A. and Hollaway, L.C. (1990), High-Technology carbon-flbre/polyether-sulphone composite for space applications Proceedings of ESA Symposuim Space Applications of Advanced Structural Materials, ESTEC, Noordwijk, NL, 21-23 March 1990, pp. 207-211. 

Kazakeviciute-Makovska R, Steeb H (2013) Hierarchical architecture and modeling of bio-inspired mechanically adaptive polymer nanocomposites. In Altenbach H, Forest S, Krivtsov A (eds) Generalized continua as models for materials. Advanced structured materials, vol 22. Springer, Berlin, pp 199-215... 

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