Fibers costs

Variations found in CTO composition result primarily from the species of wood pulped and the location and climate where the trees are grown. Pulping process variations further affect CTO composition. The best CTO is produced from pine wood. However, many U.S. mills mix hardwood with pine to reduce fiber costs, or mix hardwood black Hquor with pine black Hquor. This lowers the rosin content. The composition of CTO produced in the southeastern United States and of typical Canadian and Scandinavian CTOs are shown in Table 2. 

Although not as expensive as whiskers, fibers are considerably more expensive than powders. Extmsion processed AI2O2 and AI2O2—Zr02 fibers cost 100-200/kg. 

Today, carbon fibers are still mainly of interest as reinforcement in composite materials [7] where high strength and stiffness, combined with low weight, are required. For example, the world-wide consumption of carbon fibers in 1993 was 7,300 t (compared with a production capacity of 13,000 t) of which 36 % was used in aerospace applications, 43 % in sports materials, with the remaining 21 % being used in other industries. This consumption appears to have increased rapidly (at 15 % per year since the early 1980s), at about the same rate as production, accompanied by a marked decrease in fiber cost (especially for high modulus fibers). 

Tensile Carbon fibers cost cost effective way of gaining tensile... 

Flexural Carbon fibers cost cost the base resin produces a... 

Heat- Carbon fibers cost cost polymers yield much greater... 

Shrinkage Carbon fibers cost cost shrinkage far more than... 

Progress in the development of OFD has been parallel to advances in the production of optical fibers. Fiber production and reliability have increased and fiber costs have decreased therefore, routine use of OFD has become more practical. The increased availability of OFD has produced a surge of publications on its applications including quantitative metal detection, pH determination, immunoassays, and the... 

The different qualities (see Table 5.2-2) are reflected in asbestos fiber prices. In 1993 the longest fibers cost ca. 3800 DM/t compared with 4427 DM/t in 1979, whereas short fibers of Group 7 cost only 290 DM/t compared with 220 to 420 DM/t in 1979. 

We embarked on a large program five years ago to demonstrate that we can use our technical innovation power, coupled with a partner s capability in engineering enzymes, to make bulk chemicals and fibers cost effectively. Our goal was to produce a specialty fiber we call Sorona (Figure 6), which incorporates the attractive properties of nylon, Dacron and Lycra, resulting in superior softness, vibrant color, UV and chlorine resistance, and stain resistance coupled with stretch and recovery. Market test development shows that consumers find this combination of functionalities very attractive. 

Cost Nonoxide fibers cost thousands of dollars per kilogram. Oxide fibers, even those that have been commercially available for years, sell for hundreds of dollars per kilogram. The main reason is that production volumes are small. Most hber-reinforced CMCs utilize a layer between the fiber and matrix to optimize mechanical properties. The methods used for depositing this layer tend to be expensive and difficult to scale up for production. 

The combination of high fixed costs for all three steps and the long cycle times of the last two steps result in extraordinarily high costs per unit mass for low volumes (often thousands of dollars per pound). The most effective way to lower the costs of ceramic fibers is to increase the volume of production. Other efforts to reduce fiber cost will have far less impact than increases in production volume. 

The properties of a composite are dictated by the intrinsic properties of the constituents which may be summarized as fiber architecture and fiber-matrix interface (Fowler et al. 2006). The reinforcing efficiency of natural fibers depends on their physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. Major shortcomings of natural plant fibers include fiber nonuniformity, property variation even between individual plants, low degradation temperature, low microbial resistance, and susceptibility to rotting. In addition to naturally occurring nonuniformity, fiber extraction and processing techniques also have major impacts on final fiber quality, not to mention fiber costs and yield (Munder et al. 2005). 

The future for alternative sources of textile fibers seems to be growing brighter as fibers that offer unique properties at low cost are discovered. By utilizing fibers from waste materials, the textile industry not only saves on fiber costs, but it becomes a steward of the environmental movement, as it diverts these waste materials from landfills into viable textile products. 

Fiber Type Fiber Volume (cm ) Fiber Mass (kg) Fiber Cost ( US) Matrix Volume (cm ) Matrix Mass (kg) Matrix Cost ( US) Total Cost ( VS)... 

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