CeraNova
Corporation
Active Composites for Smart Structures
New: Transparent Ceramics
| Telephone: | 508 460-0300 |
| E-mail: | Info@CeraNova.com |
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| Telephone: | 508 460-0300 |
| E-mail: | Info@CeraNova.com |
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Active PZT Fibers, a Commercial Production Process CONCLUSIONS The goal of the 3-year Active Fiber Composites Consortium Program is to develop the technology to enable a pre-commercial production rate of 20,000 AFC packs per year. Mid-way through the Program, CeraNova has identified a clear path for producing more than enough active PZT fiber to meet this target. Further, approaches described in this paper indicate that CeraNova has identified the technology to produce PZT fiber at 10x this rate, i.e., at the rate of 50 km/day. This projected fiber production rate will be enough to manufacture 200,000 AFC packs / year or 1,500m2 of Active Fiber Composite. The success of mandrel unit handling and the composite preform approaches will be key to achieving major AFC cost reductions. Initial results are very encouraging. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors wish to acknowledge the support of Wallace Smith and DARPA funding through contract no. F49620-97-2-0527. Strategic program guidance from Spencer Wu, AFOSR, is also acknowledged. Beth Jones of the Pennsylvania State University Materials Research Laboratory is thanked for her careful SEM observations and single fiber electrical measurements. REFERENCES 1. Bent, A. and Hagood, N.W., "Piezoelectric Fiber Composites with Interdigitated Electrodes", J. of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures, Vol. 8, No. 11, pp 903-919, Nov. 1997. 2. Rodgers, John P., Bent, Aaron A., and Hagood, N. W., “Characterization of Interdigitated Electrode Piezoelectric Fiber Composites Under High Electrical and Mechanical Loading”, SPIE Paper No. 2717-60, Proceedings of SPIE’s 1996 Symposium on Smart Structures and Materials, San Diego, CA, 1996 3. Derham, R. C. and Hagood, N. W., “Rotor Design Using Smart Materials to Actively Twist Blades”, Proceedings of the American Helicopter Society 52nd Annual Forum, Washington, DC, June 4-6, 1996. 4. Pike, J. N., J. J. Pike & Co., Inc., Pleasantville, NY, personal communication 1998. 5. Cielo, P., Optical Techniques for Industrial Inspection, pg.264, Academic Press, Boston 1988.
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