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Composites Institute
Sections 12-15 contained some of the most useful contributions to the intended theme of the Conference. Here, some examples of real structures were examined, together with the important themes of manufacture, strength assessment, and repair. It is pleasing that the organizers were able to bias this meeting away from pure academic research, but it is also pleasing to see that so many academics are now making a solid contribution towards industrial problems.
From a Conference of this breadth~ it would be unfair to try to pick out the best papers ;..suffice it to say that there were no bad ones! As a collection of presented papers, such a book is bound to be more diffuse than a carefully selected set of topics and authors, but I must recommend this to libraries in all institutions wherein there is an interest in composite materials. It is also good value!
R.D. Adams
Conference report 37th Annual Conference of the SPI Reinforced Plastics/Composites Institute January 11-15, 1982, Sheraton Washington Hotel, Washington DC Organized by: Reinforced Plastics/Composites Institute of the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc.
Bound by a tradition established over thirty-seven years, the S.P.I. seem unlikely at this stage to adopt a more catchy title for their annual jamboree. 'Compconf 83' for example would rightly be rejected, but one must say that to adopt it would save great labour in quoting references. To the first-time visitor, the scale of this conference is impressive. In fact, with six parallel technical programmes in each of the five half-day sessions of the official timetable, it is physically impossible for one person to comprehend. What follows, therefore, is a personal reminiscence, attempting to convey a flavour of the whole. The chosen conference centre has the scale and opulence of a Victorian railway terminus. Despite the provision of an efficiently staffed desk specifically for directions, there was much in evidence that special 'conference' look of the man who, as a scientist or engineer, has carefully researched the ground, but is still hopelessly lost. At the conference reception counters, helpful red-coated assistants dispensed preprint: an A4 limp-bound document approaching 50 mm in thickness and weighing several kilogrammes, but beautifully produced. Also included in the conference package was an 80-page illustrated guide to the exhibit 'Product Showcase ~2', and a list of advance registrations. Highly efficient, as were all the organizational and public relations aspects of this conference. Authors will have appreciated the breakfast briefing, the little gift and vote of thanks from the organizing committee, and most unusual of all, the competent management of their slides. This was far better than the slides deserved in many cases. The first afternoon session was a 'contact period' during which representatives of suppliers, consultants and other service industries were expected to be available at specific locations: another admirable idea. However, the 'hospitality suites' provided by some companies seem a bizarre idea.
340
With doors ajar, company representatives sit in the midst of sumptuous cold buffets and abundant wine, eagerly waiting to dispense these delicacies to the conferee. Who benefits? One cannot imagine that the industrialist in the market for several thousand dollars' worth of equipment would react favourably to the idea that he might be bought with Chablis and smoked salmon. An aca~lemic with no buying potential must feel that the hosts can only regard him as a bum wanting a free meal. Perhaps this feeling of embarrassment was shared by others, for business seemed pretty slack. The broadsheet 'Conference News' bore the expected optimistic headlines: "RP/C shipments up in '81, Predict Rise in '82"; " . . . recession will fade in Fall of 1982"; and editorial copy, "In spite of recession the reinforced plastics composites industry increased shipments by 7.5% to more than 1.82 billion pounds in 1981, and forecasts a further advance of 5.2% to 1.92 billion pounds in 1982." The explanation? - "Materials suppliers are developing and particularizing new resins, reinforcements, f'fliers, composite mixes. Machinery manufacturers are introducing new processing methods and refining, mechanizing and computerizing existing equipment. Molders are synchronizing these developments to finn up existing business and to penetrate new product areas." For an industry on this scale the size of the exhibit, with "upwards of 100 notable examples of RP/C design and molding skill", seemed quite modest, and there was no shortage of space for the individual items. The range and quality of the exhibits, however, was most impressive. Among twelve award winners, the Grand Design and Land Transportation awards both went to the injection-moulded glass-reinforced 'Zytel' nylon radiator tanks introduced by Ford and by Mercury in their 'subcompacts'. Largest and smallest winners were in the electrical/electronics class. The
COMPOSITES.JULY 1982
~olue ribbon' went to a ten-foot diameter parabolic microwave antenna produced by resin injection-moulding of glass fibre-reinforced polyester resin. The moulding is gel-coated on both sides, and aluminized glass fibre is used to give reflective surfaces. At 1½ inches diameter, weighing ½ ounce, the smallest winner was the carrier plate for a watch movement. This is made from 30% glass fibre-reinforced polyphenylene sulphide, micro-injection moulded to incorporate a conductive metal grid and attachments for other precision parts. About fifty different machining operations are eliminated by this method of manufacture. The major award for corrosion-resistant equipment was won by the makers of wash water troughs 2 x 2 x 30 ft. These were made by pultrusion, using an isophthalic polyester reinforced with continuous strand glass roving and glass mat. Exhibits of personal interest to the reviewer were: the De Lorean car, much in the news in January, with its structural inner body shell made by vacuum assisted resin injection. The Bear Archery company has made a notable technology transfer from sporting bows to heavy duty road springs in glass-fibre reinforced epoxy, and claims spectacular weight savings (85%) with improved fatigue performance compared to steel. Testing and quality control equipment also featured among the exhibits. One interesting item was a 'smart' flaw discriminator, this being an application of adaptive learning technology to the processing of ultrasonic echoes. The equipment can be taught the characteristics of acceptable and unacceptable defects, and then used to discriminate between them, providing if necessary a control output. A spectacular sideshow was provided by a long-stroke fully instrumented servo-hydraulic impact tester. Designed for testing of full-size components, this machine was equipped for a live demonstration punching a hole in a half4nch thick moulding. Full load/time and displacement/time traces were recorded, and an integrating device enabled the impact fracture energy to be output. An impressive and very professional display was mounted by the University of Delaware, publicizing the industrially sponsored research activities of the Center for Composite Materials.
COMPOSITES. JULY 1982
Moving now to the technical conference: reference has been made to the simultaneous sessions, and since more than one hundred and fifty papers were presented, the reader will excuse our failure to present abstracts. Considering the broad categories into which the papers may be classified may give some idea of the technical emphasis. The programme listed sixteen different session titles, some of which covered several sessions: for example 'Processing 1,2 and 3' covered respectively: Filament Winding; Pultrusion and Lamination; and General. By combining a number of these titles we arrive at the following groups: Materials, 74 papers. Applications, 27. Processing, 28. Research and Development, 26. There is thus a clear emphasis on developments relating to the structures and properties of materials. In the largest single subgroup, 18 papers were devoted to SMC/DMC.Next came Reinforced Thermoplastics with 14, and High Performance Composites with 13. In the other groups, more than half the Applications papers dealt with corrosion resistance; RRIM featured largely under 'Processing'; and the 'R & D' group were mainly concerned with design, and testing methods. As in the topics treated, there was a wide range in the quality of presentations. At one end of the scale we had the barelydisguised sales pitch, and the well-known authors giving lackadaisical presentations of well-known work. At the other extreme, there were clear expositions of good and original work. It is particularly pleasing to be able to report that the Best Paper Award made by the Organizing Committee was won by the Polymer Technology Group at Manchester Polytechnic, for their communication 'Diffusion of liquids into Resins and Composites'. Another important presentation, not only because of the reviewer's personal interest, was the launching of the S.P.I. 'Recommended Practice for Acoustic Emission Testing of Fibreglass Reinforced Plastic Resin Tanks/Vessels'. This seems likely to influence significantly the development of NDE methods for composites. To conclude, this Conference is an exhausting experience, but its coverage is so wide that no-one attending can fail to obtain some useful insight into the current status of the composites field.
M.G. Phillips
341
From a Conference of this breadth~ it would be unfair to try to pick out the best papers ;..suffice it to say that there were no bad ones! As a collection of presented papers, such a book is bound to be more diffuse than a carefully selected set of topics and authors, but I must recommend this to libraries in all institutions wherein there is an interest in composite materials. It is also good value!
R.D. Adams
Conference report 37th Annual Conference of the SPI Reinforced Plastics/Composites Institute January 11-15, 1982, Sheraton Washington Hotel, Washington DC Organized by: Reinforced Plastics/Composites Institute of the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc.
Bound by a tradition established over thirty-seven years, the S.P.I. seem unlikely at this stage to adopt a more catchy title for their annual jamboree. 'Compconf 83' for example would rightly be rejected, but one must say that to adopt it would save great labour in quoting references. To the first-time visitor, the scale of this conference is impressive. In fact, with six parallel technical programmes in each of the five half-day sessions of the official timetable, it is physically impossible for one person to comprehend. What follows, therefore, is a personal reminiscence, attempting to convey a flavour of the whole. The chosen conference centre has the scale and opulence of a Victorian railway terminus. Despite the provision of an efficiently staffed desk specifically for directions, there was much in evidence that special 'conference' look of the man who, as a scientist or engineer, has carefully researched the ground, but is still hopelessly lost. At the conference reception counters, helpful red-coated assistants dispensed preprint: an A4 limp-bound document approaching 50 mm in thickness and weighing several kilogrammes, but beautifully produced. Also included in the conference package was an 80-page illustrated guide to the exhibit 'Product Showcase ~2', and a list of advance registrations. Highly efficient, as were all the organizational and public relations aspects of this conference. Authors will have appreciated the breakfast briefing, the little gift and vote of thanks from the organizing committee, and most unusual of all, the competent management of their slides. This was far better than the slides deserved in many cases. The first afternoon session was a 'contact period' during which representatives of suppliers, consultants and other service industries were expected to be available at specific locations: another admirable idea. However, the 'hospitality suites' provided by some companies seem a bizarre idea.
340
With doors ajar, company representatives sit in the midst of sumptuous cold buffets and abundant wine, eagerly waiting to dispense these delicacies to the conferee. Who benefits? One cannot imagine that the industrialist in the market for several thousand dollars' worth of equipment would react favourably to the idea that he might be bought with Chablis and smoked salmon. An aca~lemic with no buying potential must feel that the hosts can only regard him as a bum wanting a free meal. Perhaps this feeling of embarrassment was shared by others, for business seemed pretty slack. The broadsheet 'Conference News' bore the expected optimistic headlines: "RP/C shipments up in '81, Predict Rise in '82"; " . . . recession will fade in Fall of 1982"; and editorial copy, "In spite of recession the reinforced plastics composites industry increased shipments by 7.5% to more than 1.82 billion pounds in 1981, and forecasts a further advance of 5.2% to 1.92 billion pounds in 1982." The explanation? - "Materials suppliers are developing and particularizing new resins, reinforcements, f'fliers, composite mixes. Machinery manufacturers are introducing new processing methods and refining, mechanizing and computerizing existing equipment. Molders are synchronizing these developments to finn up existing business and to penetrate new product areas." For an industry on this scale the size of the exhibit, with "upwards of 100 notable examples of RP/C design and molding skill", seemed quite modest, and there was no shortage of space for the individual items. The range and quality of the exhibits, however, was most impressive. Among twelve award winners, the Grand Design and Land Transportation awards both went to the injection-moulded glass-reinforced 'Zytel' nylon radiator tanks introduced by Ford and by Mercury in their 'subcompacts'. Largest and smallest winners were in the electrical/electronics class. The
COMPOSITES.JULY 1982
~olue ribbon' went to a ten-foot diameter parabolic microwave antenna produced by resin injection-moulding of glass fibre-reinforced polyester resin. The moulding is gel-coated on both sides, and aluminized glass fibre is used to give reflective surfaces. At 1½ inches diameter, weighing ½ ounce, the smallest winner was the carrier plate for a watch movement. This is made from 30% glass fibre-reinforced polyphenylene sulphide, micro-injection moulded to incorporate a conductive metal grid and attachments for other precision parts. About fifty different machining operations are eliminated by this method of manufacture. The major award for corrosion-resistant equipment was won by the makers of wash water troughs 2 x 2 x 30 ft. These were made by pultrusion, using an isophthalic polyester reinforced with continuous strand glass roving and glass mat. Exhibits of personal interest to the reviewer were: the De Lorean car, much in the news in January, with its structural inner body shell made by vacuum assisted resin injection. The Bear Archery company has made a notable technology transfer from sporting bows to heavy duty road springs in glass-fibre reinforced epoxy, and claims spectacular weight savings (85%) with improved fatigue performance compared to steel. Testing and quality control equipment also featured among the exhibits. One interesting item was a 'smart' flaw discriminator, this being an application of adaptive learning technology to the processing of ultrasonic echoes. The equipment can be taught the characteristics of acceptable and unacceptable defects, and then used to discriminate between them, providing if necessary a control output. A spectacular sideshow was provided by a long-stroke fully instrumented servo-hydraulic impact tester. Designed for testing of full-size components, this machine was equipped for a live demonstration punching a hole in a half4nch thick moulding. Full load/time and displacement/time traces were recorded, and an integrating device enabled the impact fracture energy to be output. An impressive and very professional display was mounted by the University of Delaware, publicizing the industrially sponsored research activities of the Center for Composite Materials.
COMPOSITES. JULY 1982
Moving now to the technical conference: reference has been made to the simultaneous sessions, and since more than one hundred and fifty papers were presented, the reader will excuse our failure to present abstracts. Considering the broad categories into which the papers may be classified may give some idea of the technical emphasis. The programme listed sixteen different session titles, some of which covered several sessions: for example 'Processing 1,2 and 3' covered respectively: Filament Winding; Pultrusion and Lamination; and General. By combining a number of these titles we arrive at the following groups: Materials, 74 papers. Applications, 27. Processing, 28. Research and Development, 26. There is thus a clear emphasis on developments relating to the structures and properties of materials. In the largest single subgroup, 18 papers were devoted to SMC/DMC.Next came Reinforced Thermoplastics with 14, and High Performance Composites with 13. In the other groups, more than half the Applications papers dealt with corrosion resistance; RRIM featured largely under 'Processing'; and the 'R & D' group were mainly concerned with design, and testing methods. As in the topics treated, there was a wide range in the quality of presentations. At one end of the scale we had the barelydisguised sales pitch, and the well-known authors giving lackadaisical presentations of well-known work. At the other extreme, there were clear expositions of good and original work. It is particularly pleasing to be able to report that the Best Paper Award made by the Organizing Committee was won by the Polymer Technology Group at Manchester Polytechnic, for their communication 'Diffusion of liquids into Resins and Composites'. Another important presentation, not only because of the reviewer's personal interest, was the launching of the S.P.I. 'Recommended Practice for Acoustic Emission Testing of Fibreglass Reinforced Plastic Resin Tanks/Vessels'. This seems likely to influence significantly the development of NDE methods for composites. To conclude, this Conference is an exhausting experience, but its coverage is so wide that no-one attending can fail to obtain some useful insight into the current status of the composites field.
M.G. Phillips
341