Carbon fiber industry has seen a boom in the past decade as once, in 2005, three companies Toray, Toho Tenax and Mitsubishi Rayon Co. Ltd held 70% of the share in carbon fiber supplies, now are down to 45% of the holdings as more and more investors join in the profitable sales of carbon fiber. The prominent user of this material has been the aerospace industry which looks upon materials that could provide a higher strength to weight ratio, so that it could cut off the fuel expenditure. A Boeing 787 plane constitutes of 50% composite, 20% aluminium, 15% titanium and the remaining is steel. It has been suggested that the need for more composite structures in aeroplane components is needed. Such suggestion would worry the metal producers but we have to see how much of the advice would be acted upon.
Recently, the real life Tony Stark, Elon Musk, presented his vision of mars plane with the concept of SpaceX. During the presentation Musk presented that plan of the craft to be made of carbon fiber composite. The reason for the composite introduction is because using solely carbon fiber is difficult so there needs the combination of resin with it. The introduction of this material on a larger scale in SpaceX aircrafts is the core reason for Musk plan to have an efficient journey on the part of quality as well as quantity. Because his vision already involves the population to be of a ‘million’. So it would be a continuous plan and rather seems pragmatic one as well, because as per Colin Sirret, Head Research for Airbus in UK, one kilogram of weight removed, saves around a $1million in costs over the lifetime of an aircraft. So it certainly shows the outcome of getting an efficient product in the end.
But true mystery is how the CFRP is going to perform in the conditions during its journey because a lot of variations in pressure and temperatures would be observed which the SpaceX organisers suggest are sustainable for the material. But ‘how?’ is the real question, since CFRP are considered as materials that are prone to cracking and delaminating when exposed to extreme conditions and such conditions would be observed as the CFRP tank would hold liquid methane and oxygen. Both are gases at room temperature. So to endure the temperature and allow an impermeable layer to hold on any gas and liquid if somehow either goes a change in its state. That is something to look out for. Plus the size of the components for the spacecraft is going to be large and such manufacturing would be a great task for the SpaceX engineers.
SpaceX programme is certainly the ‘Giant leap’ Neil Armstrong was talking about, it’s a breakthrough for mankind and as well as for aspiring material scientist. Like any other good research for any man to understand this concept other than Elon Musk, I would say for myself and everyone ‘further study is needed’.
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