An ESA-led project constructed a test cylinder using a novel method of laying down carbon fibre, then tested it to buckling point within a crushing machine that subjected it to the equivalent of 10 tons of force. The cylinder met its predicted specifications perfectly, outperforming a traditionally-made equivalent using the same constituent materials. The company involved, iCOMAT in the UK, has now been shortlisted for the 2022 JEC World Composites Innovation Award – recognised as one of the year’s global top three main innovations in the field of aerospace composites.
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Source: ESA Space Engineering & Technology