2. Going to see Van Helsing with a hot classmate tonite (yes, found a girl in engineering without a boyfriend).
3. My research proposal was accepted by the engineering department, and I will be doing a carbon-fiber composite life span experiment this summer, and writing an undergraduate senior-level thesis this summer over it. here is a breakdown of the project:
Metals are too heavy for a lot of next-generation ideas, so people are looking into carbon fiber composites (what you guys normally call carbon fiber). These materials are actually very similar in construction to fiberglass, that is, the fibers are embedded in a polymer. This combined "composite matrix" is very interesting because the properties of the composite are actually a combination of the properties of the base materials. For example, high strength from carbon fibers, combined with high flexibility of plastics. However, this joining of properties sometimes causes problems.
You may be familiar with the phenomenon that most objects increase in size when they get warmer, and decrease in size when they get cooler. This process is dependent on a material property called "Coeffient of Thermal Expansion". Now, the carbon fibers, and the base polymer have very different values for this property, and so if you expose the composite to a temperature change, one of the base materials is going to expand and contract faster than the other. This creates internal stresses in the material, and causes microscopic cracks. Over time, these cracks grow in size and number until the material is weakened sufficiently so that it fails.
Applications for this stuff are everywhere from lightweight engine block materials, to car frame materials, to aircraft, spacecraft, armed-personell-carriers, even hammer handles.
What we are doing is a series of tests by placing a tensile load on the samples (stretching them), and exposing them to very high and very low temperatures, and observing the results. We are checking for microcracks by measuring their mass, and looking for increases (the microcracks will trap water from the surroundings, and increase the measured weight of the samples). If our experimental sample increases in weight, it means that cracks are forming, and we can track the weight change as a means of tracking the amount of cracking.
Im really looking forward to this project, not only do I get paid to do this, but Im also going to get 3 credit hours of elective engineering credit that will most likely have an A on my record, and a 3hr A is always good for your GPA!!!
At any rate, ive had to do a lot of reading homework about carbon fiber composites, im starting to get sick of it, ready for a break, and some river time....
Posted by cytruffle (Member # 1733) on :
I'm glad you've found a girl.....
....y'all WILL note that the above information took up less than one sentence in his whole post....
Mr. FireChicken.....ya DO need to get out more.....
luv ya!
[ 08. May 2004, 12:14 AM: Message edited by: cytruffle ]
Posted by SSHEETS (Member # 1989) on :
Have you heard of the space elevator? Spacelevator
I met with the principles a year or so ago. Tey were looking to setup a production facility and our area was on their list. Pretty amazing discussion we had with them. Posted by DaddySS (Member # 848) on :
Interesting, thanks for the update.
Posted by Mike2001SS (Member # 2088) on :
Go Have fun with the girl and forget the rest for awhile. Have some fun
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luv ya!