A Guide to Composite Materials in Boats

Composite materials are broadly defined as those in which a binder is reinforced with a strengthening material. In modern terms, the binder is usually a resin, and the reinforcing material consists of glass strands (fiberglass), carbon fibers or aramid fibers. However, there are other composites too, such as ferrocement and wood resins, which are still used in boatbuilding. Composites offer the advantages of a higher strength-to-weight ratio than traditional wood or steel methods, and they require lower skill levels to produce an acceptable hull finish on a semi-industrial scale. History of Composites in Boats Ferrocement Probably the earliest use of composites for boats was ferrocement. This material was extensively used in the first half of the twentieth century for building low-cost, low-tech barges. Later in the century, it became popular not only for one-off home projects but also for production boatbuilders. A steel frame made of reinforcing rod (known as an armature) forms the hull shape and is covered with chicken wire. It is then plastered with cement and cured. Although a cheap and simple composite, armature corrosion is a common problem in the chemically aggressive marine environment. There are still many thousands of ferro boats in use today, however – the material has enabled many people to realize their dreams. GRP During the Second World War, just after polyester resins were developed, glass fibers became available following the accidental discovery of a production process using blown air on a stream of molten glass. Soon, glass-reinforced plastic became mainstream and GRP boats started to become available in the early 1950s. Wood/Adhesive Composites Wartime pressures also led to the development of cold-molded and hot-molded boatbuilding techniques. These approaches entailed laying thin veneers of wood over a frame and saturating each layer with a glue. High-performance urea-based adhesives developed for aircraft manufacturers were widely used for the new technique of molding boat hulls – typically for PT boats. Some adhesives required baking in an oven to cure and hot-molded hulls were developed, though there were size limitations governed by access to industrial ovens. Modern Composites in Boats Since the 1950s, polyester and vinylester resins have improved steadily and GRP has become the most prevalent composite used in boatbuilding. It is used in shipbuilding too, typically for minesweepers that need non-magnetic hulls. Osmotic problems from which early-generation boats suffered are now a thing of the past with modern epoxy compounds. In the 21st century, volume GRP boat production follows a full industrial production process. Wood/epoxy molding techniques are still in use today, typically for rowing skiffs. Other wood/adhesive composites have evolved since the introduction of high-performance epoxy resins. Strip planking  is one such popular technique for home boat construction: Strips of wood (typically cedar) are laid longitudinally over frames and coated with epoxy. This simple construction offers a cheap and strong build with a fair finish easily achievable by an amateur. At the leading edge of boat building, aramid fiber reinforcing strengthens key areas of sailboats, such as the bows and keel sections. Aramid fiber also provides improved shock absorption. Carbon fiber masts are increasingly common, as they offer major performance and vessel-stability benefits. Sailboats also use composites in their sail construction, with carbon-fiber or glass-fiber tape offering a flexible but dimensionally stable matrix to which synthetic sailcloth is laminated. Carbon fiber has other marine uses too – for example for high-strength interior moldings and furniture on super-yachts. The Future of Composites in Boatbuilding The costs of carbon fiber fall as production volumes increase  so the availability of sheet carbon fiber (and other profiles) is likely to become more prevalent in boat  production. Materials science and composite technology are advancing rapidly, and new composites include carbon nanotube and epoxy mixtures. Recently, a small naval vessel with a hull built using carbon nanotubes was delivered as a concept project. Lightness, strength, durability, and ease of production mean that composites will play an increasing part in boat construction. Despite all the new composites, Fiber-reinforced polymer composites are here to stay for very many years, though it will surely be in partnership with other exotic composites.

Female Struggles Essay examples - 1592 Words

Patriarchal cultures are the universal reality of modern society. People who believe in equal rights for women try to expose the pitfalls of patriarchy. A role of the feminists is to fight patriarchy. In Salt Lake City, Utah where there are a number of people who belong to the Church of Latter Day Saints, also known as Mormons, patriarchy also exists. Terry Tempest Williams discusses patriarchy and women’s connection to the land in Refuge. Over time women’s status in society has become better, however in Mormon culture women’s rights have decreased. In Refuge, Terry Tempest Williams as an ecofeminist defies the traditional Mormon woman’s role. In Refuge the gender roles are not as clear as in society. Williams chooses to display the†¦show more content†¦Church leaders swiftly condemned any public display of devotion to her (Stack 2003). This idea, of the heavenly mother, is one of the ideas that Mormon feminists wanted to bring up in questioning of their faith. This questioning itself may be detrimental to your future participation in the faith. But to point out Mormon women in particular as participators in a patriarchal religion is unfair. As Sheena James, a Mormon Middlebury College student, said â€Å"My church, like many religions, is a patriarchy. I think this would be an interesting question to ask many women of many different religions† (4/13/05) when asked about her participation in a patriarchal religion. Surely women of other Christian denominations and other faith recognize that their religious establishments do not necessarily see women as equal to the men. But religion is not exclusive in these beliefs. Our culture, though many may disagree, is a patriarchal culture. Terry Tempest Williams will likely agree with this statement being that she is an eco-feminist herself. As a Mormon woman being a feminist in any sense seems like it has its pitfalls. A former Mormon, feminist and scholar, Margaret Toscano was excommunicated from the Mormon Church essentially for being a feminist and questioning the increasingly more patriarchal aspects of Mormonism (Stack 2004). Due to theShow MoreRelatedDishonor : The Lifetime Struggle Of A Female876 Words   |  4 PagesDishonor: The Lifetime Struggle of a Female Infanticide. A crime that knows no limits; be it of age, gender, status, or wealth. Dating as far back as Ancient Greece the infanticide of babies, at that time gender was not a bases for the killings wealth was, has been a predominated and culturally acceptable part of our society. In the animal kingdom, many alpha males killed their sons in order to prove seniority and have no competition. 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Private peaceful free essay sample

Family is a term that can be interpreted differently by in individual, and is usually defined as a support system. In private Peaceful family members are emotionally, linked and have a strong bond. There are several aspects of the Peaceful family, such as the values, love and supports to each other, but not all of the family have this kind of values. In Private Peaceful the family shows a good of a family who love each other no matter what. Their tenderness and care for Big Joe is very touching. Big Joe is mentally disable and sometimes his noisy and he do thing that he shouldn’t do but they still understand him. Charlie and Tommo look out for big Joe and protect him. Charlie loves and really care to his brother Tommo an example for this is when Charlie sticks with Tommo of first day of school. He defends him against the bully of Jimmy Parson kicks during his fight over big Joe. We will write a custom essay sample on Private peaceful or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It shows that he really love his two brother. Tommo looks up to Charlie and they are always there for each other. Tommo support Charlie for Charlie’s love for Molly, even it’s hard for him because he also like Molly but he still supports his brother, he even becomes the postman delivering their letters to each other. When Charlie decides to go to the war, Tommo said that he will go with him, because he doesn’t want to be far away to Charlie. We learned that Tommo can’t live without his brother; and he just wants to be with him. In peaceful family we usually learned the importance life values such as bravery and accepting others. Tommo, Charlie and mother accept Molly as a real family member. Mother treats Molly as her real daughter. The peaceful also shows the bravery an example for this is When Tommo is in the war and he break his leg and he have to go out, into no- mans- land but he can’t so Charlie steps in and stays back with Tommo, but Charlie get in to trouble for disobeying the order of the sergeant. This shows how brave is Charlie. Another example of bravey is when Tommo joined the army, we can see that he’s brave because joining the army is not easy and he can die for it. Not all the family is the same as Peaceful. Peaceful family have a good family values and they are really close to each other. Molly’s family is different to them, her parents are really strict, and they don’t care to their daughter’s feelings. We see this when Molly’s parents stop her from seeing Charlie, instead of supporting their daughter. The author of this book shows how love of the family is important. The family that stick together, love one another and have a good attitude and values are more likely close and understand each other. On another hand when family doesn’t have this kind of values, and the parents are really strict to their children it often breaks. They will find another family that will understand them. Molly is one of this, she doesn’t feel the love and support of her parents for her, but when she’s with the peaceful family she see and feel the love and support that she needed.