When it comes to smart materials, Keith Goossen at the University of Delaware has a newer, cheaper idea for eco-friendly windows and windshields: Liquid. Goossen’s glass contains fluid-activated panels that change from transparent to opaque states – an achievement that he hopes will provide a more affordable, commercial appeal to consumers. The 3D-printed smart materials switch from transparent to reflective a thousand times without degrading.
Manufacturing Methods for a Better Engine:
May 1, 2020 Billy Hurley
Before you can begin to talk about the manufacturing methods for better engines, you need to learn what’s going on inside the machinery and investigate the physics. By building a series of experimental rotating detonation engines, University of Washington researcher James Koch and his team found promising patterns in an advanced technology known as the rotating detonation engine, or RDE.
Additive Manufacturing and Methods of Inspection:
April 27, 2020 Billy Hurley
There are many methods of manufacturing, and many methods of inspection. Do the same inspection methods used in casting apply to products built by additive manufacturing with powdered metal?
A Tech Briefs reader asks our industry expert Kevin Brigden, an Applications Engineer at the U.K.-based engineering company Renishaw.
Aerospace composites experts will meet in Wichita this month, focusing on validating repairs techniques
June 12, 2019 William Kucinski
The meeting will include updates from members of the Composite Materials Handbook Substantiation of Bonded Repairs (SoBR) working group who have been continuing development of SAE International Commercial Aircraft Composite Repair Committee standardization efforts.
Featured MOBILUS Publications
Wire Fed Plasma Arc Directed Energy Deposition Additive Manufacturing Process

Standard
AMS7005
This specification establishes process controls for the repeatable production of preforms by Wire Fed Plasma Arc Directed Energy Deposition (PA-DED). It is intended to be used for aerospace parts manufactured using Additive Manufacturing (AM) metal alloys, but usage is not limited to such applications.
Rationale
Shearographic Nondestructive Testing for High-Pressure Composite Tubes

Technical Paper
2018-01-1219
In response to the need for lightweight design in industries, composite materials are increasingly used to replace traditional metal tubes. However, subsurface defects such as voids, delaminations, and microcracks are still remaining common issues in composite pressure tubes.
Lightweight Carbon Composite Chassis for Engine Start Lithium Batteries

Journal Article
05-11-01-0003
The supersession of metallic alloys with lightweight, high-strength composites is popular in the aircraft industry. However, aviation electronic enclosures for large format batteries and high power conversion electronics are still primarily made of aluminum alloys.
TruPLAN Advanced Simulation for Material Kinematics Behavior during Manufacturing Layup Processes

Journal Article
2012-01-1856
The objective of an engineering analysis - a numerical model and simulation designed to represent a specific manufacturing process - is not simply to determine the behavior and impact of that process on a specific product. If that were the case, extensive product testing would be a simpler and cheaper solution.
Friction Coefficient Evaluation on Aluminum Alloy Sheet Metal Using Digital Image Correlation

Technical Paper
2018-01-1223
The coefficient of friction between surfaces is an important criterion for predicting metal behavior during sheet metal stamping processes. This research introduces an innovative technique to find the coefficient of friction on a lubricated aluminum sheet metal surface by simulating the industrial manufacturing stamping process while using 3D digital image correlation (3D-DIC) to track the deformation.
Latest News
NASA’s Nondestructive Evaluation Method Calls for ‘Flash’
How exactly do you inspect aerospace parts for subsurface flaws without breaking the products apart? Dr. Koshti developed NASA’s Flash Infrared Thermography.
Additive Manufacturing in Space:
Did you know that NASA sends up to 7,000 pounds of spare parts to the International Space Station every year? To reduce the clutter, the agency is turning to additive manufacturing – 3D-printing required parts.
How Nanocomposites Support ‘Lightweighting’
Employed in many of today’s automotive fuel tanks and engine parts, the nanoparticles present in nanocomposites have an extremely high surface-to-volume ratio, which improves structural traits like flexibility, strength, flame retardancy, surface appearance, thermal stability, and electrical conductivity.
When Powder Metallurgy Builds a ‘Spaceship’
Powder metallurgy uses tiny particles of metal to build unique parts. See how the 3D-printing company Velo3D used the powder metallurgy process of additive manufacturing to create a microturbine generator roughly the size of a microwave oven.
Rapid Prototyping:
As rapid prototyping and metal 3D printing support the creation of new kinds of automotive components like hubcaps and side air vents, designers need to know that their fabricated parts have been made properly and according to design specifications.
The beauty of 3D printing and rapid prototyping? When you’re printing on a layer-by-layer basis, 100 microns at a time, you’re able to see exactly what’s inside the part.
Featured Event
AEROTECH® Europe
September 24-26, 2019 Bordeaux, France SAE International 3 Day Conference
Two-thousand nineteen marks several firsts for the new AeroTech Europe. The inaugural conference is now an annual gathering of aerospace technical professionals from across Europe. And now you will find all of the comprehensive content from the SAE Aerospace Technology Conference as part of the expanded value of the robust AeroTech Europe program.
Upcoming Training
Design for Manufacturing & Assembly (DFM/DFA)
November 19-20, 2019 Troy, MI SAE International Classroom Seminar
Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFM+A), pioneered by Boothroyd and Dewhurst, has been used by many companies around the world to develop creative product designs that use optimal manufacturing and assembly processes.
Basics of Silicone Rubber Science and Technology
October 14, 2019 Troy, MI SAE International Classroom Seminar
Silicone rubber is comprised of inorganic-organic polymers. These materials consist of an inorganic backbone with organic side groups attached to silicon atoms.
Introduction to Advanced High Strength Steel Applications and Manufacturing
October 8-9, 2019 Troy, MI SAE International Classroom Seminar
Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) are now commonly used in automotive body structural applications. The high strength of this grade classification is attractive to help reduce mass in the automotive body through reduction in thickness.