The summer term has come to an end, this could only mean two things; football season and the start of yet another school year. For myself, this is the final year of my masters program, foreshadowing the inevitable thesis...My summer was chalked full of research, distractions and detours, ultimately leading me back to the same place from which I started. A simple picture of my desk is indicative to not only my necessary Rockstar energy drink sponsorship but how busy my summer has actually been (housecleaning is on the To Do list).This summer provided me with time to research material properties for which to compare the product of my thesis experiments. I began with the intent to use carbon fiber in my experiments, until I was told that NC State does not have the equipment to run carbon fiber....so I shifted my focus to a more feasible material. Stein fibers, out of Charlotte, North Carolina were able to provide me with a few pounds of bicomponent polyester. This bicomponent fiber has a sheath/core cross section, meaning the core of the fiber has different properties than the skin. This was of interest to me because the sheath is created from a low melt component, requiring less energy to melt, hence bond the fibers together in a thermal bonding process. Another snag is the fact that tests show the molds that I have designed with the three-dimensional printer have about the same glass transition point as the fibers. This means that the molds will begin to melt around the same time as the fibers, making temperature control crucial. However, at the moment I am awaiting to confirm a committee meeting to ask for solutions to this problem.
The technology that I am basing my thesis around has been around for a few years and is constantly under development, so a main focus of my research has been reviewing this technology and trying to find out the vital areas for future development. Basically, where the current developers are having trouble and where I can add to the pool of knowledge. My summer came to an end with yet another detour in the form of a journal article lurking in my mailbox. It appears as though a university with a hefty automotive manufacturer as a financial backer (University of Nottingham and Bentley Motors) has developed and is testing the exact idea that I was aiming towards. Not only that, they won SAMPE's 2010 Outstanding Paper Award. However, as with every cloud, there is a silver lining and they were able to provide sufficient information pertaining to challenges they were facing which can help open new doors for my project. Article reviews have pointed me in the direction of studying the feasibility of fiber alignment in a nonwoven composite, which offers comparable strength at lower cost than woven carbon fiber laminate. I will discuss these in greater detail in due time.
I am looking forward to my last year and a meeting last night discussing an upcoming career fair has my foot tapping and making me excited for what the future holds.
P.S. I have a new addiction, TED.com. If you have time, view some videos of interest, simply inspiring.
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