Carbon fibers go all the way back to Thomas Edison’s invention of the first incandescent light bulb in 1879 with the help of Lewis Latimer’s invention of “carbonized cotton threads and bamboo slivers to
The Composites Affordability Initiative (CAI) was a bold and innovative approach to create revolutionary advancements for the design and manufacture of composites. Historical data had clearly indicated composite structures had reached a plateau for
After serving with the U.S. Air Force as a flight test project engineer at Edwards Air Force Base, Burt Rutan became the director of the Bede Test Center for Bede Aircraft in Newton, KS.
Susan Ruth is a talented engineer and supervisor who brought these same skills to SAMPE. After SAMPE expanded internationally, Susan was our first female international president. (Peggy Moore was the first woman to serve
Advances in structural materials have been largely responsible for the major performance improvements in current Air Force (AF) systems and will be enabling to any significant performance gains in current and future systems. Air superiority
The journey for carbon fiber composites on commercial airplanes for Boeing has spanned decades. It started in 1984 when Boeing replaced the primary structure on a Boeing 737 Classic horizontal tail with the first
Composites have been used in space applications for decades, and their use continues to grow. Composite applications can be found on human spaceflight vehicles, satellites and payloads, and the launch vehicles that are used
Charlie Browning has had a profound influence on the development of advanced composite materials for aerospace applications.In 1966, he became member of the U. S. Air Force Materials Laboratory team that invented advanced composites.He
Les is world renowned for his work in advanced composite materials. In his 50+ year career and counting, he has had major impact on how the aerospace industrial base manufactures composites. He joined McDonnell
John Delmonte, both as an individual and through the two companies that he founded, was one of the leading pioneers in composites and adhesives. His book, Technology of Adhesives, was the “bible” on adhesives for
