Mechanics of Composite Materials

VIDEOS ON COMPOSITE MATERIALS

"THE LIGHT STUFF" 60 minutes.
Published by Coronet Film & Video, 420 Academy Drive, Northbrook, Illinois 60062

This video documents the attempt to recreate the mythical man-powered flight of Daedalus, a 72-mile journey across the Aegean Sea. The movie gives a detailed history of human-powered flight, then goes on to describe the concept, design, construction, and evolution of the plane "Daedalus." The video ends with the plane's first attempt to fly across the Aegean Sea.
Summary by N.V. Carter, Spring 1998.

"NEW MATERIALS" 23 minutes.
Published by Films for the Humanities & Sciences, (800) 257-5126

This video serves as an overview and introduction to two types of modern materials: plastics and synthetic textiles. It also includes a brief introduction to superconductors. The video explains the origins and manufacture of plastics, and goes on to detail how plastics can be tailored to perfectly suit individual applications. The video then talks about "Technical Textiles," or textiles made from synthetic materials such as acrylic and polyester. It covers the manufacture of synthetic textiles and how they are custom-made to suit individual applications.
Summary by N.V. Carter, Spring 1998.

"PLASTICS" 16 minutes.
Published by Britannica Films & Video, 310 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60604

This video starts with a history of plastics, then goes into a detailed description of the manufacture of plastics from crude oil. It gives explanations of how plastics are modified to achieve different properties. The video finishes with a look ath the possible methods of dealing with used and discarded plastics.
Summary by N.V. Carter, Spring 1998.

"TOOLING FOR COMPOSITES" 24 minutes.
Published by The Society of Manufacturing Engineers, One SME Drive, P.O. Box 930, Dearborn, MI 48121-0930

This video explains and details various types of tooling used in manufacture of composites, and visits several manufacturers to see how the toolings are used. Some of the manufacturers visited are Boeing, which uses composite molds for their sheet-forming manufacture of composite aircraft parts; Pultrusion Technology, which creates and uses custom dies for use in manufacture of pultruded composite parts; and ECS/Roush, which uses composite molds to create automotive body panels.
Summary by N.V. Carter, Spring 1998.

"COMPOSITES IN MANUFACTURING" 31 minutes.
Published by The Society of Manufacturing Engineers, One SME Drive, P.O. Box 930, Dearborn, MI 48121-0930

This video looks at advanced composites and their place in modern manufacturing. It starts out with a broad explanation of composites, including descriptions of the various types of composites and their respective manufacturing processes. The video then examines several companies who manufacture composites, then ends with a look at the future of composite materials.
Summary by N.V. Carter, Spring 1998.