composite materials Archives – The Green Optimistic green tech news, since 2008 Tue, 01 Jul 2014 15:38:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 2667534 Vehicle Fuel Economy Could be Improved by 3D-Printed Composites https://www.greenoptimistic.com/vehicle-fuel-economy-improved-3d-printed-composites-20140701/ https://www.greenoptimistic.com/vehicle-fuel-economy-improved-3d-printed-composites-20140701/#respond Tue, 01 Jul 2014 15:38:03 +0000 https://www.greenoptimistic.com/?p=48270 Lightweight and strong natural design, as found in balsa wood, has been replicated in the lab, and could improve vehicle fuel economy, in addition to other applications. Hollow-core construction, the same natural design found in avian bones, also enables man-made flight and lighter and safer cars. Balsa wood, 95% of which comes from Ecuador, is […]

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]]> https://www.greenoptimistic.com/vehicle-fuel-economy-improved-3d-printed-composites-20140701/feed/ 0 48270 Calcium-Aluminum High Voltage Power Cables Could be Lighter and More Durable https://www.greenoptimistic.com/calcium-aluminum-power-cable-20130403/ https://www.greenoptimistic.com/calcium-aluminum-power-cable-20130403/#comments Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:42:45 +0000 https://www.greenoptimistic.com/?p=35636 We may never give high voltage power cables a second thought, but there’s a lot that goes into their construction that could be improved. High voltage cables are typically made from a steel core and an aluminum shell. Aluminum is the 4th-best conductor of electricity after gold, silver, and copper, but doesn’t make a good […]

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