Cast iron blocks and steel fibers are the dominant materials used for brake shoes in the railway industry. Researchers from a Spain-based friction materials manufacturer found that the addition of glass fibers could improve the shoes’ friction performance and wear rates.
Read MoreThough the rail industry has been much slower to adopt fiber-reinforced composites compared to other transportation industries, more rail companies started developing composite bogies, a major structural component, in recent years.
Read MoreCurrently, replacing conventional materials with carbon fiber-reinforced polymers typically increases life cycle energy use due to the energy-intensive fiber production process. A new prospective life cycle assessment suggests certain technological developments could lead to carbon fiber composites with lower environmental impact than glass fiber composites.
Read MoreUniversity of Southampton (UK) scientist, Gilberto Brambilla, developed the strongest, lightest known silica glass nanofibers. Credit: U. Southampton. It looks like a team of optoelectronics researchers from the University of…
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