glass fiber reinforced composites

A ‘brake’ from tradition: Glass fibers improve friction performance and wear rates of train brake shoes

By Lisa McDonald / December 2, 2022

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.

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Video: Fiber-reinforced bogies gain steam in the rail industry

By Lisa McDonald / May 11, 2022

Though 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.

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Composite showdown—technological developments could lower carbon fiber composites’ environmental impact

By Lisa McDonald / March 4, 2022

Currently, 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.

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Strong, lightweight, and ductile (yes, ductile) silica glass nanofibers

By Eileen De Guire / January 11, 2013

University 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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