International Conference on Fiberreinforced Polymer

Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UCYTJvT5COKsPwRV-u8iVxcw

Saturday, November 23, 2024

Composites help architects create innovative facade

The ripple-faced panels on the facade of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art simulate the water in nearby San Francisco Bay.

“The facade panels are the largest architectural application of composites technology in the United States and the signature architectural feature of the museum's new building,” said Bill Kreysler, president of panel fabricator Kreysler & Associates Inc.

The fiber-reinforced-polymer panels are one of the most visible features of the dramatically expanded museum, which reopens May 14. The project took almost three years to finish and involved experimenting with materials, textures, finishes and designs.

The panels cover 77,000 square feet of the exterior with 710 uniquely shaped wave-depicting ones on the east and west elevations and another 700 smaller flat panels filling in areas about windows, doors and soffits. The larger panels measure up to 5.5 feet high with widths of 6-30 feet.

SFMOMA was founded in 1935 and, in 1995, moved into its first purpose-built home that was designed by Mario Botta and occupies 225,000 square feet. The 10-story expansion adds 235,000 square feet adjacent to the renovated Botta building.

SFMOMA selected international architectural firm Snøhetta AS of Oslo, Norway, for the project in September 2010. Kreysler & Associates used Rhino computer-aided-design software for 3-D modeling, Autodesk Inc.'s Delcam PowerMill computer-assisted-manufacturing software for tool path and motion control, Autodesk's Revit software for building information modeling, a computer-numerical-control hotwire machine for initial shaping and then two five-axis Motion Master CNC gantry routers for machining.

The FRP panels weigh about 3.5 pounds per square foot and avoid the need for an intermediate steel frame. The panels are attached to curtain-wall aluminum frames.

In contrast, glass-fiber-reinforced concrete panels would have weighed about 15 to 20 pounds per square foot and the steel support framing would have added about 15 pounds per square foot.

Polynt Composites USA Inc. of Carpentersville, Ill., formerly CCP Composites, provided the basic Fireblock gelcoat. Kreysler & Associates modified the gelcoat in-house with a proprietary blend of materials including Dublin, Ohio-based Ashland Performance Polymers' flame-retardant laminating resin with fillers and Kreysler-developed additives and Fireshield 285 coating.

Composites One LLC of Arlington Heights, Ill., delivered Ashland-made polyester resin.

The project used about 7,000 cubic feet of 1.5-pound-per-square-foot expanded polystyrene foam. The Reno, Nev., facility of ACH Foam Technologies LLC supplied about 75 percent, and the remainder came from Western Insulfoam LLC of Dixon, Calif.

ROM Development Corp.'s Core Composites Inc. division of Bristol, R.I., supplied a custom-made 36-ounce weave of glass fiber for the woven roving fabric.

With each 0.19-inch-thick panel requiring its own mold, Kreysler used EPS for both the mold and protective packaging.

The Marina, Calif., plant of Cemex SAB de CV supplied seven tons of Lapis Lustre silica sand that came from the same Monterey Bay location at the same time and was mixed to achieve color consistency.

In a final production step, sandblasting removed resin and exposed sand particles in each panel's top layer.

Technicians for facade contractor Enclos Corp. of Eagan, Minn., pre-assembled unitized wall systems at a staging area on Mare Island near Vallejo, Calif., attached the corresponding FRP panel and handled onsite installation.

In a first-of-its-kind achievement, the FRP panels passed the National Fire Protection Association standard 285 test for exterior non-load-bearing wall assemblies containing combustible components.

A student design team in the material innovation laboratory at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, developed a Relaxed concept in which windows are mounted perpendicular to the wall plane. The concept avoids heavy daytime solar exposure.

Kreysler & Associates employs about 30 and occupies 40,000 square feet on five acres in American Canyon, Calif.

SFMOMA went into the expansion mode in June 2013, closing its doors to the public and beginning construction. A capital campaign raised $610 million with the construction costing about $305 million and other funds going for endowment and programs.

SFMOMA has departments for architecture and design, media arts, painting and sculpture, photography and education and public practice.

#fiberreinforcedpolymer

#FRPAwards

#FiberReinforcedPolymerResearch

#FRPInnovation

#ResearchAwards

#PolymerScience

#FRPExcellence

#MaterialsResearch

#FRPAdvancements

#InnovationInPolymer

#FRPResearchAwards

#PolymerEngineering

#ResearchRecognition

#FRPDiscoveries

#PolymerResearch

#FRPBreakthroughs

#Polymer Matrix

#Composite Material Science

Visit Our Website: fiberreinforcedpolymer.com

Award Nomination Link: https://fiberreinforcedpolymer.com/award-nomination/?ecategory=Awards&rcategory=Awardee

Member Nomination Link: https://fiberreinforcedpolymer.com/conference-abstract-submission/?ecategory=Conference&rcategory=Speaker

Get Connected Here:,

==================

(Energy reduction Maintenance Setting)

Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UCYTJvT5COKsPwRV-u8iVxcw

Friday, November 22, 2024

Schneider Electric launches eight new innovative products and solutions to accelerate India’s energy transition

Schneider Electric launched eight new innovative products and solutions at its Multi-city INNOVATION DAYS 2024, held at Mumbai. The series of events will span across key cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata over the next few weeks, aiming to directly engage with over 2,000 end customers, partners, and stakeholders in person, and thousands more digitally.

These events will serve as a dynamic platform to unveil a wide range of new and innovative products and solutions from the Schneider Electric Portfolio, designed to be more efficient, reliable, sustainable, and safe. The event will also feature expert sessions with industry leaders to catalyse change across the entire ecosystem.

Speaking about Innovation Days 2024, Deepak Sharma, Zone President Greater India and MD & CEO, Schneider Electric India said, “Schneider Electric is deeply committed to advancing the Innovation and Sustainability roadmap of India through our extensive range of products, systems, software, and services-driven portfolio. The Multi-City Innovation Days will provide a first-hand look at more than eight new products and solutions that we have launched for a diverse set of customers. This makes Innovation Day the biggest platform in last 5 years for new offer launches. Our goal is to equip our customers and partners with state-of-the-art solutions & technologies covering Energy management and NextGen automation, thereby helping in creating a brighter, more sustainable future for India and for the world. With continuous focus on innovation, we are committed to playing a pivotal role in driving India’s journey toward energy efficiency, bolstering decarbonisation efforts, and accelerating the nation’s growth and development on its path to becoming net-zero.”

Rajat Abbi, Vice President, Global Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer, Schneider Electric India added, “We at Schneider Electric are thrilled to kick-off the Innovation Days from Mumbai. Spanning across five cities, the Innovation Days go beyond showcase of our products and solutions; they are a strategic platform to deepen our engagement with customers and partners. At Schneider Electric, our marketing playbook is guided by 4P’s: Purpose, Partnerships, Planet and Performance, and initiatives such as the Innovation Days are designed to not only inform but also to involve our stakeholders in a meaningful dialogue about the future of energy management and automation.”

The new products and solutions launched at the Mumbai Innovation Day 2024 event includes:

BlokSeT Lean LV Switchboard: next generation BlokSeT Lean LV switchboard comes with a compact design with ~ 30% less copper and reduced carbon footprint of up to ~ 30%. This next generation of LV switchboard is IOT ready with wireless connectivity and provides 24×7 real time panel health monitoring to ensure enhanced safety and uptime.

Wiser 2.0 Smart Home Energy Management Solution: Our latest Smart Home Energy Management solution comes with best-in-class technology and safety features. This solution helps customers save ~ 20% energy savings (based on research on HEMS by BEE). It is built to transform any new or existing home into a smart home in less than 4 hours.

Miluz Lara Switches and Sockets: Industry’s 1st Modular Switches range with built in Air Quality Indicator. Made for thinner walls and compact spaces that are popular in Mivan and modern construction methods, Miluz Lara is a testament to our commitment to design, safety, efficiency, and innovation. Other features include USB-type A+C charging ports, voltage surge protectors and connected switches to maximise comfort.

Galaxy VXL: A modular 3 phase UPS that allows for scalability, internal redundancy, and compatibility with various batteries. It delivers up to 97.5% efficiency in double conversion mode and up to 99% in conversion, reducing the total cost of ownership.

RM Airset RM AirSeT, an SF6-free GIS, combines pure air technology to decarbonise grids while enabling enhanced performance, reliability, and efficiency of distribution networks.

EvoPact HVX-O- MV Breaker – This product is part of the Make In India commitment and addresses the renewable market to support Govt of India’s clean energy generation and distribution initiative.

EcoCare Services Membership Plan: We help customers reduce up to ~ 75% electrical failure risk and unplanned downtime. We further help them reduce by up to ~ 40% on-site activities and planned downtime costs, extending asset lifespan and reducing carbon emissions.

#fiberreinforcedpolymer

#FRPAwards

#FiberReinforcedPolymerResearch

#FRPInnovation

#ResearchAwards

#PolymerScience

#FRPExcellence

#MaterialsResearch

#FRPAdvancements

#InnovationInPolymer

#FRPResearchAwards

#PolymerEngineering

#ResearchRecognition

#FRPDiscoveries

#PolymerResearch

#FRPBreakthroughs

#Polymer Matrix

#Composite Material Science

Visit Our Website: fiberreinforcedpolymer.com

Award Nomination Link: https://fiberreinforcedpolymer.com/award-nomination/?ecategory=Awards&rcategory=Awardee

Member Nomination Link: https://fiberreinforcedpolymer.com/conference-abstract-submission/?ecategory=Conference&rcategory=Speaker

Get Connected Here:,

==================

Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UCYTJvT5COKsPwRV-u8iVxcw

Friday, November 15, 2024

Photonic Chip Generates Ultralow-Noise Microwave Signals

A high-level schematic of the photonic integrated chip, developed by the Gaeta lab, for all-optical optical frequency division a method of converting a high-frequency signal to a lower frequency.

Optical frequency division (OFD) that leverages optical references and optical frequency combs, developed a decade ago at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), USA, is used to generate the most stable microwave signals to date. The approach typically requires multiple fast-tunable laser sources and stabilization stages, and as a result, systems have high complexity and a large footprint.

Now, researchers from Columbia University, USA, say they have implemented OFD with a single laser on a photonic chip that fits on a sharp pencil point (Nature, doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07136-2). The device reportedly generates a 16-GHz microwave signal with the lowest frequency noise that has ever been achieved in an integrated chip.
Miniaturizing OFD

Stable microwave sources are necessary components for a wide range of electronic devices, serving as clocks and information carriers. Boosting the performance of these devices, particularly for advanced applications such as metrology and high-speed data communications, requires a further reduction in phase noise.

OFD has revolutionized the field of ultralow-noise microwave generation and forms the basis of today’s atomic clocks. Essentially, two laser frequencies with a spacing in the terahertz regime are each locked to two of the nearest frequencies of an optical frequency comb. Then, the resulting frequency spacing of the two lasers is effectively “divided” by the comb. In addition, the noise of the terahertz beat frequency is also divided, resulting in a microwave signal that can be extremely low noise.

Study author Alexander Gaeta and his colleagues aimed to miniaturize OFD technology and make high-quality microwave sources available in a much more compact form factor. “Ultralow-noise microwave sources are critical for wireless communication and radar sensing. Current systems are relatively large and not portable,” said Gaeta. “Our device offers the potential to be integrated into a small, robust and highly portable package.”

A simplified design

Their device performs OFD entirely on a chip, in an area as small as 1 mm2, using only a single continuous-wave laser that pumps two photonically coupled, silicon nitride microresonators. One microresonator creates an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) that generates two new frequencies whose frequency spacing is set to the terahertz regime. Due to the quantum correlations of the OPO, the noise of this frequency difference can be thousands of times less than the noise of the pump laser.

The second microresonator is adjusted to generate an optical frequency comb with a mode spacing in the microwave X to W band. A small amount of light from the OPO couples to the comb generator, which leads to the locking of the microwave comb frequency to the terahertz oscillator that automatically results in optical frequency division.

Gaeta and his colleagues, including Columbia engineering professor Michal Lipson’s group, report having achieved OFD without the need of electronics, greatly simplifying the device. He believes that the technology will lead to new designs of future telecommunications devices, as well as improvements in the precision of microwave radars used for autonomous vehicles.

The low-noise optical parametric oscillator can be realized with even lower noise by using novel material designs. The current device is limited by microkelvin level of temperature fluctuations in the silicon nitride,” said Gaeta. “[We hope to employ] novel photonic-chip materials such that the net refractive index change can be made to zero, thus fully suppressing the effect of temperature fluctuations.

#fiberreinforcedpolymer

#FRPAwards

#FiberReinforcedPolymerResearch

#FRPInnovation

#ResearchAwards

#PolymerScience

#FRPExcellence

#MaterialsResearch

#FRPAdvancements

#InnovationInPolymer

#FRPResearchAwards

#PolymerEngineering

#ResearchRecognition

#FRPDiscoveries

#PolymerResearch

#FRPBreakthroughs

#Polymer Matrix

#Composite Material Science

Visit Our Website: fiberreinforcedpolymer.com

Award Nomination Link: https://fiberreinforcedpolymer.com/award-nomination/?ecategory=Awards&rcategory=Awardee

Member Nomination Link: https://fiberreinforcedpolymer.com/conference-abstract-submission/?ecategory=Conference&rcategory=Speaker

Get Connected Here:,

==================

Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UCYTJvT5COKsPwRV-u8iVxcw

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Optical amplifier and record-sensitive receiver pave the way for faster space communication

In space exploration, long-distance optical links can now be used to transmit images, films and data from space probes to Earth using light. But in order for the signals to reach all the way and not be disturbed along the way, hypersensitive receivers and noise-free amplifiers are required.

Now, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, have created a system that, with a silent amplifier and record-sensitive receiver, paves the way for faster and improved space communication.

Their study, "Ultralow noise preamplified optical receiver using conventional single wavelength transmission," is published in Optica.

Space communication systems are increasingly based on optical laser beams rather than radio waves, as the signal loss has been shown to be less when light is used to carry information over very long distances. But even information carried by light loses its power during the journey, and optical systems for space communication therefore require extremely sensitive receivers capable of sensing signals that have been greatly weakened before they finally reach Earth.

The Chalmers researchers' concept of optical space communication opens up new communication opportunities and discoveries in space.

"We can demonstrate a new system for optical communication with a receiver that is more sensitive than has been demonstrated previously at high data rates. This means that you can get a faster and more error-free transfer of information over very long distances, for example when you want to send high-resolution images or videos from the moon or Mars to Earth," says Peter Andrekson, Professor of Photonics at Chalmers and one of the lead authors of the study. Silent amplifier with simplified transmitter improves communication

The researchers' communication system uses an optical amplifier in the receiver that amplifies the signal with the least possible noise so that its information can be recycled.

Just like the glow of a flashlight, the light from the transmitter widens and weakens with distance. Without amplification, the signal is so weak after the space flight that it is drowned out by the electronic noise of the receiver.

After 20 years of struggling with disturbing noise that impaired the signals, the research team at Chalmers was able to demonstrate a noise-free optical amplifier a few years ago. But until now, the silent amplifier has not been able to be used practically in optical communication links, as it has placed completely new, significantly more complex, demands on both transmitter and receiver.

Due to the limited resources and minimal space on board a space probe, it is important that the transmitter is as simple as possible.

By allowing the receiver on Earth to generate two of the three light frequencies needed for noise-free amplification, and at the same time allowing the transmitter to generate only one frequency, the Chalmers researchers were able to implement the noise-free amplifier in an optical communication system for the first time. The results show outstanding sensitivity, while complexity at the transmitter is modest.

"This phase-sensitive optical amplifier does not, in principle, generate any extra noise, which contributes to a more sensitive receiver and that error-free data transmission is achieved even when the power of the signal is lower," says Rasmus Larsson, Postdoctoral Researcher in Photonics at Chalmers and one of the lead authors of the study.

"By generating two extra waves of different frequencies in the receiver, rather than as previously done in the transmitter, a conventional laser transmitter with one wave can now be used to implement the amplifier. Our simplification of the transmitter means that already existing optical transmitters on board satellites and probes could be used together with the noise-free amplifier in a receiver on Earth."
Can solve problematic bottleneck

The progress means that the researchers' silent amplifiers can eventually be used in practice in communication links between space and Earth. The system is thus poised to contribute to solving a well-known bottleneck problem among space agencies today.

"NASA talks about 'the science return bottleneck,' and here the speed of the collection of scientific data from space to Earth is a factor that constitutes an obstacle in the chain. We believe that our system is an important step forward towards a practical solution that can resolve this bottleneck," says Peter Andrekson.

The next step for the researchers is to test the optical communication system with the implemented amplifier during field studies on Earth, and later also in communication links between a satellite and Earth.

#fiberreinforcedpolymer

#FRPAwards

#FiberReinforcedPolymerResearch

#FRPInnovation

#ResearchAwards

#PolymerScience

#FRPExcellence

#MaterialsResearch

#FRPAdvancements

#InnovationInPolymer

#FRPResearchAwards

#PolymerEngineering

#ResearchRecognition

#FRPDiscoveries

#PolymerResearch

#FRPBreakthroughs

#Polymer Matrix

#Composite Material Science

Visit Our Website: fiberreinforcedpolymer.com

Award Nomination Link: https://fiberreinforcedpolymer.com/award-nomination/?ecategory=Awards&rcategory=Awardee

Member Nomination Link: https://fiberreinforcedpolymer.com/conference-abstract-submission/?ecategory=Conference&rcategory=Speaker

Get Connected Here:,

==================