The last issue of Reinforced Plastics for 2012 has been published and I was just flicking through my copies.
There've been some great cover pictures this year! My favourite is November/December. Who'd have thought an aircraft jet engine could be so photogenic? And the story of the design and manufacture of composite fan blades is fascinating.
Blades for the GE90 engine, for example, are made using preforms that comprise hundreds of plies of unidirectional carbon prepreg tape and fabric near the blade root, where thickness is up to 4 inches, thinning out progressively to about 0.25 inches at the tip. (See Aero engines lose weight thanks to composites (Part 1).)
You can take a look at all the 2012 covers in this Reinforced Plastics Facebook Album.
What's your favourite, and why?
