oday's KNOWLEDGE Share: carbon fiber rope

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

A carbon fiber rope that enables elevator travel heights up to 1000 meters! 

Meeting the demands of ever-higher buildings and their huge, growing populations requires setting new benchmarks in elevator and building intelligence technology, design, and project solutions... 

@KONE's UltraRope® sets a new benchmark for high-rise buildings. The super-light #KONE UltraRope technology provides unrivalled #elevator eco-efficiency, reliability and durability, while also improving elevator performance. It eliminates the disadvantages of existing steel #ropes: high energy consumption, rope stretch, large moving masses, and downtime caused by building sway. 

In an elevator traveling 500 meters, the lightweight #carbonfiber core cuts elevator moving masses by up to 60% compared to steel ropes. When elevator travel heights increase, even larger reductions can be achieved! With the significant reduction in elevator moving masses, lower acceleration currents, and a reduced need for machine-room cooling, KONE high-rise elevator solutions are more efficient than conventional technologies. KONE UltraRope cuts energy consumption by 15% for a 500 meter elevator. When elevators travel higher in the future, an energy savings as much as 45% can be achieved for an 800 meter elevator. 

The carbon fiber core of KONE UltraRope has an exceptionally long lifetime, twice as long as the lifetime of conventional steel ropes. And, unlike steel, the solid structure does not densify and stretch, while the special coating means no lubrication is required. All of this adds up to a significant reduction in elevator downtime. 

Source: #managingcomposites #thenativelab

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New Study Reveals that Sweat may Leach Flame-retardant Chemicals from Microplastics

A new study at the University of Birmingham shows human sweat has been found to leach toxic chemicals out of microplastics and are potentially making them available to be absorbed through skin.

The team looked at microplastics taken from common forms of plastic and tested them with a synthetic sweat in a lab. They analyzed the bio accessibility of #brominated #flameretardants (a class of chemical used to improve the performance of plastics) after microplastics have come into contact with sweat.

Constant Exposure of Skin with Chemicals:
These found that in all examples, the toxic chemicals leached out of the #plasticparticles and as a result, these chemicals may be absorbed through layers of #skin.

The paper, published in #EnvironmentalScience and Technology found that polyethylene microplastics were the worst for bio accessibility of the flame-retardant chemicals which have been previously found in animal studies to cause adverse #healtheffects including #neurotoxicity, #reproductivetoxicity and #cancer.

Dr Ovokeroye Abafe, Marie-Curie Research fellow at the University of Birmingham and first author of the paper said, “The study provides new insights into the risk that arises from our exposure to microplastics in daily life. Our skin is constantly exposed to #microplastics either through our #clothing, #cosmetics, #indoor and #outdoordustparticles, or even from the air.”

“We have shown the first experimental evidence that #toxicadditive chemicals can #leach out from microplastics to our #sweat and become available for absorption through the skin. This raises concern over potential adverse effects of these chemicals, including #endocrinedisruption, neurotoxicity, obesity, and cancer”, Dr Abafe concluded.

Source: University of Birmingham/specialchem

Massachusetts’ oldest movable steel truss bridge marks 10-year znniversary of nation’s largest six-span FRP composite vehicle deck

Rocks Village Bridge recently marked the 10-year anniversary of its six-span Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) vehicle deck. Creative Composites Group’s (CCG) FRP composite deck was installed in 2013 as part of a $14 million renovation project managed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

The 140-year-old steel truss structure connects West Newbury, Merrimac and Haverhill residents as well as several Southern New Hampshire towns, making it one of Massachusetts’ most heavily travelled bridges. Its hand-operated swing span accommodates boat traffic. In 2022, CCG personnel performed a visual inspection of the 18,776-square-foot FRP deck, which remains the largest #composite vehicle span in the nation.

“Technicians found that the FRP deck was in optimal condition with minor maintenance needed for overlay cracking at the joints and connection holes,” says Scott Reeve, business development for CCG. “It would have been nearly impossible to achieve a bridge that functioned to current safety standards yet maintained the bridge’s character and original metal latticework with a traditional concrete deck. A typical concrete deck weighs 100 pounds per square foot, creating a deadload a historic #steeltruss span can’t tolerate. The FRP deck weighs just 25 pounds per square foot. A decade of use also demonstrates FRP’s ability to withstand the effects of a harsh environment and rigorous use.”

CCG prefabricates very large, corrosion-resistant panels at its Dayton, Ohio manufacturing facility. Constructing panels on CCG’s production floor allows the company to coordinate design and construction specifications upfront instead of at the job site. Installation is quicker, and overall costs reduced.

“The Rocks Village Bridge is a good example of CCG’s ability to fabricate very large #FRPstructures with high structural load requirements,” says Reeve. “The relative stiffness of our #fiberglass material makes deflection the driving factor in deck sizing with FRP. Because of this unique element, #FRPbridges and #bridgedecks are built to safety and strength factors much higher than that of conventional material. In short, it means our decks will never break.”

Source:www.creativecompositesgroup.com/jeccomposites

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Today's KNOWLEDGE Share:NITTOBO FLAT FIBER

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

So you heard about these Japanese NITTOBO flat fibers and how they significantly reduce warpage…

Thanks to the unique « flake-like » shape, these fibers constrain the cross-flow shrinkage more than usual circular fibers do, leading to superior part flatness.

But did you know that flowability will be significantly enhanced also ?

Given their cross-section, at the same glass volume fraction (say 50% GF by weight) you end-up with much fewer individual particles (one flat fiber has the volume of 3-4 circular fibers) in your polymer matrix.

Since filler-driven increase of viscosity correlates with hydrodynamic radius and displaced fluid, viscosity increases much less with flat fibers when compared to standard circular fibers !

Price tag is a bit higher though.

Source:Vito Leo

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#nittoboflatfiber #glassfiber #plastics #warpage #injectionmolding #viscosity

Iceberg of Ignorance

The “Iceberg of Ignorance” says that executives only know 4% of what is going on in their organizations. This has critical implications for how strategy should be developed.

Coined in 1989 by Sidney Yoshida, the Iceberg of Ignorance has become a popular metaphor to illustrate how little top executives usually know about what is really going on in their organizations.

Allegedly, executives know only 4%, while managers know 9%, team leaders 74% and staff 100% of the problems in an organization.

The exact percentages don’t really matter. Furthermore, I don’t think that Yoshida meant to say that staff knows much more about a company than executives, even collectively.

Because, of course, executives and managers also know a great deal about their organization (at least in most cases). And staff don't know about a lot of things that executives and managers do know about.

So, the real point is not that staff knows everything and that executives know nothing. Or that a fully bottom-up or democratic approach to business is the solution.

No, the real implication is the realization that EVERYONE in an organization knows something important and that we need all that knowledge on board if we want to make the right, important decisions. Along that line, I think the percentages in reality are cumulative, so that executives + managers + team leaders + staff TOGETHER know 100%.

The area where this is most relevant is strategy. Strategy is complex and difficult by definition because it concerns an organization’s future and covers everything going on within and around that organization.

Exactly because of that, the Iceberg of Ignorance is so important to be aware of. Because, executives don’t know enough to make strategy on their own. They only know the tip of the iceberg. They need their managers, team leaders and staff because each of them knows something else important as well.

This means #strategydevelopment needs to be participative and inclusive, giving everyone a place in the process and tapping the collective wisdom of the entire organization.

Is this already how strategy development takes place in your organization?

Source:Jerpen Kraaijenbrink

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AOC announces price increase for styrene-based products

AOC has announced a price increase of €150 per ton for its entire portfolio of #styrenebased Composite resins sold in #Europe, Middle East, Africa and India. The price increase will be effective September 1st, 2023, or as soon as contracts allow.

AOC is experiencing significant #price increases from its #styrene suppliers from multiple locations, both within Europe and importing into Europe from overseas. The company is doing its best to secure supply lines and ensure its customers can be reliably served. The #Styrenefree products sold by #AOC will not be affected by this price increase.

“AOC is doing its best to minimize the impact of the raw material cost increase, but presently we have no other choice but to raise the prices of our products”, explains Fons Harbers, Vice President Marketing & Sales EMEA of AOC.

Source:AOCRESINS/jeccomposites.com

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Harper Hygienics Introduces Feminine Hygiene Products

Harper Hygienics is adding feminine care products to its well-known Cleanic brand, which currrently includes cosmetic pads, buds and wipes.

 

In 2021, Harper Hygienics introduced Cleanic Naturals Organic Cotton, a pilot project for eco-friendly feminine hygiene products. The organic cotton sanitary pads with wings were a big success, with demand exceeding expectations. This has encouraged Harper Hygienics to expand its range of women's hygiene products. Recently, the company has introduced products in different price segments, namely, Cleanic Soft, Cleanic Pure Cotton and Cleanic Naturals Hemp to cater to a wider range of customers.

 

The new Cleanic Soft pads are designed for young confident Z-generation women who are looking for novelties and want to stand out. Both day and night versions have a bright, well-recognized, eye-catching packaging design. The pads have a double absorbent layer that secure two times more #absorbency than competitor products, as confirmed by laboratory tests. This, combined with a delicate elastic top layer and special wings, makes Cleanic Soft pads comfortable and easy to use.

 

Cleanic Pure #Cottonpads have a top layer made of 100% organic cotton. The soft and #breathable pads provide comfort and reliable leak protection with an attractive and creative #packaging design to appeal to modern, active, and self-confident women. The exceptional delicacy for the #skin was confirmed by 100% of respondents during a survey commissioned by #Harper Hygienics.

 

Finally, Cleanic Naturals #hemp is a premium-quality product representing an extension of the Naturals line. The absorbent core of the pads is produced with organic cotton and hemp fibers with #antibacterial and #hypoallergenic properties, making them a natural solution for sensitive skin. The pads are dermatologist tested and free of fragrances and dyes. 

Source:nonwovens-industry.com

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