ADVANCED COMPOSITE PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY, INC



[pic]

ADVANCED COMPOSITE PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY, INC.

FULL PRODUCTION CAPABILITY

PROTOTYPE FABRICATION

MANUFACTURING PROCESS DEVELOPMENT

SMALL RUN PRODUCTION

CONSULTING AND DESIGN SERVICES

BACKGROUND

Advanced Composite Products and Technology, Inc. (ACPT) has been providing custom development and fabrication of advanced composite hardware for research, commercial, government and private institutions for more than 25 years. Materials including graphite, Kevlar, glass, aramid and other reinforcing fibers are being used in combination with epoxies, polyesters and other matrices including most thermosets and some thermoplastics in many diverse applications from undersea to outer space.

ACPT was formed in 1977 by Dr. James C. Leslie, and his son, James C. Leslie II. ACPT was started specifically to build filament wound graphite tubing for down well applications. Work quickly branched out into the high performance requirements of the aerospace industry. Although, nearly all composite fabrication techniques are employed, and many different structures have been built, tubular products have continued to be the area in which ACPT excels. Commercial product lines were developed for power transmission shafts, (Aerospace, Automotive, Trucks, and Industrial), and for industrial rollers and idlers. Pipe, tube, and pressure vessels have continued to be a major facet of the overall product line.

Our staff at ACPT are experts in composites and related technologies. Their backgrounds and knowledge cover all areas of composite manufacturing from design and analysis through production, quality control, and marketing. Whatever your advanced composite needs may be, from a little assistance to full production of specific hardware, we can help. ACPT, Inc. is privately held and is considered a Small Business Enterprise by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

FACILITIES

We have been associated with highly technical composite hardware for military and aerospace applications as well as commercial ventures. ACPT has designed, analyzed and fabricated many complex shapes, and have worked from room temperature to cryogenic requirements along with many elevated temperature applications (ceramic/ceramic composites for example). There is 30,000 ft2 devoted to composite manufacturing with a focus on filament winding, resin formulation and laminate lay-up along with composite machining and finishing.

EXPERIENCE

ACPT has experience in many different advanced composite applications, some of which include:

1 Aerospace

Satellite Battery Container

Satellite Antenna Components

Numerous Space Shuttle Parts

Filament Wound "Nose Cone"

Reinforcing Rings

Thin Walled Tubing for Air and Spacecraft

Space and Launch Vehicle Structural Components

Aircraft Ducting, Components, and Drive Shafts

Honeycomb Structures

Hydraulic Cylinder Overwrap

2 Military

Launch Tubes

Composite Tank Tracks

Optical Mounting Assemblies

Ordnance Components

Vehicle Parts (Space, Air, Land and Sea)

3 Electronic

Cryogenic Tubing and Tanks

Omni Polarizers and other Radar Components

Radomes (Submarine, Shipboard, and Land based)

Magnet Cores and Coilforms

Directional Heat Shields

Computer and Peripheral Components

4 Commercial

Lightweight Industrial Rolls

Undersea Geophysical

Down well Tubing, Drill Pipe and Sucker Rods

High Speed Rotors

Pressure Vessels

Ultracentrifuge Bodies

Automotive and Industrial Driveshafts

Electric Vehicle Components and Structural Design

Our list of satisfied customers includes Lockheed-Martin, Department of Navy, TRW, Rockwell, McDonnell Douglas, Hughes, Boeing, JPL, Sperry Univac, NBS, Loral, Marquardt, Northrop, Aerojet, ITT, BALL, AT&T, and many other commercial enterprises.

QUALITY CONTROL

ACPT maintains quality control to MIL-I-45208A and MIL-STD-1520C, and is included on the approved vendor lists of many major aerospace and defense oriented corporations. ACPT is in the process of ISO-9001 certification.

EQUIPMENT

1 Filament Winding

CNC, 4 axis, with capacity to 132" diameter and 360" length

CNC, 4 axis, with capacity to 48" diameter and 156" length

CNC, 3 axis, 8 spindles, 84” length for large volume production

Mechanical machine with capacity to 72" diameter and 240" length

CNC, 2 axis, 8 spindles for large volume production

2 Lamination

Pressurized Clean Room

Remote Centralized Vacuum System

Vacuum Mixer

3 Curing

Autoclaves- 100 psi, 600 F, 4' Diameter by 4' deep

Up to 250 psi, 650F,10' diameter by 26' deep (off site)

Hydraulic Presses (laminating and compression molding)

Air Circulating Ovens up-to 10'x 9'x 7, 8'x 5'x 32', and 18'x 4'x 3'

Lab Ovens

Vacuum Oven

4 Machine Shop

Lathes (up to 31" swing, 44" in gap, and 20' between centers)

Centerless Sander

Milling Machines

Grinders

Saws

Drills

5 Miscellaneous

Walk-in Freezer for Prepreg and Adhesive Storage

Hydraulic Mandrel Puller

Measuring and Recording Devices (all calibrated per MIL-STD-45662)

Aerospace qualified tooling and material storage

Design Services

Our experience with many diverse projects has given us a broad background from which to draw innovative ideas with projects such as:

Advanced Composite Design and Analysis through F E.A.

Manufacturing/Design Coordination

Filament Winding

Composite Fabrication

Manufacturing Troubleshooting

Process Development

Plant Layout and Equipment

TECHNICAL AND PRICING INFORMATION

Please call (714) 895-5544 or FAX (714) 895-7766 for further information, technical assistance or quotations.

Chronicle of Filament Winding at ACPT

OIL FIELD TUBULARS

1 Composite Drill Pipe:

ACPT is currently completing Phase III of a U.S. Department of Energy sponsored program to develop Composite Drill Pipe for the oil industry. To date, most of the technical problems have been solved and a capability to 350ºF has been demonstrated. This drill pipe will provide an enabling capability for extended reach and deep water drilling. The pipe will correspond to standard 7 inch tool joints, 30 foot sections but will weigh less than half as much as the steel pipe. A second, smaller diameter product designed for short radius drilling is currently being field tested by several drilling companies.

2 Down Well Piping and Sucker Rod:

Starting in 1989, ACPT designed and fabricated composite pipe for EOR (Electromagnetic Oil Recovery, International.) A total of thirteen (13) contracts have been completed. This work included pipe sized from 3.7" to 5.5", "non-conductive" composite sections, with standard steel end fittings, insulating over-wrap of steel casings, and attachments. The operating environments include standard down well corrosive conditions, and temperatures in excess of 350°F

3 Composite Drill Collars:

In 1996, under contract to Applied Technologies Associates of Paso Robles, CA, ACPT fabricated two sections of drill collar. These units were designed, tested, and met all of the following specifications:

i. Torque Capacity: 12,000 LB-FT

ii. Tension Capacity: 100,000 LB

iii. Compression Capacity: 50,000 LB

iv. Internal Operating Pressure: 2000 PSI

v. Maximum Operating Temperature: 350°F

vi. Electrical Resistance (End-to-End): 10,000 OHMS

MARINE AND UNDERWATER APPLICATIONS

a. Submarine Radomes:

Composite Submarine Radomes were designed, developed and manufactured by ACPT. These radomes were designed to specifications including submergence over-pressure, nuclear and conventional explosions, wave slap, drag load, and temperature extremes from tropical to arctic areas. They had to be radar transparent and hermetically sealed. The design included Kevlar, S-glass, graphite, and stainless steel. Fabrication method was filament winding, with stainless steel mounting rings attached by secondary bonding.

b. Electronic Housings for Geophysical Ocean Floor Mapping:

Working under contract to Texas Instruments in 1984, ACPT designed a graphite-epoxy housing to replace the stainless steel housings in use at that time. From then 1,438 units were supplied to Texas Instruments or Halliburton Geophysical Services, Inc. until these housings were phased out.

c. Arms for Deep Ocean Exploration Vehicle:

ACPT designed and filament wound heavy walled rectangular arm-which were used in a Deep Ocean Exploration Vehicle. This work was done in 1993 and 1994 for the Deep Ocean Engineering Company of San Leandro, CA.

d. Ocean Bottom Extensometer Housings:

Under contract to N.O.A.A., ACPT designed, built, and supplied sealable fiberglass/epoxy pressure vessels. These tubular products were used as extensometer housings for long-term evaluation and recording of ocean bottom physical characteristics, in the study of plate tectonics.

DRIVESHAFTS

e. Marine:

ACPT is currently the sole source supplier for both the land and water drivelines for the Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle currently under development by General Dynamics for the U.S. Government. ACPT has supplied Carbon fiber driveshafts for Circle Track Race Boats that were using stainless steel driveshafts at the time. The stainless shafts had a harmonic condition that was breaking engine crankshafts at an unacceptable occurrence rate. The ACPT carbon fiber driveshaft solved the harmonic problem and also resulted in an increase of 300 useable RPM, and a faster boat. Several similar shafts have been supplied since.

f. General Motors:

Starting in 1985, ACPT, working with General Motors' 'Skunk Works", developed and delivered graphite/epoxy tubing, which were used to evaluate composite driveshafts for pick-ups and light trucks. General Motors was pleased with the results, but made the decision that composite driveshafts would, at that time, be too expensive for use in OEM automotive applications.

g. Automotive Racing Driveshafts:

Since 1986, ACPT has been involved in the design, testing, prototyping, and production of automotive racing driveshafts. Virtually any type of racecar that uses a driveshaft, has used an ACPT designed and manufactured driveshaft. The ability to increase natural harmonic frequencies and RPM, damp rotational shock and vibration, reduce weight, handle high torque loads and dramatically improve safety has proven to be a tremendous advantage in racing. This includes drag strip, dirt track, oval track, and road courses.

h. Vibration Reduction in High Performance Vehicles:

ACPT driveshafts are being used extensively to obtain higher performance and to eliminate vibration problems in high-performance "street legal" vehicles. These shafts are sold regularly in both foreign and domestic markets.

i. Pick-up Trucks and Luxury Vehicles:

NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) is being eliminated in extended cab pickups and luxury automobiles by replacing two-piece and sometimes three-piece metal driveshafts with single-span composite driveshafts manufactured by ACPT.

j. Truck:

ACPT Composite Driveshafts have been successfully "test-track" and laboratory tested by three OEM truck manufacturers. In addition, ACPT had a 1760 series single piece "carbon fiber driveshaft" installed in a full sized Mack garbage truck. Installed in August, 1994, that shaft operated for four years and 180,000 miles under one of the most demanding driveshaft applications.

OTHER FILAMENT WOUND TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCE

k. Commercial Rollers:

Precision rollers, filament wound from graphite/epoxy are regularly supplied to OEM equipment manufacturers, and end-users of the equipment, in the paper, film and foil, and converting industries. These rollers are filament-wound, OD-machined, secondarily bonded to metal end fittings, coated, and are precision balanced. Machining tolerances of .0005” to .004” TIR are routinely held in manufacturing rollers from 1" diameter to 20" diameter, and from 8" long over 20 feet. (See also Section 7.3). These rollers are supplied with many different exterior surfaces, including nickel, copper, tungsten-carbide, elastomers, rubber, ceramic, and bare composite.

l. Nickel Plated Graphite Tubing:

ACPT has supplied filament wound tubing utilizing nickel-plated IM-6 graphite fibers to Hughes Space and Communications. Hughes used this tubing in a satellite antenna structure.

m. Launch Tubing (AWSM):

ACPT successfully developed two different launch tubes under contract to Ford Aerospace. Unfortunately, Ford did not win the follow-on contracts. As a result, ACPT did not participate in these production contracts.

n. Stinger Launch Tubes:

ACPT developed the first filament wound Stinger launch tubes under contract to ComTec. These were used as training units. After successful Stinger development by ACPT, filament winding was selected as the "standard" method for Stinger launch tube fabrication.

o. Warheads:

ACPT has completed at least three different filament wound warhead development contracts. Contracting facilities included Ford Aerospace and Aerojet.

p. Aircraft Seat Ejection Tubes:

Precision metal tubes over-wound with fiberglass, to be used for aircraft ejection seat charges, were supplied under contract to Talley UPCO.

q. Chaff Dispensing Tubes:

ACPT has supplied graphite/epoxy filament wound tubing for use as shipboard anti-missile chaff dispensers to Loral Aerospace.

r. Satellite Truss Structures:

Rockwell, Lockheed, RCA, Hughes, TRW, Boeing, and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center have used filament wound graphite, glass, and Kevlar tubes developed and tested by ACPT in satellite structures.

s. Filament Wound Graphite Epoxy Rocket Motors:

Eggshell sized filament wound divert rocket motors for the ERINT missile system were developed by ACPT for Pacific Scientific, who later won the production contract.

t. Superconducting Super Collider:

The glass and graphite thermal support tubes, and the graphite tie bars slated for use in the SSC were designed and developed by ACPT. ACPT was positioned very well to win production contracts had this project been continued by Congress.

PRESSURE VESSELS

u. Hydraulic Cylinders for Military Aircraft

In 1984, ACPT, under contract to Parker Hannifin, designed and developed Kevlar over-wound and longitudinally reinforced (with graphite fiber) hydraulic actuator cylinders for use in military aircraft. This work was Navy sponsored. Since that time, ACPT continues to perform over-winding of hydraulic cylinders for military aircraft on a regular basis.

v. Graphite Over-wound Hydraulic Cylinders

In 1999, ACPT won an STTR and with the assistance of Sergeant Controls and under contract to the U.S. Office of Naval Research successfully developed and demonstrated the use of graphite fiber for over wrapping high performance hydraulic cylinders. The objective of this program was to provide cost effective weight reduction to the Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAAV) by developing lightweight, composite over-wound cylinders for the vehicle’s hydraulic actuators. The largest actuator, which is located in the most weight critical area, was selected for modification. The metal cylinder’s wall thickness was reduced to 46% and as calculated, survived without failure to the required design burst pressure of 12,500 psig. A cylinder was successfully tested at 250ºF for 1,000 cycles of 0-7,500 psig. A final cylinder was then tested at ambient temperature to 7,500 psig for 2,000 cycles.

w. Over-wound Pressure Vessels

ACPT has developed and is currently manufacturing graphite over-wrapped metallic pressure tanks for use in space applications for Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Four different tanks are being supplied: Three with full graphite over wrap and one with 90º over wrap (cylinder section).[pic]

-----------------------

APM -0503 Copyright ACPT, Inc. 2003

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download