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Open Journal of Composite Materials
Number of Followers: 21

This is an Open Access Journal

Open Access journal
ISSN (Print) 2164-5612 - ISSN (Online) 2164-5655
Published by Scientific Research Publishing

[243 journals]

Editor's letter: Stuck in our homes, in the small space between
those few walls, we find ourselves dreaming of what's outside,
beyond, and even of other worlds
- Authors: Dickon Ross;
  Pages: 4 - 5
  Abstract: ON ONE day last month, millions watched a spacecraft the size of a small car land on another planet hundreds of millions of miles away. And back on Earth, we cheered.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
News briefing: World news
- Pages: 6 - 7
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
Space: Landmark 3D printer to enable rocketbuilding in Scotland
- Authors: Jonathan Wilson;
  Pages: 8 - 9
  Abstract: UK SPACE COMPANY Orbex has commissioned an industrial 3D printer it says will be Europe's largest as it prepares to launch rockets from Scotland in 2022. Weighing over 12 tonnes, the system will be able to print 35 rocket engines each year.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
News briefing: Energy: ITER will withstand extreme heat load, simulations
show
- Pages: 10 - 10
  Abstract: RESEARCHERS at the US Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory have used computer simulations to predict the heat-related damage caused to ITER, the international tokamak under construction in France.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
Rail: Next-gen tube trains boast air-con, higher capacity and real-time
info screens
- Authors: Jack Loughran;
  Pages: 11 - 11
  Abstract: THE NEXT generation of trains for London Underground's Piccadilly Line will feature air conditioning, real-time information screens and higher passenger capacity, Transport for London (TfL) has said. Developed in partnership with Siemens, the new trains will replace the Piccadilly Line's ageing fleet which were first introduced in the 1970s.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
TheGraphic Asbestos in British homes: Covid-19 lockdown and home refitting
plans introduce unique challenges to asbestos-contaminated homes across
the UK.
- Authors: Ben Heubl;
  Pages: 12 - 13
  Abstract: AS BRITS SPEND time mostly in their own four walls, the risk of asbestos exposure at home grows with a surging appetite for DIY work during lockdown. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) says that asbestos is only a problem when fibres are released into the air. However, spending more time at home may increase the risk of exposure, especially as a 2010 study suggests that nearly half of Brits are unaware that asbestos was used as a building material in their homes.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
The bigger picture artificial wind Island
- Pages: 14 - 15
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
Your letters: Send your letters to the editor, E&T, Michael Faraday house,
Six Hills Way, Stevenage, Herts SG1 2AY, UK
- Pages: 16 - 17
  Abstract: ENERGY RENEWABLE THREAT TO GRID STABILITY: Steve Macken (Letters, March 2021) expresses excitement at the prospect of the transition to a zero-carbon electricity system. After 39 years in the supply industry, initially in distribution and latterly in transmission, I regrettably do not share his optimism that renewable energy sources, coupled with grid-connected storage, increased interconnection with other countries and “smarter use of electricity”, will diminish the need for baseload generation.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
Comment: Manufacturing: Ventilator teamwork shows what's possible
with innovative thinking: A cross-sector UK response to Covid-19 has
prompted those involved to ask – why can't UK industry work like
this all the time'
- Authors: Dick Elsy;
  Pages: 19 - 19
  Abstract: IT'S BEEN NEARLY a year since the fateful day when Boris Johnson put out a plea for help from British industry. With the news feeds full of images of patients being turned away from Italian hospitals and the UK National Health Service short of ventilators, the question was: can you make them and make them fast'
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
Why do we need the iss': The International Space Station is the most
expensive and most complex engineering project ever. But what are the
societal benefits of maintaining an orbital outpost that we mere mortals
will never get to visit'
- Authors: Tereza Pultarova;
  Pages: 20 - 23
  Abstract: IN NOVEMBER 2020, the International Space Station celebrated 20 years of its permanent human habitation. A major milestone for the world of astronautics and, as the world's space agencies say, for humanity itself.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
What's in our future' an earth ‘twin’ will tell us: Weather
forecasting and climate modelling have come a long way over the past 50
years
- Authors: Tereza Pultarova;
  Pages: 24 - 27
  Abstract: MISFORTUNES never come singly, says an old proverb. And so, as the Covid-19 pandemic continued wreaking havoc in the world, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) revealed in January 2021 that prices of key crops had been rising at the highest rate in six years. Wars, pest infestations, droughts, hurricanes and floods disrupted agriculture in many parts of the world over the course of the ill-fated 2020 and suddenly, there was less produce left in global reserves. The price of soy shot up by 56 per cent compared to the previous year; corn gained 45 per cent. While not as serious as the global food crises of the late 2000s, the trend was concerning especially for poorer countries, according to FAO.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
Solar Orbiter: Mission to study the sun: Designing a spacecraft that can
image the Sun as closely as possible without melting the delicate
instruments has been a challenge. But scientists' luck could be
about to change.
- Authors: Louise Murray;
  Pages: 28 - 31
  Abstract: LAUNCHED IN February 2020 from Cape Canaveral, a 1.7-tonne spacecraft called the Solar Orbiter aims to get up-close images of the Sun from 42 million kilometres away, while measuring its energetic behaviour in real-time. The suite of 10 on-board instruments will enable it to uniquely marry the study of events in the Sun's gaseous corona, measure its magnetic fields, and sample the solar wind as it flows past the spacecraft as a stream of energetic particles. Apart from furthering our understanding of how the Sun works, there are practical reasons why observing and better predicting the Sun's behaviour is a good idea.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
Is the uk ‘go for launch’': A key component in the UK's
ambition to become a powerhouse in the space industry is to have
indigenous launch capabilities
- Authors: Mark Williamson;
  Pages: 32 - 33
  Abstract: SPACE BUSINESS in Britain appears to be booming. According to the UK Space Agency's 2020–21 corporate plan, the sector currently makes “a substantial contribution to UK prosperity” by generating an income of £14.8bn, employing 42,000 people and supporting a further £300bn of economic activity through the use of satellite services.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
A galaxy up close: The Gaia galaxy-mapping mission generates more
scientific papers per year than the famed Hubble Space-Telescope, yet to
the general public it remains mysterious
- Authors: Tereza Pultarova;
  Pages: 34 - 37
  Abstract: IT WAS AN early Christmas for astronomers all over the world when the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC) released a new batch of data from the European Space Agency's astrometry mission called Gaia on 3 December 2020.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
Beam it up!: We reminisce about some of the most unusual things that have
left the confines of Earth over the years
- Authors: Siobhan Doyle;
  Pages: 38 - 39
  Abstract: A cake and a cuppa': You may remember seeing a viral video from a few years ago on social media which involved a teacake's voyage into space in a fun experiment. Well, that wasn't in your imagination... indeed, in 2017, scientists at Glasgow Science Centre launched a Tunnock's Teacake into space using a hydrogen weather balloon.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
The disaster data dilemma: We have the data. We have the technology. We
have the expertise
- Authors: Victoria Woollaston;
  Pages: 40 - 42
  Abstract: WHEN A 15m wave struck reactors at Fukushima's nuclear plant in 2011, three workers lost their lives. In the years that followed, the death toll rose to 1,650. Almost a quarter of a million people fled their homes, 120,000 buildings were destroyed and a 19-mile radiation zone was enforced – all at a cost of 11 trillion yen (£77bn).
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
Scrapheap in the sky: Rising levels of space debris threaten to obliterate
satellites and knockout internet access. Meet the organisations racing to
stop the junk in its tracks
- Authors: Rebecca Pool;
  Pages: 44 - 47
  Abstract: THE YEAR BEFORE Elon Musk launched his first string of Starlink satellites, he dispatched a midnight cherry Tesla Roadster, ‘driven' by a spacesuit-clad mannequin, on top of his Falcon Heavy rocket. Today, ‘Starman' and his Tesla continue to spin through space at several thousand miles per hour while more than 1,000 Starlink satellites have reached Earth orbit to deliver high-speed satellite internet across the globe. But we have a problem.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
Fishing in murky waters: Cargo ships from around the world are moving
untracked in African waters, where the rise of a new fishing activity
affects everything from local biodiversity to piracy
- Authors: Ben Heubl;
  Pages: 48 - 50
  Abstract: THE VERACRUZ SHOULDN'T simply disappear. This is no small fishing boat but a 108m-long, 3,755 gross tonnage, refrigerated cargo ship built in 1977. Yet every time it crosses the sea border from Namibia to Angola it seems to do exactly that, as its operators switch off the automatic identification system (AIS) tracking signal. 'Going dark' contravenes the international treaty for Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS) rules for ships like this of over 300 gross tonnage.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
From the IET archives: Pierre Gassendi's institutio astronomica
- Authors: Daniel Simkin;
  Pages: 51 - 51
  Abstract: INSTITUTIO ASTRONOMICA, regarded as one of the first modern astronomy textbooks, was originally published in 1647 and is based on a series of lectures that Pierre Gassendi gave when he was the chair of mathematics at College Royal in Paris. It is divided into three parts, the first discussing the theory of the spheres, the second describing astronomical theory, and the third examining the conflicting ideas of Tycho Brahe and Nicolaus Copernicus. Gassendi also wrote biographies of Brahe and Copernicus as well as other notable philosophers and scientists.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
On yer bike: Since Covid-19 first hit, London has almost doubled the
amount of segregated cycling infrastructure and created dozens of
'low traffic neighbourhoods'
- Authors: James O'Malley;
  Pages: 52 - 55
  Abstract: BEFORE THE PANDEMIC hit, the capital's transport network was feeling the pressure. The London Underground was operating at far beyond its designed capacity, and every day saw an estimated 2.9 million journeys made by passengers, 38 per cent more compared to the year 2010, despite the network looking almost identical.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
Real results from sailing simulation: America's Cup boats are fast.
Very fast. Speeds can top 50 knots (93km/h) as these boats apparently fly
over the surface of the water
- Authors: Tim Fryer;
  Pages: 56 - 57
  Abstract: REIGNING CHAMPS Emirates Team New Zealand are, at the time of writing, preparing to defend the trophy they won in 2017 against the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team from Italy. A local pandemic-protecting lockdown in Auckland, New Zealand, has delayed the start of the final series, which is still due to be concluded on 15 March 2021 (weather and lockdowns permitting). Luna Rossa qualified for the final series having beaten the Ineos Team UK's boat, Britannia, in the Challenger Series final, the Prada Cup – itself the culmination of qualifying stages to determine who gets to go head-to-head for the big prize.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
Formula one: Fuelling the green dream: If everyone is soon going to be
driving electric vehicles, why is Formula One developing sustainable
fuels, not just for its own use but for the automotive industry as a
whole'
- Authors: Crispin Andrews;
  Pages: 58 - 61
  Abstract: WHEN IT COMES to road vehicles, the future is electric, or so we're told.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
Engineering places bletchley park: In celebration of IET@150 we look at
feats of engineering from around the world
- Authors: Justin Pollard;
  Pages: 62 - 63
  Abstract: THE INTRODUCTION OF electro-mechanical encoding machines with billions of permutations at the end of the First World War brought a new challenge to code-breakers. Perhaps the greatest threat was the German Enigma machine and its far more complex big brother, the Lorenz machine.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
Words and portrait by Nick Smith: Second-in-command on Nasa's first
simulated Mars mission, HI-SEAS, Kate Greene discusses what it takes to be
a modern astronaut, and why today's 'right stuff is
different from what was required on the Apollo missions of the 20th
century
- Pages: 64 - 67
  Abstract: “THERE'S REALLY nothing normal about six adults making believe they live on another planet,” says Kate Greene. She's reflecting on an experience in which she lived in a geodesic dome, only ventured outside in a fake space suit, bathed with wet wipes, breathed recycled air and never felt real sunlight on her skin for four months.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
Gadgets: Smarter tech for selfies, activity tracking, staying in touch,
audio description, gardening and more
- Authors: Caramel Quin;
  Pages: 68 - 69
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
The tear down apple air pods max: Brilliant engineering at a hefty price
- Authors: Paul Dempsey;
  Pages: 70 - 71
  Abstract: OK, £549 FOR a pair of headphones' If you could, would you' Well, maybe.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
Book interview: Bad breath of life: Air pollution is one of the biggest
environmental threats we face today and one of the most significant causes
of premature death
- Authors: Nick Smith;
  Pages: 72 - 73
  Abstract: ALTHOUGH IT'S tempting to think that air quality in the 21st century is poor, it's important to realise, says Chris Woodford, that “pretty much ever since humans discovered fire, air pollution has been an issue”. If you go back through history you could argue that it's always been the case, says the author of ‘Breathless', a book in the popular science genre that examines, in the words of its subtitle, ‘why air pollution matters – and how it affects you'.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
Back story: Back story: ‘I have never carried the stigma that says
females cannot do certain things’: TV presenter Dr Shini Somara talks to
Heather Turnbull, design engineer with technip FMC
- Authors: Shini Somara;
  Pages: 74 - 74
  Abstract: What inspired you to go into engineering': As well as equal education opportunities, my mum and dad encouraged us to do anything we wanted to do. Having grown up with three siblings, I gravitated towards the Meccano sets and Lego. I have always been good at maths and physics, so a career in engineering seemed like the natural choice.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
The eccentric engineer: Art: Mathematical arty adventures in the division
of the plane: Known as the mathematicians' artist, Maurits Escher
is perhaps best known for his etchings
- Authors: Justin Pollard;
  Pages: 75 - 75
  Abstract: MAURITS ESCHER, known as 'Mauk' to his friends, grew up in an engineering family in the Netherlands. His father George was a well-respected civil engineer who had travelled to Japan to oversee the restoration of the Yodo river and the building of the Mikuni harbour. His mother was the daughter of a government minister who had fulfilled George's eccentric requirements for marriage – fulfilling the equation v = 1/2m + 10, where v was the age of the woman, and m the age of the husband.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
The measure of pegasus vertical business jet: South African aircraft
manufacturers are developing an aircraft which they hope will deliver
drone-like VTOL capabilities with a long-range, high-speed turboshaft
cruise mode
- Pages: 76 - 77
  Abstract: THE PEGASUS Vertical Business Jet (VBJ), developed by Pegasus Universal Aerospace, is a lightweight hybrid passenger aircraft with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities that will allow it to land almost anywhere, according to its makers. With its cool-air fan technology, the firm says it's even safe to land on grass or on wooden decks.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
Dear evil engineer: Question: Can I honour my heritage with a mammoth
militia'
- Authors: Hilary Lamb;
  Pages: 78 - 78
  Abstract: Dear Evil Engineer, I recently received by email the results of a DNA test revealing that I'm a descendant of the great military leader Hannibal. On the one hand I was quite surprised as I don't remember taking a DNA test. On the other hand, this makes a lot of sense, as I've never lost a game of Risk and I've been treasurer of the regional Warhammer 40,000 Club for the past two years; clearly strategic military brilliance is hereditary!
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
Bizarre tech: Why, hello! Hope you're doing well in this lovely
lockdown
- Authors: Rebecca Northfield;
  Pages: 79 - 81
  Abstract: Hyper Cube: Rave cube. Nntisssnnntissssnntisssss: This box looks like it's the set of the music video for 'Rock Your Body', the 2002 hit by Justin Timberlake. Seriously, check that out, then look at the video for Hyper Cube. Weird.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)
After all: Wine: Cheered up by tastings of sparkling Pfizer and dry-white
Astra Zeneca
- Authors: Vitali Vitaliev;
  Pages: 82 - 82
  Abstract: I'M NOT SURE about you, but this writer is desperate for a bit of cheer.
  PubDate: April 2021
  Issue No: Vol. 16, No. 3 (2021)