Element Materials Technology

The lighter and stiffer an aircraft, spacecraft or automobile is, the less fuel it uses and the less emissions it gives off. Hence, glass or carbon fiber composites are increasingly being used in these vehicles, successfully competing with lightweight alloy options. The composites are also highly corrosion and fatigue resistant and these additional benefits mean they are also considered in industries where corrosion is a major factor, such as renewable energies, O&G and chemical processing.

Our clients are numbered among the world leaders in the development of their products using these advanced materials.Their products often operate in much more hostile conditions, pushing materials such as new thermoplastics, foams, adhesives to their very limits. We support work on these different materials in the various industry sectors, with comprehensive testing and analyses often requiring completely new approaches to testing, qualifying or identifying fitness for purpose, or allowing life assessment.

Polymer Matrix Composites or PMC’s are a relatively new material that are light weight and posses a high degree of stiffness and strength along the direction of their reinforcement. Element has particular experience in their application within the Aerospace (fuselage, bulkhead & floor, cargo liner, wings, landing gear, doors,
rotor blades & hubs, satellite structure) and Transportation sectors (car & rail body panels, bumper fascia, radiator grills, instrument panels, engine components, fuel lines).

As a leader in testing advanced composite materials, Element utilizes carefully honed techniques to obtain the most reliable data with the lowest scatter. This helps our clients obtain the best possible design allowable values. These methods include special attention to specimen preparation in our complete specimen fabrication laboratory. Key equipment includes diamond-coated tooling, surface grinders, mills and laboratory presses. We perform nearly all mechanical property tests (ASTM, SACMA, etc...) of interest to the composites community.

Element is a proactive participant and leader within the international advanced composites community with active membership in ASTM D30, the Committee on Composite Materials, CMH-17 the Composite Materials Handbook (formerly MIL-HDBK-17), NADCAP and A2LA.