Metal Fiber Composites

[Mi_Ko]

Does anyone know a link about composites with metal fibers (copper, titanium, tungsten,...). I'm trying to find some information about them, but had no luck.

I've seen a sensa ballpoint pen made of copper nickel composite. Realy gorgeous material. Looks much better than an ordinary carbon or aramid fibre composite. I would realy like to know it's properties and where to get it.

A picture of the pen (http://store1.yimg.com/I/airline_1774_11738043)

2002/03 University of MARIBOR - Team Member

[Mi_Ko]

Does anyone know a link about composites with metal fibers (copper, titanium, tungsten,...). I'm trying to find some information about them, but had no luck.

I've seen a sensa ballpoint pen made of copper nickel composite. Realy gorgeous material. Looks much better than an ordinary carbon or aramid fibre composite. I would realy like to know it's properties and where to get it.

A picture of the pen (http://store1.yimg.com/I/airline_1774_11738043)

2002/03 University of MARIBOR - Team Member

[Andreas]

I haven´t seen this composite before and I can´t really see the point except the "odd" look. I my opinion they have taken a proper metal with equal properties in all dimensions and made it one dimensional with the good properities only in the direction of the fibre. The resin (epoxy?) will make the density much lower but the stiffness and strenght will decrease even more.
The properities depends of the weave pattern and fibre. As a part of my thesis I´ve done carbon plates to verify a computer model. The fibre is uni-directional (all fibres in the same direction) The youngs modudlus of the laminate is about 40% of the perfect fibre. And this is in the strongest direction. The transversal stiffness is only a few percent of fibre stiffness. I don´t see the point but maybe I got it totally wrong.

Andreas

Chalmers University of Technology

[MikeWaggoner at UW]

You can buy copper and nickel coated carbon fiber. It's done for aesthetic reasons, but still has worthwhile properties (not enough to justify the cost, IMHO).
The pens you have in your picture are copper/nickel weave in resin (poor structurally, both volumetrically and specifically) and carbon/nickel (carbon could be ok, nickel is there for no good reason). They're made by Sensa, and designed to look cool on a desk.
Maybe you're confusing this with metal matrix composites, which are used for situations when polymer resins are inadequate.

[SkiEricSki]

Some tennis rackets have titanium fibers(more like very fine wires) woven in with the carbon. I've seen it, but don't know what the claimed benefits are.

[Mi_Ko]

I'know the properties don't justify the cost and the strenght/weight factor shall be a bit lower as with carbon fibre. But first of all I would like to use them for estethic reasons. (Not for the FSAE car!)

There is a paradox with fibers, called the paradox of the fibre form. The strenght of a material in fibre form is many times higher than of the same material in another form. Then thinner the fibre the greather the strenght. (A. A. Griffith)
Another paradox says: When taken as a whole, a composite can withstand stresses that would fracture the weakest component. (G. Slayter)

Considering this a metal fibre composite could have very good characteristics, maybe better than carbon fibre.

2002/03 University of MARIBOR - Team Member