New Composites Made from up to 60% Inexpensive, Raw Plant Material
PROBLEM: Composite manufacturers need ways to improve extruded thermoplastics using inexpensive, environmentally friendly ingredients and without slowing process time.
Low Maintainance Sheet Piling Reduces Life Cycle Costs of Retaining Walls
WPC Pile Extrusion on lab scale & extruded sheet piles
UMaine WPC sheet piling demonstration project
PROBLEM: Commonly available sheet piling used for retaining walls corrodes, increasing maintenance costs and reducing the useful life of the construction. These problems are heightened in a marine environment.
SOLUTION: Our patented wood composite sheet piling system does not corrode, which reduces overall life cycle costs. Additionally it is chemically inert and 100% recyclable.
A Stronger, Simpler Fuel Cell Membrane Electrode Assembly
Membrane technology first developed to create artificial muscles may soon be used to improve fuel cells. Pictured above is a fuel cell membrane manufactured using this new method. Resulting surface porosity (a) and a deeply diffused conductive area (light lines in b) increase surface area available for electricity production and create a stonger, simpler, long-lasting membrane.
PROBLEM: Manufacturers of low temperature fuel cells need solutions for improving the strength, durability and manufacturability of a key component, the membrane electrode assembly, or MEA.
Fire Proof Paint
A fire resistant paint includes a film-forming binder, a solvent, and a hydrated mineral that imparts fire resistance to the paint. The paint, when applied to a fibrous composite article which comprises at least about 20 wt % lignocellulosic fibers bound together into a consolidated fibrous article, provides the article with a flame spread index of not greater than about 50.
Inventors: Mike Bilodeau, Mark Paradis
atent Pending, Canada and US 13/061,583
UMaine Reference: 2008-26
Contact Kris Burton
COMpris: A New Method to Manufacture Stronger and Thicker Composites
A solution for simplifying manufacturing of utility-scale wind turbine blades?
PROBLEM: Manufacturers of large composite components such as boats or wind blades are currently limited to using non-recyclable materials and labor intensive manufacturing processes.
38% Stronger Reinforced Glulam Construction Beams
PROBLEM: Builders prefer reinforced glulam beams for applications benefiting from thier beauty or shape versatility. But glulam beams have a tendency to weaken (delaminate, or peel) on the ends when the center of the beam is bent or stressed.
SOLUTION: UMaine offers reinforced glulam beams that withstand end delamination under 38% more bending stress compared to other reinforced beams, and 95% more stress compared to non-reinforced beams.
