Robert Cormier essays

Robert Cormier essays It takes an act of faith to live today This was the attitude that Robert Cormier had when he was writing. He believed that people were living in terrifying times that would leave individuals powerless and fending for themselves (Stines 107). Robert Cormier felt that the children of today needed to be exposed to reality and not to fiction. In all of his writings Cormier used realistic story lines that often left critics objecting to his writings. He frequently drew on experiences from his own childhood and that of his son to make his stories more realistic. Born as the son of Lucien and Irma Cormier on January 17, 1925 in Leominster, Massachusetts, Cormier often used his own life experiences to help him with his writings (Bryfonski 133). As a child Cormier attended a strict Catholic school. Cormier found the experiences there not very positive. Some of the teachers he had were not very nice. He found the nuns rather hard to deal with and he felt that his abilities were not well recognized. You know, I think our lives a re driven by guilt. With me it all goes back to the nuns - making us feel so darn guilty about everything, (Campbell). However, it was when one of his teachers read a story he wrote and told him he had a natural talent, he decided to pursue writing (Stiens, 111). In spite of his negative school experiences, he continued to be a practicing Catholic and his own children attended Catholic school. Writing as a journalist in 1948 for the Fitchburg Sentinel, was Cormiers first job in writing. Later Cormier began working at a radio station where he delivered news broadcasts. Cormier also worked as a reporter for several local newspapers. Cormier used his own life experiences to develop his writings. His fathers death from cancer was the prompt for his first novel Now and at the Hour (Bryfonski 133). It was the story of a New England mill worker ...

All About Carbon Fiber and How Its Made

All About Carbon Fiber and How It's Made Also called graphite fiber or carbon graphite, carbon fiber consists of very thin strands of the element carbon. Carbon fibers have high tensile strength and are very strong for their size. In fact, carbon fiber might be the strongest material there is. Each fiber is 5-10 microns in diameter. To give a sense of how small that is, one micron (um) is 0.000039 inches. One strand of spider web silk is usually between 3-8 microns. Carbon fibers are twice as stiff as steel and five times as strong as steel, (per unit of weight). They also are highly chemically resistant and have high-temperature tolerance with low thermal expansion. Carbon fibers are important in engineering materials, aerospace, high-performance vehicles, sporting equipment, and musical instrumentsto name just a few of their uses. Raw Materials Carbon fiber is made from organic polymers, which consist of long strings of molecules held together by carbon atoms.  Most carbon fibers (about 90 percent) are made from the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) process. A small amount (about 10 percent) are manufactured from rayon or the petroleum pitch process.  Gases, liquids, and other materials used in the manufacturing process create specific effects, qualities, and grades of carbon fiber. The highest grade carbon fiber with the best modulus properties are used in demanding applications such as aerospace. Carbon fiber manufacturers differ from one another in the combinations of raw materials they use. They usually treat their specific formulations as trade secrets. Manufacturing Process In the manufacturing process, the raw materials, which are called precursors, are drawn into long strands or fibers. The fibers are woven into fabric or combined with other materials that are filament wound or molded into desired shapes and sizes. There are typically five segments in the manufacturing of carbon fibers from the PAN process. These are: Spinning. PAN mixed with other ingredients and spun into fibers, which are washed and stretched.Stabilizing. Chemical alteration to stabilize bonding.Carbonizing. Stabilized fibers heated to very high temperature forming tightly bonded carbon crystals.Treating the Surface. ​The surface of fibers oxidized to improve bonding properties.Sizing. Fibers are coated and wound onto bobbins, which are loaded onto spinning machines that twist the fibers into different size yarns. Instead of being woven into fabrics, fibers may be formed into composites. To form composite materials, heat, pressure, or a vacuum binds fibers together with a plastic polymer. Manufacturing Challenges The manufacture of carbon fibers carries a number of challenges, including: The need for more cost-effective recovery and repair.The surface treatment process must be carefully regulated to avoid creating pits that could result in defective fibers.Close control required to ensure consistent quality.Health and safety issuesSkin irritationBreathing irritationArcing and shorts in electrical equipment because of the strong electro-conductivity of carbon fibers. Future of Carbon Fiber Because of its high tensile strength and lightweight, many consider carbon fiber to be the most significant manufacturing material of our generation. Carbon fiber may play an increasingly important role in areas such as: Energy: Windmill blades, natural gas storage, and transportation, fuel cells.Automobiles: Currently used just for high-performance vehicles, carbon fiber technology is moving into wider use.  In December 2011 General Motors announced that it is working on carbon fiber composites for mass production of automobiles.Construction: Lightweight pre-cast concrete, earthquake protection.Aircraft: Defense and commercial aircraft.  Unmanned aerial vehicles.Oil exploration: Deepwater drilling platforms, drill pipes.Carbon nanotubes: Semiconductor materials, spacecraft, chemical sensors, and other uses. In 2015, carbon fiber had a $2.25 billion market size. Projections have the market expanding to $31 billion by 2024. To accomplish this, costs must be reduced and new applications targeted.