A new composites production process known as infusion bonding - produces an entirely new family of composite materials, which cannot be made by any other fabrication method. The new GameChanger production process makes it possible to “engineer” materials for specific applications by using a wide variety of fibres and binders.

A research team led by Professor Rustum Roy (deceased) formerly of Penn State’s Materials Research Institute (MRI) in the USA confirmed in a comprehensive test programme that the specific materials under investigation reached strengths almost half that of mild steel at a fraction of its density, whilst also demonstrating high stiffness and excellent acoustic damping properties.

An infusion composite made from multiple layers of woven cotton cloth and cyanoacrylate resin was used to make polishing mops which rotate at speeds up to 20,000 RPM. Carbon fibre and Kevlar fibre mops could not be used because the two materials in fibre reinforced composites proved unable to withstand the high G-forces. However, the cotton cloth worked satisfactorily because in the Infusion process the low viscocity resin was able to form intimate (void-free) contact with the minute nanocellulose fibres in the cotton cloth.

The Infusion production process makes it possible to make high performance composites from low-cost materials at high production rates at room temperatures with consequent economic benefits. Another significant difference between this technology and others is its ability to create complex heterogeneous materials in a single operation lasting only a few seconds. The process shows good potential for further development. For example, in several experiments the high frictional forces generated are used to cause the composites to carbonise almost instantly to produce composites with excellent fire-resistance properties.