Fiber-reinforced plastics are now the trend in materials used by engineers and natural scientists. How did the development of such materials come about? Dr. Andreas Haka of the Department of History of the Natural Sciences and Technology intends to go into this question and has initiated a research project to do so.
Composite Materials
New composite materials like glass-fiber reinforced aluminium, aramid fiber honeycomb and carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFK) have already provided major impulses for development in various areas of industry.
In researching hybrid materials, Haka ranges through a century of production material studies and development strategies. His first results show how differently the development of new composite materials in the 20th century has influenced various branches of industry like aviation and the automotive industry. His work gives Haka not only unexpected views into secret industrial research projects and science laboratories but also contact with trailblazers of the new technology. The resulting insights are already part of his classes.
Tim S. Schmidt
