JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #35 - September 2007 - 3

September 2007 EDITORIAL 44th year President and CEO/Publisher: Frédérique Mutel mutel@jeccomposites.com By land, air or sea It is definitely becoming more and more difficult to get along without composite materials. It certainly isn’t Formula One leader Lewis Hamilton who will deny that. On Saturday, July 21 during the latest Grand Prix trials on Germany’s Nürburgring circuit, the front right wheel on Hamilton’s McLaren failed, sending the vehicle straight into the circuit’s tyre barrier at more than 200 km/h. Fortunately, the English prodigy escaped significant injury and showed up at the grid the next day. This miracle can be chalked up to the little crash box located in the front of the car, whose function is to absorb the worst impacts and keep the body shell around the pilot from becoming deformed. The specifications imposed by the International Automobile Federation are as strict as they can possibly be, and this time, once again, composite materials proved how efficient they are. As you have certainly guessed, the safety feature in question is made entirely of carbon fibre reinforced plastics. When questioned the next day, several auto-racing specialists admitted that not so long ago, without the contribution of composites, the pilot would not have emerged from the wrecked car without injuries. Another time, another place: July 8 in Everett, Washington, USA, the one we’ve all been anticipating left its hangar to be presented to 15,000 people in person, and in images to the whole world. The 787 Dreamliner was there, before our eyes – well, almost. I hadn’t been invited, but we were there in spirit, and in total communion with this commercial aircraft that has the highest composite content ever, at 50%. This is no mean feat, and took genuine international cooperation. We are eager now to see it fly. It should be arriving soon, as the delivery dates always start at the begining of May 2008. And then, on July 24, French skipper Franck Cammas pulverized the record for the North Atlantic crossing by more than five hours, on his maxi-trimaran Groupama III, meaning that the new reference time between Ambrose Light (New York, USA) and Lizard Point (Wales, Great Britain) is 4 days, 3 hours, 57 minutes, and 54 seconds, at an average speed of 28.65 knots. The trimaran – 32 metres long, 22.5 metres wide and with a 40-metre-high mast – travelled a distance of 2,925 miles. Designed by Van Peteghem/Lauriot-Prévost, the outsized boat was built by the Multiplast shipyard and launched on June 7, 2006. It is cut out to break the record of all records, the Jules Verne non-stop around-the-world sailboat race, and perhaps even to slip in under the magic time of 50 days. Oh, just one last little thing – Groupama III is made of carbon fibre reinforced plastics. Whether by land, air, or sea, composite materials are everywhere, giving us the benefit of their extraordinary capacities and potential, to the best possible effect. Editor-in-chief: Frédéric Reux Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 11 reux@jeccomposites.com Assistant editor: Franck Glowacz Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 04 glowacz@jeccomposites.com Technical topics: Pierre Lissac info@jeccomposites.com Copy-editor & Graphic designer: Marylène Guéret - Antoine Morel gueret@jeccomposites.com Advertising managers: Judith Blacker Africa, Asia Pacific, Benelux, Europe, Middle East, North America, Scandinavia & UK Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 74 blacker@jeccomposites.com Mona Bielmeier Austria, Eastern Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland & South America Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 73 bielmeier@jeccomposites.com Circulation/Partnerships: presse@jeccomposites.com Sandrine Dumarquez dumarquez@jeccomposites.com Subscriptions: www.jeccomposites.com/magazine-subscription/ Fax: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 19 Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 08 dumarquez@jeccomposites.com Unit price: €20 (8 issues a year) Marketing/Communication: Patrice Sinthon, sinthon@jeccomposites.com Printing: SPEI - Pulnoy (54), France Legal registration: ISSN 1639-965X - CPPAP: 1007 T 82488 Dépôt légal : 3e trimestre 2007 Photos & illustrations: All rights reserved, unless mentioned. JEC Composites Magazine is published by JEC. 19, Bd de Courcelles 75008 Paris - France Tel: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 01 Fax: +33 (0)1 58 36 15 14 www.jeccomposites.com The reproduction, even partial, of articles and illustrations is forbidden, unless prior permission is obtained from JEC Composites Magazine. The management of JEC Composites Magazine reserves the right to refuse advertising. Total average Circulation: 20,250 copies* 18,655 copies BPA average qualified circulation 1,595 BPA average non qualified circulation *(BPA June 2006 Audit Report) Frédéric Reux Editor-in-Chief No35 September 2007 / JEC Composites Magazine

http://www.jeccomposites.com/magazine-subscription/ http://www.jeccomposites.com/magazine-subscription/ http://www.jeccomposites.com http://www.jeccomposites.com

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #35 - September 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #35 - September 2007