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Hybor Material- 1

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jargon5

Aerospace
Aug 11, 2005
27
My company has recently wanted to employ HyBor laminate (Boron/Epoxy) in an aircraft application. I have heard that there is significant handling concerns regarding the material. Has anyone used this particular material, and are there any issues that I should be aware of as I implement the material in the design? I calculated the $/weight, and its approximately on the order of $1000/lbf, so it's pretty expensive.

The primary application is in pure bending, and thus the thought was only to use uni-directional plies. The one significant advantage is that the strength of the material is nearly twice of standard gr/epoxy laminate (which is why we are considering it in compression/tension application).
 
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Yes, there are health and safety issues with both boron and epoxy.

Boron

Effects of Exposure: Boron compounds are very toxic and therefore considered an industrial poison. Boron is one of a group of elements, such as Pb, Mn, As, which effects the central nervous system. Boron poisoning causes depression of the circulation, persistent vomiting and diarrhea, followed by profound shock and coma. The temperature becomes subnormal and a scarlatina form rash may cover the entire body.

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Greg Locock

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Thanks Greg. I had heard some horror stories. Do you have any suggestions to circumvent this material while providing similar strength properties?
 
carbon sounds like the best bet and you'll have fewer problems with skin buckling.

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Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.
 
There is not a significant toxicity problem with boron metal. It is a component of borax and pyrex glass. Boric acid is a roack killer with low human toxicity. It is also sold as an eye wash. Perhaps Greg has confused it with beryllium. The main problem with working with boron is that is is more of a wire rather than a fiber. It is 0.005" in diameter and the material is very stiff so it is very easy to push a wire all the way though your hand if you don't handle it carefully. It has the highest compression strength of any known material. However, flexural strength also depends on shear properties so sometimes pure unidirectional material is not the best design.
 
I didn't make that MSDS up.

You are right, I was thinking of beryllium, but since I found that MSDS, you'll be hard pushed to use it in production. We've had to eliminate lead from our plant.

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Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.
 
If you are using this as a prepreg you should not have any significant problems. If you can avoid secondary operations like trimming, grinding and sanding.
As compositepro says, the fibres are very tough and are just waiting for an unwary hand.
If during your design you can do a layup schedule that will put the boron under a layer of carbon or glass so that it is not abraded later, you should not have a problem.
B.E.
 
Overall, this material is rarely worth the trouble, and don't forget the shear stresses in bending. Take a look at high-spec carbon with BMI resins, they are really strong and easy to work with. Thr resin is very strong too, which is good for shear in bending. Also take a close look at optimising your design w.r.t fibre placement and overall form.



 
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