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Show Used wrong terminology In the interest of accurate and informative journalism, I would like to point out some errors in your December 18th article entitled "Graphic fiber used on the Voyager produced at Bacchus." First of all, the term "graphic fiber" has no physical significance. signifi-cance. Your article was undoubtedly referring to "graphite" fiber. A fiber must be made out of something such as glass, polyester, or bran. Secondly, your title, at first glance, seems to imply that Hercules "produced" and manufactured the Voyager aircraft. To give credit where credit is due, the Voyager craft, for the most part, was designed and manufactured by the pilots, Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, along with their friends and associates. associ-ates. Hercules main role was to supply the graphite fiber and epoxy termed as "Magnamite." Bacchus Works did assist in manufacturing a few small parts of the aircraft. Graphite composite is a material similar to fiberglass with graphite fibers used instead of glass fibers. Graphite fiber, also referred to as carbon fiber, is embedded in an "uncured" epoxy which has the consistency of honey. The fibers are arranged in an efficient manner to provide needed strength in the critical areas of the structure. Since the epoxy is soft and tacky in its uncured state, the graphite composite material may be shaped and molded to the desired configuration. The molded part is then put in an oven where heat and pressure are applied to "cure" the epoxy and make it hard. The graphite composite is now a very stiff yet lightweight material. I am presently a graduate student doing research on graphite composite materials and I feel it important that people understand under-stand what it is and how it can be used. I hope this letter will clear up any confusion that may have been generated by your article. Robert N. Yancey Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |