In a message dated 99-05-28 11:49:21 EDT, ehunt@ces.clemson.edu writes:
<< FORD MOTOR COMPANY'S VISTEON AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS AND KAFUS ENVIRONMENTAL
INDUSTRIES SIGN AGREEMENT TO JOINTLY DEVELOP NATURAL FIBER COMPOSITES
FOR THE AUTO INDUSTRY
>>
Actually, it's not so new at all.
A few years back Click & Clack, the Car Talk Guys on the US National Public
Radio Network (NPR) had a weekly puzzler about the same subject. Something
like, "Who first suggested building car bodies out of soybeans?" The answer
was Henry Ford during WWII, and he had also suggested subsititutes for
numerous other components, as well. The one that sticks in my mind was to
make tires out of goldenrod. Go figure.
I doubt if any of these were composites in the modern sense. If someone will
please send me the seeds, I would like to grow a Buick.
Ed
Ed Grenda
Castle Island Co.
19 Pondview Road
Arlington, MA 02474 USA
781-646-6280 (voice or fax)
EdGrenda@aol.com (email)
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