88-06: Composite Driveshafts in Cooling Towers

The use of fiber-reinforced epoxy driveshafts dates back to 1969. However, the high price of carbon fiber at that time precluded industrial applications. Today, after 18 years of intense development and production, the price of carbon fiber permits competitive pricing for driveshafts of composite materials. The paper presents the whys and wherefores of composite materials applied to cooling tower driveshafts. Also presented is the status of composite driveshafts in other applications.