A vessel for use in firemen's breathing apparatus is being manufactured by Composites Aquitaine.

According to the company from Salaunes, France, the 9 litre vessel can withstand 30 MPa (300 bar) of pressure.

It is made by filament-winding a layer of carbon fibre, followed by three

The benefits of using composites in this application are reduced weight (6.5 kg) and increased endurance (one hour compared with 30 minutes for the conventional system using two bottles). These advantages mean that the equipment is better for fire-fighting duties in high-rise buildings or underground facilities.

Composites Aquitaine expects that French urban fire departments will be equipped with 6000-

12 000 of these units over the next six years. The company also intends exporting the vessels and has received interestin about 3000 more units. The design won a Composites Solutions Trophy at this year's JEC show in Paris.

Composites Aquitaine employs 180 people and had a turnover of FF108 million in 1997.

For further information, contact: Composites Aquitaine, Pole de Maintenance Sogerma,

19 route de Lacanau, F-33160 Salaunes Cedex, France; tel: +33-5-5668-5500; fax: +33-5-

5658-5193.