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Smart Materials

Wear Resistant welding of rail track and wear resistant track repair

Project Lead: Circle Tech Services Ltd

Total Project Cost: £831k

Rail tracks wear at weld locations because the rail is softened by heat from welding.  Arc welding cannot be used to harden the surface or replace lost metal in these areas.  The newly developed Friction Surfacing (FS) process can be used on rails because the thermal cycle is not severe and the stress is compressive.  Our project will develop smart wear resistant materials that respond to increased use by becoming even more wear resistant, and can be deposited by FS.  The materials will include particles which sense and display the extent of wear when light is shone on them (at some distance if required) readily showing the track status.  This will reduce maintenance costs and extend life on both track and trains. Prototype equipment and procedures for FS of worn rail areas on site will be developed and tested.  Full scale specimens will be subject to mechanical, corrosion and fatigue testing.

Direct Laser Point of Process Material Synthesis using SolGel Chemistry

Project Lead: Attiger

Total Project Cost: £717k

This project will develop sol-gel chemistries, application systems and laser synthesis parameters which will react at the Point of Process in atmosphere to create a new generation of "on-demand" coating processes which will facilitate cost reduction for existing coating materials and allow for the development of new coatings and treatment technologies. The Smart materials produced may be of amorphic or crystalline composites or monolith, single or multiple layers in thicknesses from nanometers to millimeters.

By targeting Smart materials which provide enhanced hygenic surfaces for biomedical applications, and physical sensors on engineering substrates we address the two fundamental applications of large area surface coating (through plasma chemistry) and discrete coating geometries (through surface reactions).

Enhanced Display Performance through Smart Thin Film Optical Coatings

Project Lead: Micro Circuit Engineering

Total Project Cost: £603k

Smart display systems with sensing and actuating functions will be developed through the integration and feedback of optical functions using smart thin film coating materials and  techniques. This methodology, combined with modelling, will be used to improve the overall performance and energy efficiency of  a display that can be viewed in a wide range of ambient light conditions. The developed technology will also open up other applications in solar cells and photovoltaic devices. The project consortium aims to demonstrate the technical and economic benefits of smart thin film optical coatings, firstly for displays in niche markets and exploitation of design tools, where sales of £3.5M per annum to the consortium has been estimated 5 years after project completion. The application of the techniques developed to mass display markets and optical systems is estimated to have an additional income to the partners of £3.6M per annum 8 years after project completion.

PHAETON (Piezo ceramic Harsh Environment Technologies On eNgine)

Project Lead: Goodrich CS

Total Project Cost: £1.5m

The temperature capability of fine wire devices significantly limits the level of active control that can be applied to the hot zones of gas turbines.

A low lead content piezoelectric material that retains its active properties at temperatures above 600C has been engineered. The project will develop multilayer actuators from this material to produce prototype valves and actuators for active engine controls.

Active controls enabled by this material are believed to offer the potential to reduce fuel burn by up to 2% on aerospace gas turbines.

This programme supports the Environmental Technologies Aerospace Innovation Network part of the Aerospace Innovation and Growth Team (AeIGT) National Aerospace Technology Strategy.