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Advanced
Composite Materials - April 2004
Overview:
DTI
is
contributing £5m funding to 12 Collaborative R&D projects in
Advanced Composite Materials and Structures. Projects range in
size from £70k up to £2.9m with between 3 and 17 collaborators in
each consortium. DTI funding for each project ranges from £40k to
£1m.
40 of the
partners in the projects are based in either London or the
Southeast, but an impressive 29 of the partners are based in the
Midlands or East of England. 9 partners are from the north of
England, 9 from the South West, 2 from Wales and 3 from Scotland.
5 partners are located outside the UK.
Of the 98
partners involved in the successful projects, 50 of the partners
are small or medium sized enterprises securing just under half of
the total DTI funding. The industrial sectors represented in the
projects range from Marine, Aerospace, Automotive, Rail,
Construction to Consumer Goods and Office Furniture.
Project
lead:
SIMS Group UK Ltd.
Total
project size:
£0.88m (subject to contract)
This project is aimed at improving UK’s ability to respond to
environmental legislation on recycling of waste from composites.
Industry, in particular the auto sector, is significant consumer
of non-recyclable thermosetting composites 85% of which are Sheet
and Bulk Mould Compounds (SMC/BMC). Recent studies show that
thermoset regrind produces enhanced mechanical properties when
re-added to the same resin system so one of the deliverables from
the project will be a viable method of recycling SMC/BMC.
Project lead:
PowdermatriX
Total
project size:
£2.4m (subject to contract)
This project
aims to enhance the efficiency of engines and vehicles through the
design and application of electric power drives and systems. More
Environmentally Friendly Transport objectives will be achieved by
the selective replacement of mechanical and hydraulic systems with
electric machines and controls. The project will provide modelling
and measuring tools necessary to make the most of existing
magnetic materials used in motors and generators and to improve
design and material properties where these are lacking. Potential
applications include automotive electrically assisted steering and
aerospace actuation and power generation.
Project
lead:
SIMS Group UK Ltd.
Total
project size:
£0.88m (subject to contract)
This project is aimed at improving UK’s ability to respond to
environmental legislation on recycling of waste from composites.
Industry, in particular the auto sector, is significant consumer
of non-recyclable thermosetting composites 85% of which are Sheet
and Bulk Mould Compounds (SMC/BMC). Recent studies show that
thermoset regrind produces enhanced mechanical properties when
re-added to the same resin system so one of the deliverables from
the project will be a viable method of recycling SMC/BMC.
Project lead:
Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)
Total project size:
£0.70m (subject to contract)
This project
deals with the use of thermoplastic composite materials for
complex, high value made-to-order structural assemblies. The
strategic goal of the project is to develop reliable,
cost-efficient techniques for processing and fabrication of
structural products underpinned by safety and environmental
issues. The tasks to achieve this are grouped into four work
packages, namely design, materials certification,
processing/fabrication and operational issues. The consortium
partners cover the whole gamut of the supply chain and have
interests in multiple market sectors, where the fruits of this
research can be applied.
Project
lead:
TRADA Technology Ltd
Total
project size:
£0.70m (subject to contract)
This project
is aimed at developing and validating a novel controlled
permeability formwork (CPF) panel that has the potential to reduce
the cost of in-situ cast concrete in the UK by up to £600 million
per annum. The new product will be developed in the laboratory
using composites of polymer, wood and other materials, to achieve
the target properties. This will be combined with industry trials
to verify performance and to demonstrate that costs can be
significantly reduced whilst maintaining or improving the concrete
quality. The panels will be a novel structural composite of
natural and man-made materials, possibly in several layers, having
a unique set of properties. Both active (SMART) and passive
systems will be investigated and different solutions may be
appropriate for different end uses. The panels will be capable of
being cut and fixed as a single, re-usable panel creating
significant time and cost savings compared with current loose
permeable fabrics, whilst maintaining the proven quality benefits
of permeable formwork. The results will benefit many structural
applications in the construction sector.
Project
lead:
AEA Technology plc
Total
project size:
£1.81m (subject to contract)
This project
intends to develop a framework for assessing the integrity of
advanced composite structures over the complete life cycle through
an integrated approach to structural health management. This
framework will require development of new multi-functional sensors
and coatings, improved modelling of defect criticality and
validation through monitoring in-service performance leading to
good practice guidance. Advanced composites are used successfully
in many industry sectors but full acceptance for major
installations requires a consistent integrated approach to
integrity management of these structures in order to improve
reliability (extend life) and safety, minimise failures, and
reduce maintenance costs. Relevant industries included are;
renewable energy (wind/wave), civil infrastructure (new
build/repair), off-shore oil and gas (weight reduction/repair),
transport (road/rail/air) and chemical process plant.
Project lead:
Pera Innovation
Total
project size:
£1m (subject to contract)
The project
seeks to create an innovative process technology that would lead
to reduced total cost, improved manufacturing processes and a
lower environmental impact. The demands of industry for more
competitive and effective processes have led to the use of pre-preg
systems that can be oven cured instead of autoclaved. These
systems can be advanced further by the use of rapid cure resin
systems initiated by UV light. UV however can only be used in line
of sight and on thin sections. This project proposes to utilise
the skills of the textile industry to provide complex 3D preforms
that can be impregnated with novel UV curing resin systems using
traditional impregnation methods such as RTM and vacuum infusion.
The 3D preform will be developed to ensure that light is
dissipated in an optimum way to enable the rapid cure in a matter
of seconds.
Project lead:
University of Nottingham
Total
project size:
£0.89m (subject to contract)
This project
aims to deliver a low-cost high specific stiffness/strength
composite material obtained from recycled carbon fibres. This will
offer sustainable manufacture and recycling at all volume levels,
particularly in automotive production, and will enable a
step-change in design and performance of vehicle structures.
Carbon based polymer composites can deliver weight reductions of
over 40% when used to replace steel in vehicle structure, but
applications are limited by End-of-Life directives. The proposal
brings together industrial partners from the automotive supply
chain to deliver a high-grade low-cost recycled carbon composite
material. Reclaimed short carbon fibres will be mixed with novel
polymer matrices to produce bulk and sheet moulding compounds and
preformed parts suitable for exterior body panels, structural
components and for co-moulding with carbon fibre textiles - thus,
representing all body in white (BIW) technologies. The resulting
structure can itself be subsequently recycled. The proposal is
viable at existing UK prepreg waste levels. Therefore the project
delivers a route for immediate implementation that can be expanded
as usage of carbon fibre increases to the proposed steady-state
level of over 50% content of recycled carbon fibre in production
of vehicle BIW.
Project
lead:
Corus UK
Total
project size:
£0.83m (subject to contract)
This project
aims to produce designs that improve the environmental performance
of buildings through reduced energy consumption and increased
opportunities for re-use and recycling of the components. Focus
will be on concept designs for new and innovative roof and wall
composite cladding systems, detailed investigation into issues
relating to the materials used by the components in these systems
and production of the necessary design guidance/tools to allow
manufacturers to produce detailed designs to suit their particular
market needs. The objective is to lay the foundations for
manufacturers of cladding systems to build on in the future, by
undertaking the research and development work that most cladding
manufacturers (who are SMEs) are unable to perform, due to lack of
skills and resources.
Project
lead:
Green Light Products Ltd.
Total
project size:
£2.9m (subject to contract)
The aim of this project is to develop novel technologies for
industrial production of lightweight eco-composites applicable in
many industrial sectors. The technologies are based on annually
renewable natural materials including starch, biopolymer and
natural fibre and thus are expected to be more sustainable than
oil-based plastics. They can be made fully biodegradable and offer
much greener alternatives to plastics, which will facilitate
composting and/or recycling and thus contribute to significant
reduction in landfill. The low energy processing technologies use
water as a primary blowing and bonding agents without emission of
any hazardous by-products. This new generation of lightweight
composites have been shown to have good mechanical and thermal
barrier properties suitable for many applications in construction,
packaging and consumer goods sectors.
Project lead:
Materials Engineering Research Laboratory (MERL) Ltd
Total
project size:
£0. 62m (subject to contract)
This project
addresses damage tolerance of large yacht spars and wind turbine
blades to deliver improvements in structural durability, design
and quality control. This will include the use of modelling,
mechanical testing and Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) as well
as the development and application of non-destructive technologies
for structural polymer-matrix composites. Demand for CFRPs is
growing rapidly in new generations of long, highly loaded
components such as high performance yacht spars and >20m wind
turbine blades. These industries do not apply state of the art
inspection and damage tolerance approaches such as developed for
the aerospace industry. Requirements for structural health
monitoring are increasing but need to be integrated with
non-destructive testing and destructive test methods. This project
will develop novel RapidScan ultrasonic equipment and no-growth
destructive testing techniques integrated with SHM methods for
structures in these specific industries. The results will be
delivered as non-destructive testing hardware and life assessment
methodologies encompassed in a code for through-life structural
integrity management. The supply chain will benefit from this
enabling technology by increased safety, increased sales, reduced
costs and increased product confidence.
Project lead:
Euro-Projects (LTTC) Ltd
Total
project size:
£0.99m (subject to contract)
This project
aims to develop a novel, low cost visual based inspection
technique for advanced composite materials and structures based on
the concept of "bruisable composites". This concept involves
incorporating microencapsulated polymer spheres containing
different coloured dyes into the resin system, which are released
when subjected to various forms of mechanical rupture (i.e.
impact) or overstrain to form a "bruise". It is proposed that by
modelling the area and colour intensity of the "bruise", it should
be possible to produce guidelines which enable engineers,
unfamiliar with composites or non destructive testing techniques,
to rapidly identify and quantify any deterioration a composite
structure, thereby actioning further detailed inspection,
monitoring, repair or replacement. Relevant industries include
infrastructure (i.e. bridges, columns, wind turbines), transport
(road, rail, marine, air), chemical plant etc. This technique
will be particularly appropriate for structures that are
inaccessible.
Project lead:
Integrated Materials Technology Ltd [IMT]
Total
project size:
£0.50m (subject to contract)
This project
aims to develop a novel process for the continuous production of
thermoplastic prepregs thereby reducing current manufacturing
costs and improving product quality. A prototype converter will be
developed, to take UD tape widths up to 100mm, to handle matrices
with a melting temperature range of 150-400ºC and deliver off-axis
products with fibre orientations from 10º to 90º , at widths of up
to 1.2m. The influence of input tape composition will be studied.
Individual ply products will be comprehensively characterised with
regard to fibre orientation, product width and flatness and the
resulting multi-ply laminates with regard to mechanical
performance and formability. The equipment design will combine low
energy and labour requirements with high flexibility in terms of
off-axis specification and run length. Key variables influencing
processing speed and product quality will be identified during a
full evaluation of the process economics. Laminates made from
these materials will be used to produce and evaluate selected
demonstrator parts. Sectors to benefit from this development
include transport, consumer goods, healthcare and construction.
Project lead:
FIRA International
Total
project size:
£0.07m (subject to contract)
This project
is aimed at applying advanced composites into the office furniture
sector (desks, cupboards, drawers and filing cabinets) with the
specific aim of reducing office place noise thereby lowering
employee stress levels and improving working conditions. This
would provide societal benefits for the workers employed within
office environments and economic benefit as productivity per
employee rises as a result of a healthier workplace. The modern
office trend is toward open plan (call centres etc) which leads to
greater ambient noise levels as electronic equipment becomes ever
more prevalent. Mobile telephones, printers, voice recognition
software and photocopiers all combine to produce noise levels
equivalent to around 75dBA, well above the World Health
Organisation's recommended limit of 55 decibels. This work will
characterise the materials that could be suitable for integrating
into furniture structures, propose novel methods of manufacture,
design and build basic prototypes and performance test them for
structural and acoustical validity.
Click
here to view a BBC news item on the 'Silent' Office
Project lead:
Ford Motor Co. Ltd.
Total project
size:
£2.69m (subject to contract)
Over a quarter
of fuel consumed by a diesel-engine car is due to parasitic losses
in various components of the engine and transmission. This
project aims to reduce these losses using a systems approach to
the lubrication system and the tribological surfaces within the
engine. The energy saving achieved translate to lower CO2
and other exhaust emissions. The knowledge generated will help
retain the UK’s leading position in diesel engine manufacture and
lubricant development whilst contributing to the achievement of
emissions targets.
Multi-Component Design Optimisation of Aero, Marine and Energy Gas
Turbines
Project lead: Rolls
Royce Plc
Total project
size:
£2.9m
The project's aim is to develop and
validate an innovative high-fidelity multi-component design
optimisation system. This will provide a step-change in design
capabilities that will be used to deliver reduced weight, fuel
burn and noise through improved component performance; and, hence,
to meet the stringent environmental requirements of engines such
as the Trent 1000, for the 7E7 (which will burn 20% less fuel than
other aircraft of its size), and its successors. It will also
contribute directly to achieving the very challenging ACARE
environmental targets. The innovative aspects include robust
design and meshing techniques for real geometry features; reliable
meshing over the wide geometry envelopes explored by an optimiser;
multi-disciplinary design for systems with many degrees of freedom
(e.g. a
whole compressor with disks and cavities); design for uncertainty
using probabilistic techniques; and, design process enhancements.
The project will build university research into a reliable
industrial design system. The partners are Rolls-Royce (RR), the
universities of Cambridge (CU), Oxford (OU), Surrey (SU) and
Imperial College (IC). RR will be the lead partner.
Project lead:
Pera Innovation
Total project
size:
£1m (subject to contract)
The project
seeks to create an innovative process technology that would lead
to reduced total cost, improved manufacturing processes and a
lower environmental impact. The demands of industry for more
competitive and effective processes have led to the use of pre-preg
systems that can be oven cured instead of autoclaved. These
systems can be advanced further by the use of rapid cure resin
systems initiated by UV light. UV however can only be used in line
of sight and on thin sections. This project proposes to utilise
the skills of the textile industry to provide complex 3D preforms
that can be impregnated with novel UV curing resin systems using
traditional impregnation methods such as RTM and vacuum infusion.
The 3D preform will be developed to ensure that light is
dissipated in an optimum way to enable the rapid cure in a matter
of seconds.
Project lead:
University of Nottingham
Total project
size:
£0.89m (subject to contract)
This project
aims to deliver a low-cost high specific stiffness/strength
composite material obtained from recycled carbon fibres. This will
offer sustainable manufacture and recycling at all volume levels,
particularly in automotive production, and will enable a
step-change in design and performance of vehicle structures.
Carbon based polymer composites can deliver weight reductions of
over 40% when used to replace steel in vehicle structure, but
applications are limited by End-of-Life directives. The proposal
brings together industrial partners from the automotive supply
chain to deliver a high-grade low-cost recycled carbon composite
material. Reclaimed short carbon fibres will be mixed with novel
polymer matrices to produce bulk and sheet moulding compounds and
preformed parts suitable for exterior body panels, structural
components and for co-moulding with carbon fibre textiles - thus,
representing all body in white (BIW) technologies. The resulting
structure can itself be subsequently recycled. The proposal is
viable at existing UK prepreg waste levels. Therefore the project
delivers a route for immediate implementation that can be expanded
as usage of carbon fibre increases to the proposed steady-state
level of over 50% content of recycled carbon fibre in production
of vehicle BIW.
Project lead:
Corus UK
Total project
size:
£0.83m (subject to contract)
This project
aims to produce designs that improve the environmental performance
of buildings through reduced energy consumption and increased
opportunities for re-use and recycling of the components. Focus
will be on concept designs for new and innovative roof and wall
composite cladding systems, detailed investigation into issues
relating to the materials used by the components in these systems
and production of the necessary design guidance/tools to allow
manufacturers to produce detailed designs to suit their particular
market needs. The objective is to lay the foundations for
manufacturers of cladding systems to build on in the future, by
undertaking the research and development work that most cladding
manufacturers (who are SMEs) are unable to perform, due to lack of
skills and resources.
Project lead:
Green Light Products Ltd.
Total project
size:
£2.9m (subject to contract)
The aim of this project is to develop novel technologies for
industrial production of lightweight eco-composites applicable in
many industrial sectors. The technologies are based on annually
renewable natural materials including starch, biopolymer and
natural fibre and thus are expected to be more sustainable than
oil-based plastics. They can be made fully biodegradable and offer
much greener alternatives to plastics, which will facilitate
composting and/or recycling and thus contribute to significant
reduction in landfill. The low energy processing technologies use
water as a primary blowing and bonding agents without emission of
any hazardous by-products. This new generation of lightweight
composites have been shown to have good mechanical and thermal
barrier properties suitable for many applications in construction,
packaging and consumer goods sectors.
Project lead:
Ceres Power Ltd
Total project
size:
£1.92m (subject to contract)
Ceres Power is
developing a novel type of solid oxide fuel cell that operates in
the lower temperature range of 500-600°C, instead of the more
usual region of 800-1000°C. This will lower costs and reduce
materials problems in the small-scale combined heat and power
market, in auxiliary power units for vehicles and for remote power
generation. This project will focus on methods for processing
fuels, including natural gas and Liquefied Propane Gas, and
integrating these with lightweight, low-cost stack components.
Project lead:
QinetiQ Ltd.
Total project
costs:
£0.8m (subject to contract)
This two-year
applied research project aims to develop a radically new approach
to the manufacture of liquid crystal displays, enabling displays
to be cost-effectively printed on a range of flexible surfaces.
If successful, this project could revolutionise the manufacture of
portable devices and bring, for example, the electronic book one
step nearer to reality. The collaboration involves 3 large
organisations and a UK university; bringing together expertise in
materials, substrates, printing, coating and patterning, displays
and electronics.
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