Advanced Composites Centre for

Innovation and Science

4th ANNUAL CONFERENCE

30th September 2011

www.bris.ac.uk/composites

Programme

Introduction and update on ACCIS activities Prof Michael Wisnom, Director

EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Composites Prof Kevin Potter, Professor in Composites Manufacture

Composite Developments in the Renewable Energy Sector Dr Paul Harper, Lecturer in Engineering Design

High Fidelity Finite Element Analysis of Tapered Laminates with Dropped Plies Dr Stephen Hallett, Reader in Composite Structures

Out-of Plane Deformation of Fabrics in Resin Infusion Processes Dr Dmitry Ivanov, Lecturer in Composites Manufacture

Nanocomposites for Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering Applications Dr Sameer Rahatekar, Lecturer in Composites and Nanocomposites

Developments in Variable Angle Tow Technology Prof Paul Weaver, Professor in Lightweight Structures

One minute introductions to posters from ACCIS researchers Dr Richard Trask, Lecturer in Multifunctional Materials

12.30-14.00 Lunch, posters, lab tours

Advanced Composites Centre for Innovation and Science

• Established in 2007

• Brings together composites research across University

• Based in Engineering, linked to Science and Medicine

• Focus for collaboration between academia and industry

• ACCIS Vision:

A world leading centre for composites education and research, combining cutting edge fundamental science with strong industrial links for exploitation and technology transfer

Undercarriage stay

DTC Design, Build, Test

Carbon nano-tubes and particles

Highlights

Two large EPSRC collaborative grants awarded in March 2011, strengthening relationships with other leading UK universities

• Programme Grant under Creativity in Composites Engineering call “High Performance Ductile Composites Technology” (HiPerDuCT) with Imperial College

• EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Composites led by University of Nottingham in collaboration with Bristol, Cranfield and Manchester

HiPerDuCT

• Six year £6M collaboration:

– Michael Wisnom, Ian Bond, Kevin Potter, Paul Weaver at Bristol

– Alexander Bismarck, Paul Robinson, Milo Shaffer, Joachim Steinke at Imperial

• Objective: to create a new generation of high performance composites to overcome the key limitation of current materials: their inherent brittleness

• Exciting ideas to address the challenge via new constituents and novel architectures

• Opportunities for wider collaboration

Academic Staff

• 15 core staff in Engineering

• Two promotions from 1st August 2011:

Fabrizio Scarpa

Professor of Smart Materials and Structures

Stephen Hallett

Reader in Composite Structures

• Total of 40 academic staff across the University with an interest in composites

Stephen Hallett

Fabrizio Scarpa

New Appointments

• Two new Lecturers appointed

• Dr. Paul Harper

Lecturer in Engineering Design

• Dr. Dmitry Ivanov

Lecturer in Composites Manufacture in conjunction with the ACCIS Doctoral Training Centre

• Further new academic staff member to support DTC being recruited

Dmitry Ivanov

Paul Harper

New Staff and Researchers

• Jean Vogel-Gourgand

Full time ACCIS project manager

• Paige Spicer

Apprentice Administrator

• Post-doctoral researchers including:

Dr Jonathan Belnoue

Dr Thi Dang

Dr Byung Chul Kim

Dr Gangadharan Raju

Dr HaNa Yu

Dr Gergely Czél

• 20 new PhD students starting next week

Jean Vogel-Gourgand

Paige Spicer

ACCIS Research Themes

• Multifunctional Composites and Novel Microstructures

• Design, Analysis and Failure

• Intelligent Structures

• Composites Processing and Characterisation

Embedded fibres for sensing, self healing

Predicting damage at notches

Morphing aerofoil

Fibre waviness in curved composite

ACCIS Facilities

• Centre integrates staff and researchers

• Hot desks for collaborators and visitors

• ACCIS annexe providing additional space

• New robot facility installed

• Lab tours available after lunch

Ground floor lab extension Open plan research offices on 2 floors adjacent to staff offices

Industrial Partnerships

• Rolls-Royce Composites UTC - focus on validated analysis methods

• Partnership with Vestas - team working on design and manufacture of composite wind turbine blades

• Airbus Bristol Bath Strategic Alliance in Composite Technologies (ABBSTRACT) Centred on EPSRC project on variable angle tow placement to maximise performance, in collaboration with GKN

• Agusta Westland Rotorcraft UTC

ACCIS Doctoral Training Centre

• 3rd Cohort starting next week

• Brings total to 36 students

• Successful EPSRC mid-term review

• Strong industrial engagement - projects with Agusta Westland, Airbus UK, dstl, GE Aviation, Haydale, Rolls-Royce and Vestas

• Collaboration with Imperial, Nottingham, Manchester, Cambridge

• 2nd cohort about to select projects - opportunity for collaboration

• DTC conference in early 2012

ACCIS Innovation Forum, March 2011

Brainstorming event to stimulate interdisciplinary collaborations

Four pump-priming projects funded by University:

• Bi-stability: From Nature to Engineering (Mathematics and Aerospace Engineering)

• Biologically Inspired Adaptive Camouflage: Feasibility of Synthetic Chromatophores (Biological Sciences and Engineering)

• Self-Assembly of Nano Fibres and Platelets for Manufacturing of High Performance Composites (Aerospace Engineering and Chemistry)

• Self-Assembly of Nature-Inspired Hierarchical Structures for Biomedical and Military Applications (Oral and Dental Science, Aerospace Engineering and Chemistry)

New ACCIS PhDs

• Faxiang Qin: “Ferromagnetic microwires enabled multifunctional composites”, November 2010

• Yusuf Mahadik: “Investigating 3D woven composite architecture”, November 2010

• Matteo Bianchi: “Open cell PU-PE auxetic foams: structural and dynamic aspects”, January 2011

• Enzo Cosentino: “Analysis and design of composite panels with stringer run-outs”, January 2011

• Giacomo Canale: “Aeroelastic tailoring of aeroplane wings using composite laminates”, March 2011

• Andrew Limmack: “Development of polyurethane based nanocomposite coatings for composite structures in harsh environments”, March 2011

• Alberto Pirrera: “Bistable structures for morphing applications using anisotropic shells”, May 2011

• Dirk Lukaszewicz: “Optimisation of high-speed automated layup of thermoset carbon-fibre preimpregnates”, June 2011

• Vitalba Imperiale: “Design and formulation of a bespoke self-healing agent for repair of multifunctional fibre reinforced polymers”, June 2011

Dirk Lukaszewicz, Alberto Pirrera, Giacomo Canale, Andrew Limmack

Graduation day – July 2011

New Projects

• Environmental Ageing Damage of Carbon Fibre Laminates – Giuliano Allegri & Alex Carrella (EU FP7, Rolls-Royce, Agusta Westland)

• Knowledge Transfer Secondment – Stephen Hallett (EPSRC) Implementing FE tools for fatigue failure prediction into Rolls-Royce

• Grand Challenge: Virtual Testing of Defects Stephen Hallett (TSB, Rolls-Royce)

• Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Cobham, Kevin Potter

New Projects

• Marie Curie Initial Training Network on self-healing materials – Ian Bond, Richard Trask & Duncan Wass (EU FP7)

• Impact Damage Visualisation using microencapsulated chemistries – Ian Bond, Duncan Wass, Richard Trask (GKN Aerospace)

• Morphing Concepts and Lightweight Composite Structures - Paul Weaver & Kevin Potter (Toyota)

• High Temperature Bistable Morphing Concept -Paul Weaver (US Air Force)

• 3 new EngD projects - Kevin Potter (Renishaw and GKN)

International Collaborations

• École Normale Supérieure de Cachan, France

Emmanuelle Abisset undertaking scaled indentation tests in ACCIS

• Indian Institute of Science

Prof. Gopalakrishnan Distinguished Visiting Fellowship working with Sameer Rahatekar (Royal Academy of Engineering)

• JAXA, Japan

Dr Kazuya Saito working with Fabrizio Scarpa on Kirigami techniques for cores of sandwich structures

• Harbin Institute of Technology, China

Peng collaborating on Ti MMCs with novel microstructures (Royal Society)

National Composites Centre

• New building completed May 2011

• NCC staff moved in July

• Kevin Potter part time in NCC on academic liaison

• Several ACCIS researchers working in NCC on permanent staff and on projects

• NCC open this afternoon for visitors

National Composites Centre Role

• Main focus is at TRL 4-6

• Linked to Universities for research at TRL 1-3

• Events for dissemination of research findings, and for setting priorities for university research

Future Opportunities

• Academic and industrial collaborations, secondments

• Major new research programmes through TSB, MoD, EPSRC and FP7 initiatives

• Exciting opportunities for blue skies PhDs, EngDs and initial studies via DTC or undergraduate projects

• Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

• Collaborations through the National Composites Centre