Reshape The Future With Composites Materials

By Brian Bell, London Press Service

ONE research centre has already broken exciting new ground in shaping the future, with the development and application of advanced composites and intelligent structures, since it opened recently.

The Advanced Composites Centre for Innovation & Science (ACCIS) at the University of Bristol, England, brings together research across the university in composite materials that are crucially important for engineering companies to maintain international competitiveness.

The construction of large aircraft, for example, is becoming increasingly dependent on composites rather than metals. In the production of such aircraft, engineering in the United Kingdom recognises that it has to achieve new design and manufacturing challenges.

Just imagine, aircraft wings that could change shape in mid-air. Structures that could curve, bulge or twist without the need for expensive motors or hydraulics. Or a material that gets thicker when lengthened, unlike conventional materials that get thinner - a substance that could be used in anything from a mattress to an airplane. The implications are enormous.

Thanks to one European Union-funded project called Chismacomb (short for CHIral SMArt honeyCOMB), led by the Bristol-based researchers, such innovative technology is set to become a reality.

It is this research that has developed the "thicker when stretched" material, a honeycomb-structure substance that becomes more dense when pulled (called auxetic), allowing greater flexibility without compromising strength.

The technology can be used in structures in which the material is inserted between layers of another material such as carbon fibre. These sandwich structures are widely used in civil, marine and aerospace construction, and in industries using electromagnetic shields.

The university has also applied the technology to aircraft wing design. Promising results have shown that the wings may bend, twist, shrink and expand to continuously optimise their aerodynamic properties during flight, resulting in lower noise and potentially much lower carbon emissions.

These radical materials are also giving marine designers the step-change needed to improve the sandwich structures in mine-hunting ships and in the decks and joints of pleasure boats.

Elsewhere, alternative energy technologies such as wind power are rapidly developing and offer increasing opportunities for the use of advanced composites. The UK supply of such materials is worth 1.5 billion pounds per year, providing the foundation for the country to become a world-class player in this rapidly progressing area.

The Bristol centre, supported by the South West of England Regional Development Agency, combines leading-edge scientific enquiry with strong industrial collaboration, especially with Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Smiths Aerospace. It aligns with the UK government's science and innovation ambitions of providing "world-class research at the strongest centres of excellence" and "a strong supply of scientists, engineers and technologists".

Based in Bristol University's Engineering Faculty, ACCIS (pronounced axis) collaborates with the science and medical faculties to take advantage of breakthroughs in fundamental science and apply them to a range of practical applications. Michael Wisnom, the director of ACCIS and professor of aerospace structures in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, said at the opening: "ACCIS will catalyse the integration and application of the university's existing research capability, forming a major international centre, raising the profile of advanced composites and attracting the brightest people.

"The centre will contribute significantly to increasing capacity in this strategically important area of science and innovation for the UK, and will ensure that UK advanced composites is at the forefront of global developments."

The South West of England Regional Development Agency sponsored the launch, recognising that ACCIS is working in a field in which the region can excel and that the centre should make a strong contribution to the achievement of national objectives.

Its chairman Juliet Williams commented: "Only 10 years ago composite technologies were almost unheard of outside Formula 1 but today there are a staggering 33,700,000 references to composite materials on Google and increasingly they are used in marine, construction, medical devices and even jewellery.

"To keep pace with this change, companies in south-west England need to improve their awareness of these technologies and adapt their practices to make the most of them. To make this happen it is essential that the universities, public sector and businesses work together to make sure that the region retains its market position in the face of the huge challenges from China and India as well as the US, Europe and Japan.

"It is for this reason the South West RDA has invested 10 million pounds to support aerospace research with regional companies. And as part of this we hope that the 500,000 pounds investment we made buying the equipment needed to run this facility in Bristol will help to keep us at the forefront of the industry," added Juliet Williams.

More recently, several members of ACCIS - Ian Bond, Richard Trask, Paul Weaver, Alex Cannas and Michael Wisnom - presented some of the latest research findings at the 16th International Conference on Composite Materials in Kyoto, Japan.

A spokesman added: "All presentations were very well received, with Mr Trask and Mr Bond finding that there was standing room only for their session on self-healing composites. Clearly, this is a subject of considerable international interest having been specifically indicated as a target technology by both Airbus and Boeing."

Contact:

Joanne Fryer, Press Officer
University of Bristol
Senate House, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, United Kingdom, BS8 1TH
Phone: +44 117 331 7276
E-mail: joanne.fryer@bristol.ac.uk
Web: www.bristol.ac.uk