One size doesn't fit all: an approach to progress delivery of sustainability for the composites industry

Minimising the impact we have on the environment by developing sustainable composites should be a key focus for composite designers. Composite production processes are often energy intensive and certain materials present significant challenges for recycling and end-of-life processes. Whilst companies could hold the viewpoint that sustainability is an opportunity to innovate, it appears that many see it as a challenge and by investing in improving sustainability, they are put at a disadvantage to their competitors. To make informed decisions and avoid assuming investing in sustainable composites is dis-advantageous, a full information set covering mechanical, economic and environmental factors in a design or re-design process should be created. A methodology of gathering this information is Life Cycle Engineering, presenting economic, mechanical and environmental factors in a semi-quantitative process utilising a ternary diagram. However, the at best semi-quantitative nature of this method limits its usefulness in a full industrial design process. This project will seek to develop an integrated LCE methodology which will bring sustainability alongside costing and mechanical performance in the design of composite components. Each aspect will be covered by a discrete, linked process. Iterative design will be included so that the process is not just applicable to the initial materials selection phase but also upstream design processes.
Aim: The aim of this project is to investigate how an LCE framework can be implemented into an integrated environment and successfully applied to a composites design or re-design scenario.

Objectives:
1. Understand the challenges of implementing a full LCE method to a composite scenario
2. Develop an integrated LCE framework which is deployable to an industrial setting
3. Test and validate the framework on a number of case scenarios

The current intended application is to the marine and wind turbine industries. However, a key focus of this work is to ensure that the method is fully adaptable to different scenarios. As such, it is hoped that the method will eventually be applicable to any user of composites. However, as marine and wind both have common challenges such as erosion and saline degradation, the validation and testing methods will relate to these considerations. As such, validation and test would be required for any other industries this framework may be applied to. The most significant benefit of this research would be improving the accessibility for the composites industries to a tool enabling them to make informed decisions on multiple criteria when attempting to integrate greater sustainability.
The novelty of this work is derived from the development of a fully integrated LCE framework in a method with greater rigour than a simple ternary diagram. As such, the results will be quantitative as opposed to qualitative. Furthermore, during the case study it is possible that novel biocomposites will be developed. As such, novel research into challenges of bio-composite use such as interfacial weakness or moisture resistance will also be undertaken.

The chief impacts are twofold:

1. Supply of doctoral level engineers trained to the very highest standards in advanced composites. They will take up positions in industry as well as academia.
2. Development of next generation advanced composite materials and applications for wealth creation in the UK.

Other important impacts are:

3. Enhanced UK reputation as a world leading centre in advanced composites that attracts inward investment and export opportunity.
4. Attracting elite overseas students, enhancing the UK's global reputation for excellence in Advanced Composite materials and their applications and widening the pool of highly skilled labour for UK industry.
5. Engaging with local schools and media, to disseminate, enthuse and raise the profile of Engineering to school children and to the wider public.