High-Volume Composites Manufacturing Cell with Digital Twinning Capability
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Nottingham
Department Name: Faculty of Engineering
Abstract
The use of composite materials has increased substantially over recent years, leading to projected UK sector growth from £1.5b to £12b by 2030. Much of this potential is associated with lightweighting of vehicles, delivery of durable structures for renewable energy and infrastructure, and next generation single aisle civil aircraft. These all have the potential to make an immediate and positive impact on both the UK's climate change and infrastructure targets, in addition to direct impact on the economy through jobs and exports. However, realising these targets depends primarily on the ability of the industry to deliver structures at volumes and quality levels demanded by these target applications.
In order to meet these challenges, we seek to develop a High-Volume Composites Manufacturing Cell with Digital Twinning Capability (HV-COMMAND). The cell features four components and is configured to facilitate research into each stage of the composite compression manufacturing process (design, handling, forming and inspection). HV-COMMAND cell will therefore deliver an end-to-end replication of industrial automated composites manufacture whilst retaining the size and flexibility requirements to operate within stretch targets appropriate to a research setting.
The data-rich combination of stages within the cell will ultimately deliver a virtual duplication of the manufacturing process - a 'digital twin' capturing the effect of material and process variabilities during forming. This will facilitate future process developments, permitting high-risk feasibility studies whilst mitigating risk of damage to experimental equipment.
In order to meet these challenges, we seek to develop a High-Volume Composites Manufacturing Cell with Digital Twinning Capability (HV-COMMAND). The cell features four components and is configured to facilitate research into each stage of the composite compression manufacturing process (design, handling, forming and inspection). HV-COMMAND cell will therefore deliver an end-to-end replication of industrial automated composites manufacture whilst retaining the size and flexibility requirements to operate within stretch targets appropriate to a research setting.
The data-rich combination of stages within the cell will ultimately deliver a virtual duplication of the manufacturing process - a 'digital twin' capturing the effect of material and process variabilities during forming. This will facilitate future process developments, permitting high-risk feasibility studies whilst mitigating risk of damage to experimental equipment.
Planned Impact
We seek to make a major contribution to the UK composites manufacturing industry by providing greater understanding of the manufacturing and simulation processes relevant to sectors requiring high volumes of composite components (e.g. 100,000ppa in the automotive sector). This will greatly enhance efficiency and quality and therefore open up many more applications of these materials. This in turn will contribute to the GDP of the UK in this rapidly expanding area. UoN have considerable experience in working with and delivering successful projects with members of the automotive industry such as Jaguar Land Rover and Ford, but also with other companies striving to increase productivity, such as Bentley, Aston Martin Lagonda, GKN and McLaren.
This High-Volume Composites Manufacturing Cell with Digital Twinning Capability (HV-COMMAND) will contribute to advancements across a range of composites manufacturing sub-disciplines. This will enable fundamental research in a number of areas within composites manufacturing science including: Material deposition (e.g. handling, ply assembly, fibre architecture), Moulding (e.g. Resin transfer Moulding, compression moulding, out-of-autoclave processing), NDT/Inspection (e.g. defect prediction, fibre alignment), Simulation (e.g. process optimisation, design for manufacture), Recycling (e.g. recyclate conversion), Automation (simulation-based process control), and Digital Manufacturing (digital twinning). These applications are also relevant to a range of industry sectors including automotive, aerospace, rail, renewable energy, construction and marine ensuring a number of possible routes for industrial exploitation of the research enabled by the cell.
The UK and international academic community will benefit from the high quality research output generated by one of the leading composites manufacturing research groups in the country. The UoN Group has a high standing within the international academic community, and an excellent track record of publication in high impact factor journals. We also seek to encourage access to HV-COMMAND to external institutions, facilitating excellent collaborative research, especially through CIMComp whose 10 member universities account for over 80% (£24.6m) of the current EPSRC composites portfolio (£29.9m), include 17 professorial groups and over 40 researchers and postgraduates
The UoN Group attends the major international conferences (ICCM, SAMPE), and collaborates with the leading groups around the world (e.g. Leuven, US National Labs, CRCAS, Australia). UoN also organises the ICMAC (International Conference on Manufacturing of Advanced Composites) conference biannually which offers further opportunities for dissemination. Both Warrior (PI), Turner (Co-I) and Harper (Co-I) sit on the Composites Leadership Forum through sub-committees (Technology Working Group, Sustainability Working Group and Automotive Working Group), and Harper sits on the SAMPE (Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering) UK and Ireland committee. Through CIMComp, we also possess funding for international missions which will enable dissemination of the HV-COMMAND capabilities and outputs to key stakeholders outside of the UK. This will also enable relevant learning to be incorporated into the research undertaken within the cell, ensuring that the benefit is shared in both directions.
The HV-COMMAND cell will enable researchers both at UoN at other institutions to engage with the UK composites community to provide internationally leading manufacturing techniques and the supporting experimental infrastructure to validate the data, empowering the UK manufacturing supply chain.
This High-Volume Composites Manufacturing Cell with Digital Twinning Capability (HV-COMMAND) will contribute to advancements across a range of composites manufacturing sub-disciplines. This will enable fundamental research in a number of areas within composites manufacturing science including: Material deposition (e.g. handling, ply assembly, fibre architecture), Moulding (e.g. Resin transfer Moulding, compression moulding, out-of-autoclave processing), NDT/Inspection (e.g. defect prediction, fibre alignment), Simulation (e.g. process optimisation, design for manufacture), Recycling (e.g. recyclate conversion), Automation (simulation-based process control), and Digital Manufacturing (digital twinning). These applications are also relevant to a range of industry sectors including automotive, aerospace, rail, renewable energy, construction and marine ensuring a number of possible routes for industrial exploitation of the research enabled by the cell.
The UK and international academic community will benefit from the high quality research output generated by one of the leading composites manufacturing research groups in the country. The UoN Group has a high standing within the international academic community, and an excellent track record of publication in high impact factor journals. We also seek to encourage access to HV-COMMAND to external institutions, facilitating excellent collaborative research, especially through CIMComp whose 10 member universities account for over 80% (£24.6m) of the current EPSRC composites portfolio (£29.9m), include 17 professorial groups and over 40 researchers and postgraduates
The UoN Group attends the major international conferences (ICCM, SAMPE), and collaborates with the leading groups around the world (e.g. Leuven, US National Labs, CRCAS, Australia). UoN also organises the ICMAC (International Conference on Manufacturing of Advanced Composites) conference biannually which offers further opportunities for dissemination. Both Warrior (PI), Turner (Co-I) and Harper (Co-I) sit on the Composites Leadership Forum through sub-committees (Technology Working Group, Sustainability Working Group and Automotive Working Group), and Harper sits on the SAMPE (Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering) UK and Ireland committee. Through CIMComp, we also possess funding for international missions which will enable dissemination of the HV-COMMAND capabilities and outputs to key stakeholders outside of the UK. This will also enable relevant learning to be incorporated into the research undertaken within the cell, ensuring that the benefit is shared in both directions.
The HV-COMMAND cell will enable researchers both at UoN at other institutions to engage with the UK composites community to provide internationally leading manufacturing techniques and the supporting experimental infrastructure to validate the data, empowering the UK manufacturing supply chain.
Organisations
Publications
Evans A
(2022)
Design guidelines for hybrid continuous/discontinuous carbon fibre laminates
in Journal of Composite Materials
Yu F
(2023)
A global-to-local sub modelling approach to investigate the effect of lubrication during double diaphragm forming of multi-ply biaxial non-crimp fabric preforms
in Composites Part B: Engineering
| Description | The research facilities are all now fully operational. The press and tooling has been used to mould high quality carbon fibre/epoxy composites. The manufacturing cycle time for this process at present is less than 30 minutes - this represents a reduction of over 90 percent of the equivalent autoclave-based process. The aim of this work is to lead to a 10 minute cycle time, with equivalent quality to the autoclave component. The increased level of automation to the diaphragm forming process facilitated by the robotic fibre placement facility will facilitate technology transfer of the process to industry. At present this aspect of the work is behind schedule due to staffing levels and skill shortage. The non-contact scanning equipment has reduced the time required for a full scan of a typical diaphragm formed component from two weeks to 17 minutes! |
| Exploitation Route | This composites manufacturing facility is unique in the UK and will continue to be used to study and characterise underpinning science of current processes, develop new manufacturing technologies and transfer these technologies to industry, principally via the Catapult Centre network. |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Construction,Energy,Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Transport |
| Description | The composites manufacturing facility has been used in collaborations with the Catapult Centre Network. Tooling in the press is of the same geometry as that used by the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and the aim is to transfer research findings from the work to the Catapult. The cell and the Digital Twin will be used in technology transfer with the National Composites Centre, but findings are still in the early stages. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
| Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Transport |
| Impact Types | Economic |
| Title | Composites Manufacturing Hydraulic Press (Langzauner) plus instrumented tooling |
| Description | The press (Langzauner Downstroke Press 200 Ton) is a large laboratory/commercial scale facility, equipped with fully instrumented tooling for composite forming and moulding studies. The capacity of the press allows for a range of high-volume composites manufacturing processes including compression moulding and the range of liquid moulding technologies. The data-rich measurement and logging facilities aim to capture the effects of material and process variabilities during forming and moulding and will assist in the development and validation of a composites manufacturing 'digital twin'. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This facility has only been completed in February 2022, so no notable impacts have been recorded to date. |
| Title | Non-contact Fibre Architecture Measurement System (Apodius) |
| Description | This non-contact scanner (Apodius Vision System incl. Romer Arm) enables automated recognition of fibre angle on the surface of a composite component. This enables on-line analysis for process studies such as shear frame tests and forming studies and measurement of components for validation of simulations. The fast image-grabbing rate facilitates in-process monitoring and is particularly useful in the studies of development of defects such as wrinkles. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This facility has only been completed in February 2022, so no notable impacts have been recorded to date. |
| Title | Non-contact laser scanning (Creaform) |
| Description | The non-contact metrology-grade scanner facilitates the precise measurement of composites at different stages of the manufacturing process, enabling, for example a scan of the compression moulding charge prior to tool closure and the subsequent measurement of residual distortion or spring back. The high scanning rate facilitates in-process studies. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This facility has only been completed in February 2022, so no notable impacts have been recorded to date. |
| Title | Robotic (ABB)-assist Diaphragm Forming |
| Description | The pick-and-place ABB robot system builds on the existing UoN diaphragm forming rig, extending the level of automation and facilitates a range of studies of the effect of ply placement in forming of multi-ply laminates. Different end effectors can be affixed to the robot arm, enabling studies in effectiveness of different handling technologies for the range of fibre architecture types. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The extension to this facility has only been completed in February 2022, so no notable impacts have been recorded to date. |
| Description | A Numerical Tool to Aid Design-for-Manufacture of Injection Over-Moulded Composite Parts |
| Organisation | University of Bristol |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The Hub awarded a Synergy project grant to The University of Bristol and the University of Nottingham for twelve months on 'A Numerical Tool to Aid Design-for-Manufacture of Injection Over-Moulded Composite Parts'. |
| Collaborator Contribution | None to date due to the project only recently commenced. |
| Impact | None to date due to the project only recently commenced. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | A Numerical Tool to Aid Design-for-Manufacture of Injection Over-Moulded Composite Parts |
| Organisation | University of Nottingham |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The Hub awarded a Synergy project grant to The University of Bristol and the University of Nottingham for twelve months on 'A Numerical Tool to Aid Design-for-Manufacture of Injection Over-Moulded Composite Parts'. |
| Collaborator Contribution | None to date due to the project only recently commenced. |
| Impact | None to date due to the project only recently commenced. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Incorporation of thermoplastic in situ polymerisation in double diaphragm forming |
| Organisation | Engel |
| Country | Austria |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | The Hub awarded a £50,000 feasibility study grant to The University of Nottingham for the six-month project 'Incorporation of thermoplastic in situ polymerisation in double diaphragm forming'. Most aspects of the collaboration were demonstrated and the process was shown to be feasible at a small scale, but full success cannot be claimed since the infusion mixing system has not been fully combined with the forming frame. The research team made the following contributions: 1) Manufacture benchtop diaphragm former, suitable for TP liquid infusion 2) Produce 2D composite panels by vacuum infusion in rigid tooling (baseline) 3) Produce 2D composite panels between flexible diaphragms 4) Produce 3D composite components between diaphragms to at least rigid solid Deliverable 1 - This was to produce a small scale forming system. It was made at a small scale to minimise risks to users and to avoid damage to the existing larger system in early trials. The frame was made taking into account several of the risk factors to try and produce an effective solution and to make it suitable for all processing environments, from fume hood to oven. A three part frame with a vacuum channel provided the double diaphragm section and then a vacuum baseplate with removable hemisphere shape comprised the forming section. Deliverable 2 - This was to produce a flat panel in rigid tooling using vacuum forming. Some basic laboratory studies were performed to de-risk the process, determining pot life estimation, checking the process would run to completion and most importantly checking the combability of vacuum consumables with the reaction mixture. Most vacuum bagging materials are made of nylon, which is not compatible with the monomer, and so less common materials were considered in consultation with Tygavac and Vac innovation. Results identified two fluoropolymer films, normally used as release films but with reasonable strain characteristics (Tygavac A4000, Tygavac Wrightlon), and silicone were all suitable. Tubing was limited to PTFE in high temperature environments and silicone at room temperature. A silicone-based tacky tape was identified, however no suitable breather cloth was available. For the initial trials a slow catalyst was used, to ensure plenty of time to fill and form before polymerisation (30-60 mins). A much faster catalyst is available that would enable faster production (e.g. 2-3 mins). After considerable efforts in developing a suitable infusion protocol using simple resin mixing, flat panels were produced using both glass and carbon reinforcements. The glass and carbon both had specially adapted sizing treatments to suit the APA6 monomer. Infusion was performed between two flexible diaphragms, but was supported by a rigid tool Deliverable 3 - This was to produce flat panels in flexible tooling, using the forming frame, with only the vacuum providing rigidity to the system (unsupported diaphragms). Severe racetracking occurred and the original mitigation methods were either impractical or ineffective. Blocking off the vacuum gallery with tape or other material did not prevent the very low viscosity resin bleeding through. Modifications to the frame were considered, but were beyond budget in this early study. Instead, perimeter tacky tape was used as a temporary measure to isolate the reinforcement. Through-bag connections were avoided during the infusion stage, to prevent the likelihood of the diaphragm failing during forming due to any stress concentrations. While this proved to be entirely suitable for initial trials with an epoxy resin, there were limitations with the in situ polymerisation approach. The infusion was observed to progress rapidly and completely, where excellent wet out was achieved and the resin successfully polymerised to produce approximately 60% fibre volume fraction composites. However, interlaminar consolidation was poor, essentially resulting in a stack of well wet out thermoplastic tapes. This was ascribed to potential loss of vacuum consolidation as a result of a blockage in the vacuum line and/or the action of gravity on the unsupported diaphragms. A number of solutions were investigated, including heated vacuum lines and angled fill, but with mixed success. Ultimately this proved to be a less significant issue when forming. Deliverable 4 - was to produce formed components using the in situ polymerisation process and ideally to demonstrate the benefits of filling prior to forming. The benefits to forming were first demonstrated with epoxy, where hemispheres produced by first filling a flat reinforcement and then forming (fill-form) achieved better forming results (fewer wrinkles/less bridging) than hemispheres made by forming a reinforcement before infusion (form-fill). A successful form-fill experiment was conducted with carbon fibre and the in-situ polymerisation process. Effectiveness is limited by the consumables and there is an apparent imbalance in pressure acting on the hemisphere. However, the result was well consolidated in the sections that did not experiencing fabric bridging. The Ph.D. student at Nottingham is continuing with this work and additional examples are expected soon. Further refinement of the infusion equipment would improve the result. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Industrial partners; Bruggemann and Tvgavac provided the materials for the collaboration and remain engaged. Discussions on the polymerisation process with an expert at Engel took place and discussions with a representative at Johns Manville with regards to the project review took place. |
| Impact | The results of the project are in review with industry partners with a view to scoping out follow on studies. There are continuing activities at both sites at present, but funding is limited. Ideally with the removal of travel restrictions (the impact of covid) it would be possible to combine the equipment from both sites to demonstrate the process, as was originally intended. As well as process improvements, fundamental questions have been identified in relation to very low viscosity infusion and these would form the basis of an EPSRC supported study (either through a Hub Core Project or a Responsive Mode application). Opportunities are being explored in conjunction with the NCC, AMRC or industry. Talks are also taking place with Arkema to discuss the potential of using Elium in this system as well. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Incorporation of thermoplastic in situ polymerisation in double diaphragm forming |
| Organisation | Johns Manville |
| Country | Slovakia |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | The Hub awarded a £50,000 feasibility study grant to The University of Nottingham for the six-month project 'Incorporation of thermoplastic in situ polymerisation in double diaphragm forming'. Most aspects of the collaboration were demonstrated and the process was shown to be feasible at a small scale, but full success cannot be claimed since the infusion mixing system has not been fully combined with the forming frame. The research team made the following contributions: 1) Manufacture benchtop diaphragm former, suitable for TP liquid infusion 2) Produce 2D composite panels by vacuum infusion in rigid tooling (baseline) 3) Produce 2D composite panels between flexible diaphragms 4) Produce 3D composite components between diaphragms to at least rigid solid Deliverable 1 - This was to produce a small scale forming system. It was made at a small scale to minimise risks to users and to avoid damage to the existing larger system in early trials. The frame was made taking into account several of the risk factors to try and produce an effective solution and to make it suitable for all processing environments, from fume hood to oven. A three part frame with a vacuum channel provided the double diaphragm section and then a vacuum baseplate with removable hemisphere shape comprised the forming section. Deliverable 2 - This was to produce a flat panel in rigid tooling using vacuum forming. Some basic laboratory studies were performed to de-risk the process, determining pot life estimation, checking the process would run to completion and most importantly checking the combability of vacuum consumables with the reaction mixture. Most vacuum bagging materials are made of nylon, which is not compatible with the monomer, and so less common materials were considered in consultation with Tygavac and Vac innovation. Results identified two fluoropolymer films, normally used as release films but with reasonable strain characteristics (Tygavac A4000, Tygavac Wrightlon), and silicone were all suitable. Tubing was limited to PTFE in high temperature environments and silicone at room temperature. A silicone-based tacky tape was identified, however no suitable breather cloth was available. For the initial trials a slow catalyst was used, to ensure plenty of time to fill and form before polymerisation (30-60 mins). A much faster catalyst is available that would enable faster production (e.g. 2-3 mins). After considerable efforts in developing a suitable infusion protocol using simple resin mixing, flat panels were produced using both glass and carbon reinforcements. The glass and carbon both had specially adapted sizing treatments to suit the APA6 monomer. Infusion was performed between two flexible diaphragms, but was supported by a rigid tool Deliverable 3 - This was to produce flat panels in flexible tooling, using the forming frame, with only the vacuum providing rigidity to the system (unsupported diaphragms). Severe racetracking occurred and the original mitigation methods were either impractical or ineffective. Blocking off the vacuum gallery with tape or other material did not prevent the very low viscosity resin bleeding through. Modifications to the frame were considered, but were beyond budget in this early study. Instead, perimeter tacky tape was used as a temporary measure to isolate the reinforcement. Through-bag connections were avoided during the infusion stage, to prevent the likelihood of the diaphragm failing during forming due to any stress concentrations. While this proved to be entirely suitable for initial trials with an epoxy resin, there were limitations with the in situ polymerisation approach. The infusion was observed to progress rapidly and completely, where excellent wet out was achieved and the resin successfully polymerised to produce approximately 60% fibre volume fraction composites. However, interlaminar consolidation was poor, essentially resulting in a stack of well wet out thermoplastic tapes. This was ascribed to potential loss of vacuum consolidation as a result of a blockage in the vacuum line and/or the action of gravity on the unsupported diaphragms. A number of solutions were investigated, including heated vacuum lines and angled fill, but with mixed success. Ultimately this proved to be a less significant issue when forming. Deliverable 4 - was to produce formed components using the in situ polymerisation process and ideally to demonstrate the benefits of filling prior to forming. The benefits to forming were first demonstrated with epoxy, where hemispheres produced by first filling a flat reinforcement and then forming (fill-form) achieved better forming results (fewer wrinkles/less bridging) than hemispheres made by forming a reinforcement before infusion (form-fill). A successful form-fill experiment was conducted with carbon fibre and the in-situ polymerisation process. Effectiveness is limited by the consumables and there is an apparent imbalance in pressure acting on the hemisphere. However, the result was well consolidated in the sections that did not experiencing fabric bridging. The Ph.D. student at Nottingham is continuing with this work and additional examples are expected soon. Further refinement of the infusion equipment would improve the result. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Industrial partners; Bruggemann and Tvgavac provided the materials for the collaboration and remain engaged. Discussions on the polymerisation process with an expert at Engel took place and discussions with a representative at Johns Manville with regards to the project review took place. |
| Impact | The results of the project are in review with industry partners with a view to scoping out follow on studies. There are continuing activities at both sites at present, but funding is limited. Ideally with the removal of travel restrictions (the impact of covid) it would be possible to combine the equipment from both sites to demonstrate the process, as was originally intended. As well as process improvements, fundamental questions have been identified in relation to very low viscosity infusion and these would form the basis of an EPSRC supported study (either through a Hub Core Project or a Responsive Mode application). Opportunities are being explored in conjunction with the NCC, AMRC or industry. Talks are also taking place with Arkema to discuss the potential of using Elium in this system as well. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Incorporation of thermoplastic in situ polymerisation in double diaphragm forming |
| Organisation | L. Bruggemann KG |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | The Hub awarded a £50,000 feasibility study grant to The University of Nottingham for the six-month project 'Incorporation of thermoplastic in situ polymerisation in double diaphragm forming'. Most aspects of the collaboration were demonstrated and the process was shown to be feasible at a small scale, but full success cannot be claimed since the infusion mixing system has not been fully combined with the forming frame. The research team made the following contributions: 1) Manufacture benchtop diaphragm former, suitable for TP liquid infusion 2) Produce 2D composite panels by vacuum infusion in rigid tooling (baseline) 3) Produce 2D composite panels between flexible diaphragms 4) Produce 3D composite components between diaphragms to at least rigid solid Deliverable 1 - This was to produce a small scale forming system. It was made at a small scale to minimise risks to users and to avoid damage to the existing larger system in early trials. The frame was made taking into account several of the risk factors to try and produce an effective solution and to make it suitable for all processing environments, from fume hood to oven. A three part frame with a vacuum channel provided the double diaphragm section and then a vacuum baseplate with removable hemisphere shape comprised the forming section. Deliverable 2 - This was to produce a flat panel in rigid tooling using vacuum forming. Some basic laboratory studies were performed to de-risk the process, determining pot life estimation, checking the process would run to completion and most importantly checking the combability of vacuum consumables with the reaction mixture. Most vacuum bagging materials are made of nylon, which is not compatible with the monomer, and so less common materials were considered in consultation with Tygavac and Vac innovation. Results identified two fluoropolymer films, normally used as release films but with reasonable strain characteristics (Tygavac A4000, Tygavac Wrightlon), and silicone were all suitable. Tubing was limited to PTFE in high temperature environments and silicone at room temperature. A silicone-based tacky tape was identified, however no suitable breather cloth was available. For the initial trials a slow catalyst was used, to ensure plenty of time to fill and form before polymerisation (30-60 mins). A much faster catalyst is available that would enable faster production (e.g. 2-3 mins). After considerable efforts in developing a suitable infusion protocol using simple resin mixing, flat panels were produced using both glass and carbon reinforcements. The glass and carbon both had specially adapted sizing treatments to suit the APA6 monomer. Infusion was performed between two flexible diaphragms, but was supported by a rigid tool Deliverable 3 - This was to produce flat panels in flexible tooling, using the forming frame, with only the vacuum providing rigidity to the system (unsupported diaphragms). Severe racetracking occurred and the original mitigation methods were either impractical or ineffective. Blocking off the vacuum gallery with tape or other material did not prevent the very low viscosity resin bleeding through. Modifications to the frame were considered, but were beyond budget in this early study. Instead, perimeter tacky tape was used as a temporary measure to isolate the reinforcement. Through-bag connections were avoided during the infusion stage, to prevent the likelihood of the diaphragm failing during forming due to any stress concentrations. While this proved to be entirely suitable for initial trials with an epoxy resin, there were limitations with the in situ polymerisation approach. The infusion was observed to progress rapidly and completely, where excellent wet out was achieved and the resin successfully polymerised to produce approximately 60% fibre volume fraction composites. However, interlaminar consolidation was poor, essentially resulting in a stack of well wet out thermoplastic tapes. This was ascribed to potential loss of vacuum consolidation as a result of a blockage in the vacuum line and/or the action of gravity on the unsupported diaphragms. A number of solutions were investigated, including heated vacuum lines and angled fill, but with mixed success. Ultimately this proved to be a less significant issue when forming. Deliverable 4 - was to produce formed components using the in situ polymerisation process and ideally to demonstrate the benefits of filling prior to forming. The benefits to forming were first demonstrated with epoxy, where hemispheres produced by first filling a flat reinforcement and then forming (fill-form) achieved better forming results (fewer wrinkles/less bridging) than hemispheres made by forming a reinforcement before infusion (form-fill). A successful form-fill experiment was conducted with carbon fibre and the in-situ polymerisation process. Effectiveness is limited by the consumables and there is an apparent imbalance in pressure acting on the hemisphere. However, the result was well consolidated in the sections that did not experiencing fabric bridging. The Ph.D. student at Nottingham is continuing with this work and additional examples are expected soon. Further refinement of the infusion equipment would improve the result. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Industrial partners; Bruggemann and Tvgavac provided the materials for the collaboration and remain engaged. Discussions on the polymerisation process with an expert at Engel took place and discussions with a representative at Johns Manville with regards to the project review took place. |
| Impact | The results of the project are in review with industry partners with a view to scoping out follow on studies. There are continuing activities at both sites at present, but funding is limited. Ideally with the removal of travel restrictions (the impact of covid) it would be possible to combine the equipment from both sites to demonstrate the process, as was originally intended. As well as process improvements, fundamental questions have been identified in relation to very low viscosity infusion and these would form the basis of an EPSRC supported study (either through a Hub Core Project or a Responsive Mode application). Opportunities are being explored in conjunction with the NCC, AMRC or industry. Talks are also taking place with Arkema to discuss the potential of using Elium in this system as well. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Incorporation of thermoplastic in situ polymerisation in double diaphragm forming |
| Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
| Department | Edinburgh Genomics |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The Hub awarded a £50,000 feasibility study grant to The University of Nottingham for the six-month project 'Incorporation of thermoplastic in situ polymerisation in double diaphragm forming'. Most aspects of the collaboration were demonstrated and the process was shown to be feasible at a small scale, but full success cannot be claimed since the infusion mixing system has not been fully combined with the forming frame. The research team made the following contributions: 1) Manufacture benchtop diaphragm former, suitable for TP liquid infusion 2) Produce 2D composite panels by vacuum infusion in rigid tooling (baseline) 3) Produce 2D composite panels between flexible diaphragms 4) Produce 3D composite components between diaphragms to at least rigid solid Deliverable 1 - This was to produce a small scale forming system. It was made at a small scale to minimise risks to users and to avoid damage to the existing larger system in early trials. The frame was made taking into account several of the risk factors to try and produce an effective solution and to make it suitable for all processing environments, from fume hood to oven. A three part frame with a vacuum channel provided the double diaphragm section and then a vacuum baseplate with removable hemisphere shape comprised the forming section. Deliverable 2 - This was to produce a flat panel in rigid tooling using vacuum forming. Some basic laboratory studies were performed to de-risk the process, determining pot life estimation, checking the process would run to completion and most importantly checking the combability of vacuum consumables with the reaction mixture. Most vacuum bagging materials are made of nylon, which is not compatible with the monomer, and so less common materials were considered in consultation with Tygavac and Vac innovation. Results identified two fluoropolymer films, normally used as release films but with reasonable strain characteristics (Tygavac A4000, Tygavac Wrightlon), and silicone were all suitable. Tubing was limited to PTFE in high temperature environments and silicone at room temperature. A silicone-based tacky tape was identified, however no suitable breather cloth was available. For the initial trials a slow catalyst was used, to ensure plenty of time to fill and form before polymerisation (30-60 mins). A much faster catalyst is available that would enable faster production (e.g. 2-3 mins). After considerable efforts in developing a suitable infusion protocol using simple resin mixing, flat panels were produced using both glass and carbon reinforcements. The glass and carbon both had specially adapted sizing treatments to suit the APA6 monomer. Infusion was performed between two flexible diaphragms, but was supported by a rigid tool Deliverable 3 - This was to produce flat panels in flexible tooling, using the forming frame, with only the vacuum providing rigidity to the system (unsupported diaphragms). Severe racetracking occurred and the original mitigation methods were either impractical or ineffective. Blocking off the vacuum gallery with tape or other material did not prevent the very low viscosity resin bleeding through. Modifications to the frame were considered, but were beyond budget in this early study. Instead, perimeter tacky tape was used as a temporary measure to isolate the reinforcement. Through-bag connections were avoided during the infusion stage, to prevent the likelihood of the diaphragm failing during forming due to any stress concentrations. While this proved to be entirely suitable for initial trials with an epoxy resin, there were limitations with the in situ polymerisation approach. The infusion was observed to progress rapidly and completely, where excellent wet out was achieved and the resin successfully polymerised to produce approximately 60% fibre volume fraction composites. However, interlaminar consolidation was poor, essentially resulting in a stack of well wet out thermoplastic tapes. This was ascribed to potential loss of vacuum consolidation as a result of a blockage in the vacuum line and/or the action of gravity on the unsupported diaphragms. A number of solutions were investigated, including heated vacuum lines and angled fill, but with mixed success. Ultimately this proved to be a less significant issue when forming. Deliverable 4 - was to produce formed components using the in situ polymerisation process and ideally to demonstrate the benefits of filling prior to forming. The benefits to forming were first demonstrated with epoxy, where hemispheres produced by first filling a flat reinforcement and then forming (fill-form) achieved better forming results (fewer wrinkles/less bridging) than hemispheres made by forming a reinforcement before infusion (form-fill). A successful form-fill experiment was conducted with carbon fibre and the in-situ polymerisation process. Effectiveness is limited by the consumables and there is an apparent imbalance in pressure acting on the hemisphere. However, the result was well consolidated in the sections that did not experiencing fabric bridging. The Ph.D. student at Nottingham is continuing with this work and additional examples are expected soon. Further refinement of the infusion equipment would improve the result. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Industrial partners; Bruggemann and Tvgavac provided the materials for the collaboration and remain engaged. Discussions on the polymerisation process with an expert at Engel took place and discussions with a representative at Johns Manville with regards to the project review took place. |
| Impact | The results of the project are in review with industry partners with a view to scoping out follow on studies. There are continuing activities at both sites at present, but funding is limited. Ideally with the removal of travel restrictions (the impact of covid) it would be possible to combine the equipment from both sites to demonstrate the process, as was originally intended. As well as process improvements, fundamental questions have been identified in relation to very low viscosity infusion and these would form the basis of an EPSRC supported study (either through a Hub Core Project or a Responsive Mode application). Opportunities are being explored in conjunction with the NCC, AMRC or industry. Talks are also taking place with Arkema to discuss the potential of using Elium in this system as well. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Incorporation of thermoplastic in situ polymerisation in double diaphragm forming |
| Organisation | University of Nottingham |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The Hub awarded a £50,000 feasibility study grant to The University of Nottingham for the six-month project 'Incorporation of thermoplastic in situ polymerisation in double diaphragm forming'. Most aspects of the collaboration were demonstrated and the process was shown to be feasible at a small scale, but full success cannot be claimed since the infusion mixing system has not been fully combined with the forming frame. The research team made the following contributions: 1) Manufacture benchtop diaphragm former, suitable for TP liquid infusion 2) Produce 2D composite panels by vacuum infusion in rigid tooling (baseline) 3) Produce 2D composite panels between flexible diaphragms 4) Produce 3D composite components between diaphragms to at least rigid solid Deliverable 1 - This was to produce a small scale forming system. It was made at a small scale to minimise risks to users and to avoid damage to the existing larger system in early trials. The frame was made taking into account several of the risk factors to try and produce an effective solution and to make it suitable for all processing environments, from fume hood to oven. A three part frame with a vacuum channel provided the double diaphragm section and then a vacuum baseplate with removable hemisphere shape comprised the forming section. Deliverable 2 - This was to produce a flat panel in rigid tooling using vacuum forming. Some basic laboratory studies were performed to de-risk the process, determining pot life estimation, checking the process would run to completion and most importantly checking the combability of vacuum consumables with the reaction mixture. Most vacuum bagging materials are made of nylon, which is not compatible with the monomer, and so less common materials were considered in consultation with Tygavac and Vac innovation. Results identified two fluoropolymer films, normally used as release films but with reasonable strain characteristics (Tygavac A4000, Tygavac Wrightlon), and silicone were all suitable. Tubing was limited to PTFE in high temperature environments and silicone at room temperature. A silicone-based tacky tape was identified, however no suitable breather cloth was available. For the initial trials a slow catalyst was used, to ensure plenty of time to fill and form before polymerisation (30-60 mins). A much faster catalyst is available that would enable faster production (e.g. 2-3 mins). After considerable efforts in developing a suitable infusion protocol using simple resin mixing, flat panels were produced using both glass and carbon reinforcements. The glass and carbon both had specially adapted sizing treatments to suit the APA6 monomer. Infusion was performed between two flexible diaphragms, but was supported by a rigid tool Deliverable 3 - This was to produce flat panels in flexible tooling, using the forming frame, with only the vacuum providing rigidity to the system (unsupported diaphragms). Severe racetracking occurred and the original mitigation methods were either impractical or ineffective. Blocking off the vacuum gallery with tape or other material did not prevent the very low viscosity resin bleeding through. Modifications to the frame were considered, but were beyond budget in this early study. Instead, perimeter tacky tape was used as a temporary measure to isolate the reinforcement. Through-bag connections were avoided during the infusion stage, to prevent the likelihood of the diaphragm failing during forming due to any stress concentrations. While this proved to be entirely suitable for initial trials with an epoxy resin, there were limitations with the in situ polymerisation approach. The infusion was observed to progress rapidly and completely, where excellent wet out was achieved and the resin successfully polymerised to produce approximately 60% fibre volume fraction composites. However, interlaminar consolidation was poor, essentially resulting in a stack of well wet out thermoplastic tapes. This was ascribed to potential loss of vacuum consolidation as a result of a blockage in the vacuum line and/or the action of gravity on the unsupported diaphragms. A number of solutions were investigated, including heated vacuum lines and angled fill, but with mixed success. Ultimately this proved to be a less significant issue when forming. Deliverable 4 - was to produce formed components using the in situ polymerisation process and ideally to demonstrate the benefits of filling prior to forming. The benefits to forming were first demonstrated with epoxy, where hemispheres produced by first filling a flat reinforcement and then forming (fill-form) achieved better forming results (fewer wrinkles/less bridging) than hemispheres made by forming a reinforcement before infusion (form-fill). A successful form-fill experiment was conducted with carbon fibre and the in-situ polymerisation process. Effectiveness is limited by the consumables and there is an apparent imbalance in pressure acting on the hemisphere. However, the result was well consolidated in the sections that did not experiencing fabric bridging. The Ph.D. student at Nottingham is continuing with this work and additional examples are expected soon. Further refinement of the infusion equipment would improve the result. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Industrial partners; Bruggemann and Tvgavac provided the materials for the collaboration and remain engaged. Discussions on the polymerisation process with an expert at Engel took place and discussions with a representative at Johns Manville with regards to the project review took place. |
| Impact | The results of the project are in review with industry partners with a view to scoping out follow on studies. There are continuing activities at both sites at present, but funding is limited. Ideally with the removal of travel restrictions (the impact of covid) it would be possible to combine the equipment from both sites to demonstrate the process, as was originally intended. As well as process improvements, fundamental questions have been identified in relation to very low viscosity infusion and these would form the basis of an EPSRC supported study (either through a Hub Core Project or a Responsive Mode application). Opportunities are being explored in conjunction with the NCC, AMRC or industry. Talks are also taking place with Arkema to discuss the potential of using Elium in this system as well. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Thermoplastic In Situ Polymerisation (TPIP) and Double Diaphragm Forming (DDF) for Moulding of Complex Parts at Scale |
| Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The Hub awarded a Synergy project grant to The University of Nottingham and the University of Edinburgh for the twelve month project 'Thermoplastic In Situ Polymerisation (TPIP) and Double Diaphragm Forming (DDF) for Moulding of Complex Parts at Scale'. |
| Collaborator Contribution | None to date due to the project only recently commenced. |
| Impact | None to date due to the project only recently commenced. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Thermoplastic In Situ Polymerisation (TPIP) and Double Diaphragm Forming (DDF) for Moulding of Complex Parts at Scale |
| Organisation | University of Nottingham |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The Hub awarded a Synergy project grant to The University of Nottingham and the University of Edinburgh for the twelve month project 'Thermoplastic In Situ Polymerisation (TPIP) and Double Diaphragm Forming (DDF) for Moulding of Complex Parts at Scale'. |
| Collaborator Contribution | None to date due to the project only recently commenced. |
| Impact | None to date due to the project only recently commenced. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Zero-waste manufacturing of highly optimised composites with hybrid architectures |
| Organisation | University of Nottingham |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The Hub awarded a Synergy project grant to The University of Warwick and the University of Nottingham a twelve month project on 'Zero-waste manufacturing of highly optimised composites with hybrid architectures'. |
| Collaborator Contribution | None to date due to the project only recently commenced. |
| Impact | None to date due to the project only recently commenced. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Zero-waste manufacturing of highly optimised composites with hybrid architectures |
| Organisation | University of Warwick |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The Hub awarded a Synergy project grant to The University of Warwick and the University of Nottingham a twelve month project on 'Zero-waste manufacturing of highly optimised composites with hybrid architectures'. |
| Collaborator Contribution | None to date due to the project only recently commenced. |
| Impact | None to date due to the project only recently commenced. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | 2022 Hub Quarterly Newsletter |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Quarterly Hub newsletters are compiled and circulated to Hub distribution mailing list to keep the composite community updated with all Hub activities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://cimcomp.ac.uk/hub-news/ |
| Description | Hub Annual Report 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The Hub released a formal Annual Report for 2022, detailing all of the Hub related research and developments over the course of 2021 -2022. This report was also published on the Hub website to target all audiences. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://cimcomp.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/CIMComp-Annual-Report-2022.pdf |
| Description | Hub hosted 2022 Annual Open day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | It was good to return to an on person annual open day in 2022. The Hub hosted its annual Open Day at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, University of Sheffield. It experienced an attendance of over 130 delegates from a range of international academic and industrial groups. The programme opened with an AMRC and Composite Centre overview from Head of Innovation, Anthony Stevenson, followed by a high-level overview of the Hub from Professor Nick Warrior, Hub Director. Dr Stu Morris, Engineering Director at Pentaxia, led the first keynote presentation with a fascinating presentation on his background and connection with the composites sector. The second keynote speaker Josh Sherwood, Composites Research Engineer from GKN Aerospace, presented an informative, high-level overview of the ASCEND project, a cross-sector composite Technology and Supply-Chain development programme, joining the Aerospace and Automotive supply chains. Followed by interesting presentations on current Hub projects and developments on the Technology Pull Through Programme presented by Matt Scott from the National Composites Centre (NCC). Prior to lunch, delegates were invited on an impressive tour of the AMRC facilities at the 'Factory of the Future Laboratory'. The Young Engineers and Student (YES) competition, hosted by The Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE UK & Ireland) invited students to participate in a 'Design and Make' competition to manufacture a composite crash structure that could protect an egg during a crash landing. The aim of the competition was to produce a structure that could be dropped from the highest height, whilst avoiding any damage to the content (in this case, an egg). There were three participating teams and the winning team were the 'University of Edinburgh Composites Group'. It was a fantastic opportunity for students to put their composites design and manufacturing experience into action and represent their institution. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://cimcomp.ac.uk/hub-news/ |
| Description | Hub supported AMB Laboratory visit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | The Hub participated in the National Manufacturing Day, held in July at the Composites laboratory, University of Nottingham, where the Composites Lab and other labs within the Advanced Manufacturing Building open their doors to the public and local schools, who were treated to short presentations and demonstrations delivered by the University's Engineering researchers and PhD students giving an insight of the engineering community to over 150 school students. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Ongoing Interaction on Social Media channels |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The Hub continue to use the social media platform 'Twitter' as an ongoing method of interacting with their audience. twitter account @EPSRC_CIMComp in August. The Hub continue to disseminate news of Hub activity including announcement of upcoming project calls, promotion of event attendance, success stories, and Hub-related vacancies. These tweets are regularly seen by over 7,000 Twitter users, broadening our reach across both expert and general audiences. The Hub also commenced being a member of 'LinkedIn' in 2022 and the platform to extend connectivity to Composite professionals in academia and Industry. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.linkedin.com/company/27010205/admin/ |