bristol.ac.uk/composites

Advanced Composites Centrefor Innovation and Science

SPOTLIGHT ON ACCIS

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WelcomeContents Our keyresearch themes

Since AccIS was launched in 2007, our core team has more than doubled to 20 members of academic staff. This year we are pleased to welcome Dr. Valeska Ting, who joins AccIS as Reader in Smart Nanomaterials. There are a further 32 affiliated academics from across the engineering, Science and medical Faculties, well over 100 researchers and a strong support team.

collaboration is one of our core values – between members of AccIS, between AccIS and other leading universities, and with industry. We work together in research and innovation on structural and multifunctional composites; developing fundamental understanding; new materials and technologies; novel applications; and tools for optimal design and manufacturing.

Housed in a purpose built extension to Queen’s Building, and with state of the art facilities, AccIS is a great place for research, bringing together world leading expertise across the field of composites. Flagship activities include the ePSRc centre for Doctoral Training in Advanced composites for Innovation and Science, the ePSRc Industrial Doctorate centre in composites manufacture and the composites University Technology centre supported by Rolls-Royce.

Two key collaborations are the ePSRc HiPerDucT programme grant with Imperial college on High Performance Ductile composites Technology and the ePSRc centre for Innovative manufacturing in composites led by Nottingham and also involving cranfield and manchester Universities. The proposed new £10m ePSRc Future composites manufacturing Hub also including Imperial and Southampton, will continue the work of cImcomp and has strong support from industry and the Ncc. It is hoped that this will underpin manufacturing research for the next 7 years, and the additional funds committed by Ncc will ensure effective pull-through of new technologies for demonstration and industrial application.

I hope this spotlight on AccIS gives you an appreciation of some of the many exciting activities here. We look forward to the opportunity to tell you more, and welcome you back as a visitor, researcher or collaborator.

Professor Michael Wisnom ACCIS Director

The Advanced composites centre for Innovation and Science (AccIS) was established in 2007 at the University of Bristol.

our core researchers are based in the Faculty of engineering and work in collaboration across the University, including the Science and medical Faculties, focusing on composite research activities.

our vision is to be a world leading centre for composites research and education, combining cutting edge fundamental science with strong industrial links for exploitation and technology transfer. We aim to be a focus for collaboration internally, nationally and internationally.

For further information: Visit: bristol.ac.uk/compositesEmail: composites-centre@bristol.ac.ukTel: +44 (0)117 331 5311

@BristolUniACCIS

03 From the Director04 The Team06 Postgraduate Successes08 AccIS News 10 A Year in View12 our laboratories14 Working in AccIS16 cDT, IDc and Ncc18 Recent Publications

Explore: bristol.ac.uk/composites

Explore: bristol.ac.uk/composites/

research

FRom THe DIRecToR• multifunctional composites

and novel microstructures• Design, analysis and failure• Intelligent structures• composites processing

and characterisation

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Cover image: Professor Kevin Potter’s work ‘Fibre path distortion in woven reinforcement draped over a complex surface’. Image by Dr Hamish McAlpine.

THe TeAm

Dr Paul HarperTeaching Fellow. Design and analysis of composite structures, renewable energy systems.

Dr Dmitry IvanovLecturer in Composites Manufacturing. multi-scale analysis, damage mechanics, structural mechanics of textile preforms, mechanics of prepregs, liquid moulding, additive manufacturing, innovative manufacturing.

Dr Luiz KawashitaLecturer in Composite Mechanics. Bonded and structural joints, advanced numerical techniques, fatigue, defects and features.

Dr Byung Chul (Eric) KimLecturer in Composites Design, Processing & Manufacture. composite design & manufacturing, automated composites manufacturing, axiomatic design, computer aided design, adhesive joint, tribology.

Dr Matthew O’DonnellLecturer in Composite Structures. optimisation and design of composite structures.

Professor Michael WisnomACCIS Director, Professor of Aerospace Structures. Failure mechanisms, residual stresses, finite element analysis, high performance ductile composites.

Professor Ian BondProfessor of Aerospace Materials and Head of Queens School of Engineering. Self-healing, multifunctional composites, surface chemistry, particle dispersion, particle-polymer interfaces.

Dr Ian FarrowSenior Lecturer in Aerospace Structural Design. Acoustic emission monitoring, damage thresholds, fatigue damage accumulation process.

Professor Stephen HallettProfessor in Composite Structures. composite failure mechanisms, numerical modelling, 3D reinforcement, textile composites, manufacturing and process simulation, impact and high rate effects, fatigue of composites.

Dr Ian HamertonReader in Polymers and Composites. Preparation and characterisation of monomers, engineering thermoplastics, multi-functional nanocomposites, high performance polymers (resin chemistry).

Dr Wendel SebastianReader in Structural Engineering. Theories for nonlinear behaviours of structures, algebraic analysis, numerical computations, laboratory experiments incorporating novel instrumentation layouts.

Dr Valeska TingReader in Smart Nanomaterials. Development and testing of functional nanoporous materials, alternative energy generation and storage, lightweight and smart composites.

Dr Carwyn WardLecturer in Composites Design, Processing & Manufacture. composites manufacturing, automation for composites, factory processes/operations, process optimisation, costs, recycling, assembly and repair.

Professor Paul WeaverACCIS CDT Director, Professor in Lightweight Structures. composite structures, bicycle frame design, morphing composites anisotropic materials, buckling, lightweight structures, aircraft wing design, rotor and wind blade design.

Dr Ben WoodsLecturer in Aerospace Structures. Novel structural solutions, morphing and adaptive aerostructures, development of low cost, ultra-efficient wound composite truss structures, novel energy storage and actuation methods.

Professor Ivana PartridgeDirector of Industrial Doctorate Centre in Composite Manufacture, Professor of Composites Processing. Polymer composites, processing for high performance.

Dr Alberto PirreraLecturer in Composite Structures, EPSRC Fellow. Well-behaved nonlinear structures, multi- and pseudo-stability, buckling and post-buckling, wind turbine structures, mechanics of plates and shells.

Professor Kevin PotterProfessor in Composites Manufacture, NCC Chair in Composites Manufacturing. Automated processes, origins and impacts of defects, design for manufacture, novel fibres, reinforcement deformation and drape.

Professor Fabrizio ScarpaProfessor of Smart Materials and Structures. Auxetics, smart materials, honeycombs, vibration damping, vibroacoustics, foams and multifunctional applications.

Dr Mark SchenkLecturer in Aerospace Engineering. Deployable structures, inflatable space structures, engineering origami, zero stiffness structures.

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SPOTLIGHT ON…

James TrevarthenTowards cNT fibre/polymer compositesSupervisors: Dr Sameer Rahatekar and Professor michael Wisnom

Simon White (Faculty Commendation)Post-buckling of variable-stiffness shell structuresSupervisors: Professor Paul Weaver and Dr Giuliano Allegri

Aerospace Engineering PhD Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre:

Luca Boldrinmechanical and dynamic behaviour of novel gradient cellular and nanocomposite structuresSupervisors: Professor Fabrizio Scarpa, Dr Ramesh Rajasekaran, Dr Giuliano Allegri

Supratik Mukhopadhyay(Faculty Commendation) Failure of laminates containing embedded wrinkle defects – numerical and experimental studySupervisor: Professor Stephen Hallett

Jie Yuanefficient simulation techniques for mistuning analysis of aero-engine bladed discsSupervisors: Professor Fabrizio Scarpa and Dr Branislav Titurus

Bing Zhang mechanical performance and self-sensing of through-thickness reinforced composites

Supervisors: Professor Ivana Partridge and Dr Giuliano Allegri

Aerospace Engineering PhD:

Xiao Chuan (Ric) Sun Impact modelling of compositesSupervisor: Professor Stephen Hallett

Chenchen Zhumanufacturing of cellulose and chitin fibres using ionic liquids based solventsSupervisor: Dr Sameer Rahatekar and Professor Paul Weaver

Systems EngD:

Dennis Crowley (Faculty Commendation) Towards an in-process inspection system for advanced composites manufacture

Supervisors: Dr oksana Kasyutich, Professor Kevin Potter and Dr carwyn Ward

Advanced Composites MSc:

congratulations to the students who were awarded the mSc in Advanced composites in November 2015: Adam Bekele, chenliang Du, Sam Joshua Stira, Petar Zivkovic and Shazrul Zulkifli. Tony Joseph received a postgraduate certificate in Advanced composites.

And finally, a special mention is given to Jo Hickey-Hall, executive Assistant to the AccIS Director, who was awarded an mA in History in February 2016.

PoSTGRADUATe SUcceSSeSWe are delighted to report a host of postgraduate awards this year in AccIS.

EPRSC Centre for Doctoral Training in Advanced Composites for Innovation and Science PhD:

Desislava BachevaNovel bio-inspired materials and structures for future aerospace concepts Supervisors: Professor Katharine Robson Brown and Professor Richard Trask

Jamie BlanchfieldUnified nonlinear damage model for fatigue delamination onset and growth in fibre reinforced plastics Supervisors: Professor Stephen Hallett and Dr Giuliano Allegri

Broderick Coburn (Faculty Commendation)Buckling of stiffened variable stiffness panelsSupervisors: Professor Paul Weaver and Dr Jacopo ciambella

Eric EcksteinThe nonlinear thermostructural behaviour of composite bimorphs at elevated temperaturesSupervisors: Professor Paul Weaver, Dr Alberto Pirrera and Dr Jacopo ciambella

Michael ElkingtonThe future of sheet prepreg lay-upSupervisors: Professor Kevin Potter and Dr carwyn Ward

Rainer Groh (Faculty Commendation)Non-classical effects in straight-fibre and tow-steered composite beams and platesSupervisors: Professor Paul Weaver and Dr Jacopo ciambella

Ettore LamacchiaAnalysis of geometrically non-linear shells for morphing applicationsSupervisors: Professor Paul Weaver, Dr Alberto Pirrera and Dr Isaac chenchiah

Rafael Luterbacher Mus Self-healing for structural applicationsSupervisors: Professor Ian Bond and Professor Richard Trask

Francesca Pernice on delamination migration in composite laminatesSupervisors: Professor Stephen Hallett, Dr Giuliano Allegri, and Dr luiz Kawashita

Steven RaeNovel self-healing systems: expanding and inhibited healing agentsSupervisors: Professor Ian Bond, Professor Richard Trask, and Professor Duncan Wass

Bassam El Said (Faculty Commendation)Integrated multi-scale modelling of 3D woven compositesSupervisors: Professor Stephen Hallett and Dr Dmitry Ivanov

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SPOTLIGHT ON…

Left to right: Ric Sun, Supratik Mukhopadhyay, Steven Rae, Rafael Luterbacher Mus, Bassam El Said, James Trevarthen, Francesca Pernice.

From left to right: Bing Zhang, Jie Yuan, Michael Elkington, Broderick Coburn, Chenchen Zhu, Luca Boldrin, Rainer Groh, Simon White, Ettore Lamacchia.

making aerospace structures safer, as well as lighter and more cost effective.”

Engineering Doctorate student wins SAMPE students’

presentation competitionIn June 2016, mattia Di Francesco, an IDc Research engineer sponsored by the National composites centre, won a competitive students’ presentation competition. His work entitled ‘Influence of layup speed and laser power density on the quality of thermoplastic preforms manufactured by Automated Fibre Placement’ demonstrated that the mesostructure of a thermoplastic preform manufactured using an Automated Fibre Placement machine can be tailored by changing the size of the laser heated zone. mattia has been invited to represent the UK at the 2016 SAmPe europe Student seminar in Belgium, where he will present his ideas.

Centre for Defence Enterprise award aids research for

military aerospace applicationsIn February 2016, Dr Tim coope, a Research Associate in multifunctional materials in AccIS and Dr Desislava Bacheva, Project Design engineer at HieTA Technologies (additive manufacturing specialists), were awarded £110k by the centre for Defence enterprise (cDe) to investigate novel bio-inspired metal-composite joint designs for military aerospace applications.

The primary outcome of the project is to improve performance, damage tolerance, durability and structural longevity of composite/metal assemblies with reduced manufacturing and maintenance costs and shorter lead times.

Professor Michael Wisnom elected as a Fellow to the

Royal Academy of EngineeringA prestigious award was made to Professor michael Wisnom in September 2015 when he was elected as one of fifty new Royal Academy of engineering Fellows. The Fellows are made up of the highest calibre within UK engineering profession and are elected annually to join the Fellowship in recognition of their outstanding contributions to engineering. Professor Dame Ann Dowling DBe FReng FRS, President of the Royal Academy of engineering, said: ‘The commitment and energy of our Fellows is the lifeblood of our Academy. our new Fellows join us today as the country’s most innovative and creative minds from both academia and industry. We look forward to working with them, learning from their successes and drawing on their considerable expertise as we continue our work to promote engineering at the heart of society.’

ACCIS at the intersection of materials, sustainability and art

AccIS, the National composites centre (Ncc), and Watershed have been awarded funding from the Arts council to support an arts project celebrating craftsmanship, sustainability, and the future design of our material world. Working with designer and Watershed Pervasive media Studio resident Tom metcalfe, AccIS and the Ncc will jointly host a residency enabling Tom to investigate the intersection of cutting-edge techniques being developed around the manufacture of composite materials, and traditional making techniques such as textiles, tailoring and hand crafted objects. Drawing on common concerns around sustainability, and inspired by the conversations started during Bristol’s Green capital year, we will explore the sustainable futures of composite materials and products. This residency will offer an opportunity for all partners to consider alternate futures for our material world. This will culminate in an exhibit and talk as part of the Bristol Festival of Ideas ‘Bristol800 Weekender’ event on 11-13th November 2016.

ACCIS team’s winning design set to boost the Greek economy

In July 2016, Nima composites won first place at Reload Greece challenge 2016. The team (pictured right) included two AccIS cDT students evangelos Zympeloudis and Jamie Hartley, together with AccIS Research Associate

Dr Anastasia Koutsomitopoulou. The start-up competition aims to provide experience and business expertise to help young people set up UK companies that can have a social or economic impact on Greece. Nima composites’ design, a high tech 100% carbon-fibre laptop cover, was pitched successfully to a panel of investors, as a slimmer, lighter and more protective product than heavier market counterparts. While the company will be based in Bristol, manufacturing will be outsourced to Athens, providing the potential to spark off a new industry in Greece, creating jobs and unique skills and boosting the Greek economy.

ACCIS CDT public engagement project inspires school children

In July, AccIS cDT student and Research Associate, Steven Rae visited a primary school in his home town of South lanarkshire, to run an outreach project exploring the science of light and to encourage general interest in science, with a special focus on aerospace and the properties and strengths of materials.

Pupils aged nine to ten years were given a hands-on opportunity to examine the spectrum of colours in white light using prisms, explore the behaviours of reflection with mirror mazes and uncover secret hidden messages with UV lights. The children greeted each task with enthusiasm and by the end of the day, all the children had decided they wanted to grow up to be engineers! AccIS plans to repeat the project in local primary schools and adapt the content for secondary education.

IMechE best paper award for ACCIS researchers

June 2016 - AccIS researchers, Dr Supratik mukhopadhyay, mike Jones and Professor Stephen Hallett were awarded the 2016 Imeche Kenneth Harris James Prize, for best paper on an aerospace subject. The paper entitled, ‘compressive failure of laminates containing an embedded wrinkle: experimental and numerical study’, was published in the elsevier Journal, composites Part A. In this research project, an advanced numerical study was used to predict the performance of carbon fibre composites containing an artificially induced fibre waviness defect. Professor Hallett, the lead investigator of the study said, “The paper highlights the importance of manufacturing quality on performance of composite materials. This study and other on-going work at the University of Bristol contributes to

AccIS NeWS

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SPOTLIGHT ON…

Beyond ACCIS…

This year many of our graduates have moved into roles within industry including Airbus, Arup, Blue origin (Seattle), Decision Analysis Services ltd, Honeywell Aerospace, Inductosense, mclaren Applied Technologies and National composites centre. Several AccIS graduates have continued with academic research in UK universities including Swansea, Bath and cranfield, while some remain at Bristol continuing their research in AccIS.

Follow us on Twitter

@BristolUni ACCIS

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NimaComposites:

Winner of Reload Greece Challenge

2016

Rainer Groh: 2015 Collier

Research HyperSizer Structures best

paper award (AIAA)

Six Bristol University Faculty

of Engineering Commendations

for PhD work

Paul Weaver, Richard Trask,

Stephen Daynes: Inaugural Ephrahim Garcia best paper

award (ASME)

Eric Einstein: Jefferson Goblet award for best student paper

(AIAA)

Ivana Partridge: 2016 Leslie Holliday Prize (IOM3)

Supratik Mukhopadhyay,

Mike Jones, Professor Stephen Hallett:

Kenneth Harris James Prize for best paper

(IMechE)

Mattia Di Francesco:

SAMPE student presentation

winner

Including

3 book

chapters 119journal papers

21 EngD Research

Engineers (IDC)

20 academic

staff 9 support

staff

37 RAs

95 PhD

students 25 visitors from

nine countries worldwide

16 Bristol

Undergraduate internships

6 lab

support

8 MSc Advanced

Composites students

Over

200 since August

2015

A year in view

Advanced Composites Centrefor Innovation and Science

Publications

PeoplePrizes

ExternalEngagement

VisitingProfessorship

Fabrizio Scarpa at Zhejiang University

3conferences

hosted by ACCIS in Bristol

ACCIS research

presented at

14conferences worldwide

RAeS Cool Aeronautics:

introducing schools to Aerospace Engineering

Industryengagement events

at Rolls-Royce and National Composites

Centre

Invited lectures including

NASA, Royal Aeronautical Society

and Technical University of

Denmark

CompositesHUB:

educating the younger generations through

YouTube

ACCISnow on Twitter!

@BristolUniACCIS

Research grantsEC 11%

Other 5%

Industry 32%

EPSRC 52%

oUR lABoRAToRIeSAccIS has world class experimental lab facilities within the Queen’s Building at the University of Bristol enabling cutting edge research in advanced composite development, manufacturing and testing.

The Faculty of engineering laboratories house a wide range of composites-specific equipment, with additional large scale equipment (including a highly instrumented research autoclave and a cT scanner) located at the National composites centre. A selection of our equipment is presented here:

SPOTLIGHT ON…

High Speed CamerasWe have several cameras capable of filming instantaneous crack propagation, impact events, or almost any other failure mode during testing.The two Photron FASTcAmS SA-Z are capable of megapixel resolution up to 21,000 frames per second, and a potential maximum frame rate of one million fps.

Ultra High Speed Videoour Kirana-05m Ultra High Speed Video camera capable of capturing 180 frames of images at speeds up to 5,000,000 fps.

DIC (Digital Image Correlation)Digital Image correlation allows full strain mapping of specimens under load and full 3D measurement of deformation or deflection. our systems, laVision Strainmaster 3D DIc and Dantec Q-400 can be integrated with our High Speed cameras to allow determination of strain or deflection over very short time scales.

Video Gauge SystemsWe make extensive use of our three Imetrum optical based extensometer systems to allow remote point tracking of specimens for strain determination or deflection measurements.

Alicona microscopeThe Alicona Infinite Focus microscope uses advanced focus algorithms to map and model the 3D surface features of specimens allowing surface profiling and roughness determination.

Tensile testing machine and Environmental ChamberWe have a range of static and fatigue test machines with a load capability from 10 N up to 6 mN. This allows us to test a huge variety of structures in tensile, compressive, or flexural loading. We also have the ability to perform tests at elevated temperatures.

AutoclaveThe lBBc autoclave based in AccIS laboratories, is 2m x 1m, can go to 7 bar and 200°c and has a cooling system. The ASc econoclave based at the Ncc, is 2m x 3m, up to 10 bar and 250°c. This is highly instrumented with the ability to monitor several sensors such as cure using Dc and dielectric techniques, strain monitoring and thermal imaging.

Ultrasound ScannerUltrasound c-scan equipment allows for internal void and defect detection within composite materials. The Ultrasonic Science (USl) system has a tank size of 750 x 750 mm, with software capable of recording A, B and c scans as well as full waveform data. We also have a handheld Dolphicam System, for portable, in-situ NDT inspection.

Impact TowerThe Instron Dynatup 9250HV impact tower is an important piece of equipment for simulating controlled and specific impacts that composite materials may be subjected to in service, and is capable of energies up to 800J. Subsequent testing allows for compression after impact strength to be determined.

Hot Press The HARe Hydraulic Press allows application of pressure between 1 - 50 tons and temperatures up to 200°c for composite manufacture. It can also be used for Resin Transfer moulding.

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WoRKING IN AccIS SPOTLIGHT ON…

Dr Mohammed Fotouhi Research Associatemohammed joined AccIS as a Research Associate in January 2016. He was attracted by the chance to work among prominent scientists in a world leading high-level composites research centre with strong industrial links. mohammed is currently working on the HiPerDucT programme led by AccIS Director, Professor michael Wisnom which aims to realisea new generation of high performance ductile composites. He was recently awarded pump-priming funding from the University of Bristol to extend structural health monitoring of composites using embedded wireless sensor nodes that are able to make decisions on damage. His research on pseudo-ductile hybrid composites aims to overcome the barrier of intrinsic brittleness of composites to achieve wider adoption in engineering applications and to ensure their continued safe operation during long-term service.

Dr Alberto PirreraAcademic Staff MemberHaving joined the UoB Aerospace team ten years ago, Alberto, a lecturer in composite Structures, has watched AccIS grow from an initial idea to a 200+ strong team. Since obtaining his master’s in Aerospace engineering from Università degli Studi di Palermo and completing his PhD at the University of Bristol in 2011, Alberto was awarded a prestigious ePSRc early career Research Fellowship in 2015. As a modeller and a theoretician specialising in engineering science, his research interests lie in the area of structural analysis and design and optimisation. His principal objectives are to develop a new generation of adaptive/multifunctional structures working in elastically nonlinear regimes and to create novel paradigms for structural efficiency. Alberto enjoys working in a large dedicated office environment and emphasizes the good team spirit and collegiate atmosphere that has been established in AccIS.

Shashitha KularatnaCentre for Doctoral Training in Advanced Composites for Innovation and Science (ACCIS CDT) Student Shash initially joined AccIS as an undergraduate summer intern. encouraged by the multi-disciplinary nature of AccIS and the chance to work as part of a team of world-leading experts, he later returned to undertake a PhD through the AccIS cDT. His research is focused on the use of rapidly growing technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality and motion tracking in skills training within composite manufacturing and he’s currently working on a virtual reality training aid for composite laminators. Shash is presenting his work at the SAe 2016 Augmented and Virtual Reality Technologies Symposium in the United States and often showcases his work in the outreach events organised by the AccIS cDT, which inspire younger generations to contribute towards the composite industries of the future.

Mattia Di FrancescoIndustrial Doctorate Centre (IDC) Research Engineermattia joined the IDc in composites manufacture almost three years ago, inspired by the opportunity to work with world-leading academics in industry-based and industry-led projects. His interest in composites first developed whilst studying yacht and powercraft design as an undergraduate and he later completed an mSc in composites at Imperial college london. mattia’s current project, sponsored by the National composites centre, focuses on the optimisation of Automated Fibre Placement processes whereby machines replace humans in the material lay-up step of the production process, reducing costs and associated risks. The aim of his work is to expand knowledge to further enable machines to manufacture complex parts. By using a wide range of composite materials it is hoped that competitiveness of the UK’s high value manufacturing industries will increase. mattia has been selected to present his ideas at the forthcoming SAmPe europe Student seminar.

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cDT, IDc AND Ncc SPOTLIGHT ON…

The ePSRc centre for Doctoral Training in Advanced composites for Innovation and Science (AccIS cDT) has welcomed 83 PhD students through its doors since its creation in 2009, with its eighth cohort starting in September 2016.

Industry sponsored prizes have been introduced to recognise and reward outstanding achievement in the taught component of the programme; Vincent maes won the inaugural Dassi prize for the best taught mark with a commendable 79.3% average. For an unprecedented three years running our students scooped best paper awards at the AIAA SDm conference. Additionally, an impressive four students received Faculty commendations for their theses. entrepreneurial third year students, evangelos Zympeloudis and Jamie Hartley, founded start-up company Nima composites to create stylish composite cases for consumer electronics.

A new quarterly industrial seminar series organised by the students launches in autumn 2016, hosted at the National composites centre. Videos, presentations and posters from the cDT’s fifth annual conference can be accessed via the cDT website (bristol.ac.uk/composites/cdt); the sixth annual conference takes place on 11th April 2017.

Two new introductory videos are now available to watch via the cDT website and AccIS YouTube channel. The first provides a general overview of the cDT, while the second showcases research diversity and the ways in which external organisations can get involved in both shorter and longer research projects. To receive notifications of future calls for projects please contact the cDT manager, Sarah Hallworth.

The Industrial Doctorate centre (IDc) in composites manufacture is entering its fourth year of operation and its 21 Research engineers (Res) are working on projects sponsored by Aviation enterprises limited, Formax, Hexcel, Jaguar land Rover, Jo Bird & co ltd, m Wright & Sons, National composites centre, NoV elmar, National Physical laboratory, Pentaxia and Rolls-Royce. All Res are based in their sponsor companies, working on industry research projects at Technology Readiness level 3-5. each project addresses the sponsor’s commercial research priorities, with all new IP owned by the company. our specialist taught units continue to run on a yearly cycle in week-long blocks at the Ncc (Technical units) and at the University of Bath (Business skills).

The taught program is made available to staff members of supporting organisations and is attracting much attention in the sector. A closer connection has been made this year to the Surrey University IDc in micro- and Nanomaterials and Technologies, with some further course sharing planned. our Res have recently contributed to major international conferences - SAmPe US, eccm17 and FPcm13. mattia Di Francesco (cohort 1 - Ncc/UoB) has won this year’s SAmPe UK Student Presentation competition and the IDc Director, Professor Partridge, is this year’s recipient of the Iom3 leslie Holliday Award for composites.

more information can be found on the IDc website at cimcomp.ac.uk/idc.

over its five year life, the National composites centre (Ncc), (owned by the University) has enjoyed considerable growth with a doubling in size to include significantly new technology and equipment in 2014, and now employs around 200 staff.

The Ncc mission is to accelerate the growth of UK industrial output by enabling design and manufacturing enterprises to deliver winning solutions in the application of composites. The Ncc as part of the High Value manufacturing catapult Network, now contributes £15 of net benefits to the UK economy for every £1 of government funding invested. The centre achieves this through providing open access to world-leading capabilities in design and manufacture of composites.

As well as supporting the world-class aerospace cluster in the South West, the Ncc has been actively fulfilling its mission in other sectors, notably automotive. This is exemplified by the investment in a state-of-the-art High Pressure Resin Transfer moulding capability in the form of a 3,600 tonne hydraulic press and Kraussmaffei Resin Infusion equipment, which can produce a near-net composites panel in a matter of minutes.

AccIS and the Ncc continue to work closely together to support students, researchers, industry and funders to provide a seamless, effective route for the exploitation of our research outputs, and to enhance opportunities for staff, students and customers.

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CDT IDC NCC

Anna scooped the £100 first place poster

prize for her poster ‘4D Materials:

Programming shape change into hydrogels’

Anna Baker, Rob Iredale, Ashwin Kristnama and Max Dixon at the CDT

Conference poster session

Mattia Di Francesco (back row, second from left) with his fellow conference delegates

ReceNT PUBlIcATIoNSSPOTLIGHT ON…

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Professor Michael Wisnom Wisnom, MR, Czel, G, Swolfs, Y, Jalalvand, M, Gorbatikh, l & Verpoest, I, 2016, ‘Hybrid effects in thin ply carbon/glass unidirectional laminates: accurate experimental determination and prediction’. composites Part A, vol 88., pp. 131-139.

Czel, G, Jalalvand, M, Wisnom, R, 2016, ‘Design and characterisation of advanced pseudo-ductile unidirectional thin-ply carbon/epoxy-glass/epoxy hybrid composites’. composite Structures, vol 143, pp. 362-370.

Professor Ian Bond Bolimowski, P, Bond, I & Wass, D, 2016, ‘Assessment of microcapsule – catalyst particles healing system in high performance fibre reinforced polymer composite’. Smart materials and Structures, vol 25.

Coope, T, Turkenburg, D, Fischer, H, mus, Rl, van Bracht, H & Bond, I, 2016, ‘Novel Diels-Alder based self-healing epoxies for aerospace composites’. Smart materials and Structures, vol 25.

Dr Ian Farrow Scarpa, F, Farrow, I & Remillat, c, 2016, ‘Hybrid auxetic foam and perforated plate composites for human body support’. Physica Status solidi B, vol 253., pp. 1378-1386.

Slann, A, White, W, Scarpa, F, Boba, K & Farrow, I, 2015, ‘cellular plates with auxetic rectangular perforations’. Physica Status Solidi B - Basic Solid State Physics, vol 252(7)., pp. 1533-1539.

Professor Stephen Hallett Belnoue, JP, Nixon-Pearson, OJ, Ivanov, D & Hallett, SR, 2016, ‘A Novel Hyper-Viscoelastic model for consolidation of Toughened Prepregs under Processing conditions’. mechanics of materials. 97., pp. 118-134.

Yasaee, M, Mohamed, G & Hallett, SR, 2016, ‘Interaction of Z-pins with multiple mode II Delaminations in composite laminates’. experimental mechanics., pp. 1-10.

Dr Ian Hamerton Hassan, WAW, liu, J, Howlin, BJ, Ishida, H, Hamerton, I, 2016, ‘examining the influence of bisphenol A on the polymerisation and network properties of an aromatic benzoxazine’, Polymer, vol 88., pp. 52-62.

crawford, Ao, cavalli, G, Howlin, BJ, Hamerton, I, 2016, ‘Investigation of structure property relationships in liquid processible, solvent free, thermally, stable Bismaleimide-Triazine (BT) resins’. Reactive and Functional Polymers, vol 102., pp.110-118.

Dr Paul Harper Harper, PW & Hallett, SR, 2015, ‘Advanced numerical modelling techniques for the structural design of composite tidal turbine blades’. ocean engineering, vol 96., pp. 272-283.

Dr Dmitry Ivanov Ivanov D.S,. lomov S.V. modelling the structure and behaviour of 2D and 3D woven composites used in aerospace applications, in Polymer composites in the Aerospace Industry, P.e. Irving and c. Soutis, editors. 2015, elsevier - Woodhead Publishers: cambridge. p. 21-52

Ivanov, D, Le Cahain, Y, Arafati, S, Dattin, A, Ivanov, S & Aniskevich, A, 2016, ‘Novel method for functionalising and patterning textile composites: liquid resin print’. composites Part A, vol 84., pp. 175-185.

Dr Luiz Kawashita Al-Azzawi, A, Kawashita, L & Featherston, c, 2016, ‘A novel interface element formulation for modelling fatigue crack initiation and growth in metal-fibre laminates containing internal features’. in: 24th conference on computational mechanics (Acme-UK 2016), cardiff, UK.

Kawashita, L, eaton, m & Featherston, c, 2015, ‘modelling Acoustic emission generation in laminated composites subjected to static and fatigue loading’. in: 20th International conference on composite materials (Iccm20), copenhagen, Denmark.

Dr Byung Chul Kim Zympeloudis, E, Weaver, P, Potter, K & Kim, BC, 2016, ‘effect of material characteristics on the layup Quality of the continuous multi-Tow Shearing Process’. in: european conference on composite materials (eccm17), munich, Germany.

Kim, BC, Weaver, PM & Potter, K, 2015, ‘computer aided modelling of variable angle tow composites manufactured by continuous tow shearing’. composite Structures, vol 129., pp. 256-267.

Dr Matthew O’Donnell O’Donnell, MP, Weaver, PM & Pirrera, A, 2016, ‘can tailored non-linearity of hierarchical structures inform future material development?’. extreme mechanics letters, vol 7., pp. 1-9.

O’Donnell, MP, Mahadik, Y & Ward, C, 2015, ‘cure rate tailoring of thick composites via temperature controlled vascular pathways’. in: 57th AIAA/ASce/AHS/ASc Structures, Structural Dynamics, and materials conference. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc, AIAA, Virginia, USA.

Professor Ivana Partridge Hunt, c, Kratz, J & Partridge, IK, 2016, ‘cure path dependency of mode i fracture toughness in thermoplastic particle interleaf toughened prepreg laminates’. composites Part A, vol 87., pp. 109-114.

Partridge, IK & Hallett, SR, 2016, ‘Use of microfasteners to produce damage tolerant composite structures’. Philosophical Transactions A: mathematical, Physical and engineering Sciences, vol 374. (2071)

Dr Alberto Pirrera Eckstein, EN, Pirrera, A & Weaver, PM, 2016, ‘Thermally Driven morphing and Snap-Through Behavior of Hybrid laminate Shells’. AIAA Journal, vol 54., pp. 1778-1788.

Krupa, e, cooper, J, Pirrera, A & Nangia, R, 2015, ‘Improved Aerodynamic Performance combining control Surface Deflections and Aeroelastic Tailoring’. in: 2016 Applied Aerodynamics conference: evolution & Innovation continues - The Next 150 years of concepts, Design and operations. Royal Aeronautical Society, Bristol, UK.

Professor Kevin Potter Helmus, R, Kratz, J, Potter, K, Hubert, P & Hinterholzl, R, 2016, ‘An experimental technique to characterize interply void formation in unidirectional prepregs’. Journal of composite materials.

Longana, ML, ong, N, Yu, H & Potter, KD, 2016, ‘multiple closed loop Recycling of carbon Fibre composites with the HiPerDiF (High Performance Discontinuous Fibre) method’. composite Structures, vol 153., pp. 271-277.

Professor Fabrizio Scarpa Neville, R, Scarpa, F & Pirrera, A, 2016, ‘Shape morphing Kirigami mechanical metamaterials’. Scientific Reports of Nature, vol 6, pp. 31067.

Boba, K, Bianchi, M, McCombe, G, Gatt, R, Griffin, Ac, Richardson, R, Scarpa, F, Hamerton, I & Grima, JN, 2016, ‘Blocked shape memory effect in negative Poisson’s ratio polymer metamaterials’. AcS Applied materials and Interfaces.

Dr Mark Schenk Berthoud, l & Schenk, M, 2016, ‘How to Set Up a cubeSat Project – Preliminary Survey Results’. In: 30th Annual AIAA/USU conference on Small Satellites, Utah, USA.

Viquerat, A & Schenk, M, 2015, ‘Viscoelastic effects in metal-Polymer laminate Inflatable Structures’. in: 3rd AIAA Spacecraft Structures conference. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc, AIAA, San Diego, USA.

Dr Carwyn Ward Winter, D, Ashton-Rickardt, P, Ward, c, Gibbons, P, mcmahon, c, Potter, K, 2016, ‘An enhanced risk reduction methodology for complex problem resolution in high value, low volume manufacturing scenarios’. SAe International Journal of materials and manufacturing, Vol 9(1)., pp. 49-64.

Jones, H, Chatzimichali, A, Potter, K, Ward, C, Middleton, R, 2015, ‘Development and use of a discrete composite manufacturing tool’. Advanced manufacturing: Polymer & composites Science, vol 1(4)., pp. 185-198.

Professor Paul Weaver Wu, Z, Raju, G & Weaver, P, 2016, ‘Analysis and Design for the moderately Deep Postbuckling Behavior of composite Plates’. Journal of Aircraft.

Rouhi, m, Ghayoor, H, Van Hoa, S, Hojjati, m & Weaver, P, 2016, ‘Stiffness tailoring of elliptical composite cylinders for axial buckling performance’. composite Structures, vol 150., pp. 115-123.

Dr Ben Woods Woods, BK, Hill, I & Friswell, mI, 2016, ‘Ultra-efficient wound composite truss structures’. composites Part A: Applied Science and manufacturing.

Woods, BK, Parsons, l, coles, AB, Fincham, JH & Friswell, mI, 2016, ‘morphing elastically lofted transition for active camber control surfaces’. Aerospace Science and Technology, vol 55., pp. 439-448.

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