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Advanced Composites Centre for

Innovation and Science

Michael Wisnom

Director

www.bris.ac.uk/composites

Advanced Composites Centre for Innovation and Science

• Established in 2007• Brings together composites

research across University • Based in Engineering, linked to

Science and Medicine• Focus for collaboration between

academia and industry• ACCIS Vision:

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

rib demonstratorCarbon nano-tubes and particles

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Core Academic Staff

• Giuliano Allegri – Lecturer in Aerospace Structures• Ian Bond – Reader in Aerospace Materials, EPSRC Fellow• Ian Farrow – Senior Lecturer in Aerospace Structural Design• Stephen Hallett – Senior Lecturer in Aerospace Structures• Martyn Pavier – Prof. of Mechanics of Materials (Mech. Eng.)• Hua-Xin Peng – Reader in Aerospace Materials• Kevin Potter - Reader in Advanced Composites Manufacturing• Sameer Rahatekar – Lecturer (Nanocomposites, Manufacturing)• Fabrizio Scarpa – Reader in Smart Structures• Wendel Sebastian – Senior Lecturer in Civil Engineering• Richard Trask – Lecturer (Marine, Bioinspired Composites)• Paul Weaver – Professor of Lightweight Structures• Michael Wisnom - Professor of Aerospace Structures

Other Academic Staff

• Faculty– Dan Inman, Brunel Professor and Director of the Institute of

Smart Technologies– David Ewins, Prof. of Vibration Engineering

– Phil Mellor, Prof. of Electrical Engineering– David Smith, Prof. of Engineering Materials– Bruce Drinkwater, Prof. of Ultrasonics – UK NDE Centre

• University– Chemistry, e.g. Prof. Steve Mann FRS – Physics, e.g. Prof. John Steeds FRS

– Interface Analysis Centre – Prof. Geoff Allen– Medicine – Dr. Bo Su

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ACCIS Research Themes

• Multifunctional Composites and Novel Microstructures

• Design, Analysis and Failure

• Intelligent Structures

• Composites Processing and Characterisation

Bleeding composites reveal and heal damage

Scaling effects on strength

Multistablemorphing composites

Simulating drape on complex parts

Multifunctional Composites and Novel Microstructures

• Self healing, bleeding composites

• Composites with electromagnetic functionality

• Hierarchical microstructures

• Auxetic materials

• Modelling of novel nanostructures

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Design, Analysis and Failure

• Failure mechanisms and modelling

• Optimisation and elastic tailoring

• Vibration and fatigue

• Impact and high strain rate effects

Intelligent Structures

• Morphing aircraft

• Multistable composites

• Structural health monitoring and acoustic emission

• Damage detection and prognosis

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Composites Processing and Characterisation

• Fibre drape and simulation

• Resin transfer moulding and defects

• Residual stresses and distortion

• Recycling

Industrial and Regional Partnerships

• New partnership with Vestas Wind Turbines• Airbus Bristol Bath Strategic Alliance in Composite

Technologies (ABBSTRACT) - 8 joint PhDs• GE Aviation - EPSRC SMARTCOMP UTSP (with Oxford, Dowty

Propellers, Hamble Aerostructures, Mechanical Systems Wolverhampton)

• Great Western Research - 15 PhDs at Bristol, Bath & Exeter• Rolls-Royce Composites UTC• SWRDA/Airbus CORAL-REEF facility• Agusta Westland Rotorcraft UTC• EADS Innovation Works, BAE Systems, QinetiQ…

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CORAL-REEF SW

• COmposites Research ALlianceREgional Engineering Facilities -South West

• SWRDA/Airbus £671k capital grant for equipment

• Linked to Airbus Composite Structures Development Centre

• Range of composites manufacturing, characterisation and testing facilities

• Equipment available for external users (via the NCN)

Tailored fibre placement

Reconfigurable multi-axis tester

Team MAST

• Member of MoD Materials and Structures Technology Consortium

• Self-healing forms part of the Core activities in Theme 2: Smart Materials and Structures

•• Innovative Project completed on Biomimetic vascular networks for self-healing composite materials

• Autonomic Self-Healing Polymers & Composites, collaboration with Chemistry

• New activity on Morphing

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ACCIS Doctoral Training Centre

• £7M awarded by EPSRC in December 2008 to establish a Composites Doctoral Training Centre

• First year taught element –Composites MSc

• 10 PhD studentships per year for 5 years

• First intake October 2009• Paul Weaver is Director

New Extension for ACCIS• Building work progressing on £5.4M extension

to Queens Building for ACCIS• Large increase in both laboratory

and office space• Integration of staff and researchers• Plenty of hot desks for collaborators and visitors• Due for completion April 2010

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

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Recent ACCIS PhDs

• Adnan Rashid: “Investigation of through-thickness assembly stresses in composite wing spars”, March 2008

• Alessandro Cannas: “Fracture Mechanics and Failure Analysis of Hollow Shaped Fibre GFRP Composites”, April 2008

• Enrique Herencia: “Aeroelastic tailoring of aircraft structures” ,May 2008

• Gareth Williams: “Development of Self-Healing CFRP Utilising an Embedded Hollow Glass Fibre Delivery System”, August 2008

• Jonathan Scholey: “The development of a quantitative framework for acoustic emission testing”, November 2008

• Hugo Williams: “Biomimetic Vascular Self-Healing: Fundamental Design Concepts and Application in Sandwich Construction”, February 2009

• Carwyn Ward: “Recycling of in-house composite waste”, March 2009• Paul Harper: “Fatigue of composite truss structures”, April 2009• Lei Yin: “Composite micro structures with tailored phase contiguity and

distribution”, April 2009• Filippo Mattioni: "Thermally induced multi-stable composites for

morphing aircraft applications“, May 2009

Dr. Paul Harper

New Projects

• Crack Arrest & Self-Healing in Composite Structures (CRASHCOMPS) - Ian Bond, Richard Trask (EPSRC & DSTL) Four year, £1.3M collaboration with Imperial College

• AUTOnomic Self-HEALing Polymers & Composites (AUTOHEAL) - Ian Bond, Duncan Wass (MoD Team MAST consortium)

• New Materials & Methods for Energy Efficient Tidal Turbines (NEW-MMEETT) -Stephen Hallett (TSB)

Crack redirection

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New Projects

• Magnetic Microwires for Self-Monitoring Composites - Hua-Xin Peng (EPSRC)

• Full Field Measurement Techniques for High Strain Rate Testing of Composites - Stephen Hallett & Michael Wisnom (EPSRC), in collaboration with ENSAM

• Fibre Waviness Defects in Composite Structures – Kevin Potter, Michael Wisnom(EPSRC & DSTL), 3 year, £0.6M collaboration with Cambridge University

• Environmental Light-Weight Fan (ELF) –Stephen Hallett , Michael Wisnom (TSB), part of Composites UTC supported by Rolls-Royce

t = 40 μs

BRITE

• Bristol Technologies for the Environment• New University multidisciplinary research

institute dedicated to environmental systems and technologies (www.bris.ac.uk/brite)

• ACCIS is set to play a leading role in two of BRITE’s core themes: Energy and Transport

• Energy: Composite wind and tidal turbine bladesDiamond nanomaterials for energy-efficient solar powered devices

• Transport: light-weight composite structures for reduced fuel-burn

• Recent Composites in Energy Workshop

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Bristol Centre for Nanoscience

• Centre now operational• Very low noise, vibration, EM

shielding, temperature control• One of the lowest vibration

facilities in the world• Preparation rooms, wet lab,

clean rooms• Will be using facilities for

ACCIS nanocomposites work

International Collaborations• Don Radford, Colorado State University

– Benjamin Meaker Visiting Professor– High temperature inorganic polymer composites

• Scott White, University of Illinois Beckman Institute– Self-healing composites– Ian Bond just returned from sabbatical– Richard Trask Research Mobility Grant

• Fabrice Pierron, ENSAM ParisTech, France– Raphaël Moulart Visiting Fellowship on Full Field

Techniques for High Strain Rate Testing – New joint PhD study on Virtual Fields Method

for Damage Detection

Beckman Institute

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Other Developments at Bristol

• UK Research Centre in Non-Destructive Evaluation has recently had funding extended by £10M until 2014 (Bristol activities led by Bruce Drinkwater)

• ACCIS made a key contribution to Bristol’s outstanding UK Research Assessment– Aerospace leading UK Department in all

Engineering disciplines for Research Outputs (96% rated world leading or internationally excellent)

Vision for Composites

We see a need for a linked up series of activities covering research, education & training, and knowledge transfer

EDUCATIONUG PG

Links

EM

TRL KTP7-9

Links

SUPPORTAd hoc

RESEARCHTRL TRL1-3 2-4

Links

TRL4-6

Marketing, brand building, outreach and

project management

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National Composites Centre

An independent, open-access National Centre to deliver world-class innovation in the design and rapid manufacture of composites that will enable widespread industrial exploitation.

The Centre will form an internationally leading hub, linking activities across all sectors of the UK in research, education and training, technology transfer and incubation of new enterprises.

Purpose built 6500m2 facility in Bristol with workshop space, open-plan offices, meeting rooms and teaching facilities.

It will be equipped to focus on optimised-design, analysis, rapid manufacture and testing.

National Composites Centre Role

• THE advanced composites research centre for the UK• Main focus is at TRL 4-6• Linked to Universities for research at TRL 1-3• Companies can use facilities to support work at TRL 7-9

NCCCORE

PROGRAMME

TRL 1-3

TRL 4-6

TRL 7-9

Demand led pull

Support

NCC FOCUS

UNIVERSITIES RESEARCH

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National Composites Centre Key Features

• Led by the University of Bristol and companies including Vestas, Rolls-Royce, GKN and Airbus.

• A highly collaborative environment characterised by applied research, industrial engagement and technology transfer.

• Aims to exploit current knowledge and develop new technologies to make products more quickly and at a lower cost.

• Strong links to other manufacturing and National Composites Network centres.

• A focus for collaboration between companies, universities and research organisations across the UK.

• Work will start in ACCIS extension due to open in April 2010. New building fully operational in 2011.

NCCCORE

PROGRAMME

TRL 1-3

TRL 4-6

TRL 7-9

Demand led pull

Support

NCC FOCUS

UNIVERSITIES RESEARCH

NCCCORE

PROGRAMME

TRL 1-3

TRL 4-6

TRL 7-9

Demand led pull

Support

NCC FOCUS

UNIVERSITIES RESEARCH

NCC Industry Partnership Model

• Two-tier subscription membership• 50% budget for core programme, 50% company specific• Tier 1 partners:

– Substantial annual contribution to budget– Membership of board– Drive research programme– Royalty free non-exclusive licence to core IP– Non-core IP owned by funding members– Founder Tier 1 members will play a key role in

establishing the Centre• Tier 2 partners

– Smaller annual contribution to budget– Right to royalty bearing licence

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Future Opportunities

• Strong academic and industrial collaborations• Major new research programmes through TSB, MoD,

EPSRC and FP7 initiatives• Exciting opportunities for blue skies PhDs, EngDs and

initial studies via DTC or undergraduate projects • Knowledge Transfer Partnerships• Use of CORAL-REEF facilities and technology transfer• Collaboration through National Composites Centre