4 research outputs found
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Design against distortion for aerospace-grade additively manufactured parts - PADICTON
Collections: Brunel Composite CentreAdditive manufacturing (AM) is a computer-controlled 3D printing process with increasing demand in the aerospace sector. This manufacturing process offers the production of lighter components, design flexibility, reduced labour effort and material cost, as well as decreased waste generation compared with subtractive manufacturing. Additionally, AM can provide parts availability at the point of use, significantly improving the supply chain. However, producing advanced high-temperature AM thermoplastic components remains a challenging task as these require a high-temperature build chamber environment that is prone to producing parts with thermal stresses and warpage. PADICTON project aims to develop a tool capable of accurately and rapidly predicting and correcting such distortions, offering improved quality of the produced parts and minimising rejection rates. Creating this tool requires conducting a comprehensive mechanical and thermal characterisation campaign to optimise the print parameters and part geometry. In this study, the concept of the project and the findings of the initial mechanical and optical characterisation tests for two AM processes, namely fused deposition modelling and selective laser sintering, are presented and discussed.The authors would like to acknowledge the PADICTON partners, namely FDM Digital Solutions, e Xstream Engineering, part of Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, AMendate, as well as the Topic
Manager of the project, Airbus, for their assistance and encouragement towards the realisation of the
activities. In addition, the consortium would like to express its gratitude to EOS for their technical
support. Furthermore, the activities of PADICTON project have received funding from the Clean Sky 2
Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under
grant agreement number 86481
Development of innovative automated solutions for the assembly of multifunctional thermoplastic composite fuselage
In this study, the development of innovative tooling and end-effector systems for the assembly of a multifunctional thermoplastic fuselage is presented. The increasing demand for cleaner and new aircraft requires utilising novel materials and technologies. Advanced thermoplastic composites provide an excellent material option thanks to their weldability, low density, low overall production cost, improved fracture toughness and recyclability. However, to fully appreciate their potentials, new manufacturing approaches and techniques are needed. Hence, this project develops three end-effector solutions to demonstrate the feasibility of assembling a full-scale multifunctional-integrated thermoplastic lower fuselage shell, including the integration of a fully equipped floor and cargo structure. The developed assembly solution comprises three individual yet well-integrated tooling systems that allow housing the skin and assembly; picking, placing and welding of the assembly parts, i.e. clips and stringers; and welding of frames and floor beam sub-assemblies. The process of developing these systems including the end-user requirements, technical challenges, tooling and end-effectors design and manufacturing process are detailed in this paper.This study is part of the TCTool project, which has received funding from the Clean Sky 2 Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 865131. Project partners: GKN-Fokker Aerospace (Topic Manager), TWI Ltd., Andalusian Foundation for Aerospace Development – Advanced Center for Aerospace Technologies, Brunel University London (Brunel Composites Centre), London South Bank University, Acroflight Ltd., and Smart Advanced Manufacturing XL (SAM|XL)
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Polymer coating material for innovative reversible dissimilar composite-metal joining for automotive applications
This conference paper is part of a six volume book of the proceedings edited by: Prof. Anastasios P. Vassilopoulos, CCLab/EPFL, Prof. Véronique Michaud, LPAC/EPFL. All six volumes will have the same title and each will have a single subtitle: Vol 1: Materials Vol 2: Manufacturing Vol 3: Characterization Vol 4: Modeling and Prediction Vol 5: Applications and Structures Vol 6: Life Cycle Assessment.Copyright © 2022 Bahrami et al. While the cost of composites has dropped over the past decade, the effective joining of these materials to conventional metal parts in the automotive sector remains a significant challenge. Existing joining solutions present several limitations, with major manufacturers inclined to use mechanical fasteners or adhesive bonding. In this study, Polymer Coated Material (PCM) joining process is adapted for thermoplastic composite to metal assembly. This joining method uses induction welding to join a thermoplastic composite to a metallic substrate pre-coated with a compatible thermoplastic polymer film. Compared to mechanical fastening, PCM does not induce stress concentrations in the parts, and as the materials are not pierced, the risk of water damage is reduced. Compared to adhesives, PCM solution is not subject to curing times or shelf-life restrictions. Furthermore, the use of PCM enables easy recyclability of the parts; at the end-of-life, the parts can be disassembled through a reversal heat process
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Optimised composite crash structure development with focus of life cycle analysis for a fuel cell electric vehicle
555/716 ©2022 Jayasree et al. doi:10.5075/epfl-298799_978-2-9701614-0-0 published under CC BY-NC 4.0 licenseThis conference paper is part of a six volume book of the proceedings edited by: Prof. Anastasios P. Vassilopoulos, CCLab/EPFL, Prof. Véronique Michaud, LPAC/EPFL. All six volumes will have the same title and each will have a single subtitle: Vol 1: Materials Vol 2: Manufacturing Vol 3: Characterization Vol 4: Modeling and Prediction Vol 5: Applications and Structures Vol 6: Life Cycle Assessment.Copyright © 2022 Jayasree et al.. Low-speed accidents see a year-on-year increase. To improve crash performance in these accidents, a crash box is attached between the vehicle bumper structure and the side rail. The determination of the crash box material and geometry is critical to absorb the impact energy to result in safer vehicles and minimised repair costs. As the automotive industry transitions to more sustainable platforms, it is seeking to use lightweight materials including in the crash structure. This study develops an innovative crash box with optimal impact energy-absorption capabilities for a fuel cell electric vehicle. The concept is based on topology optimisation considering the composite structure and crash energy dissipation. In further work, the results from the life cycle analysis are utilised, and a comparative study between carbon fibre reinforced polymers and biocomposites in crash structures is performed. The latter includes an extensive characterisation campaign under static and dynamic conditions.
Keywords: Composites; crash box;The PROTECT project has received funding from Innovate UK under reference number 68148