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| Reference Number | EP/Z536428/1 | |
| Title | SUstainable Reversal oF metallic Adhesive Connections Tailored for Augmenting Net zero Transportation (SURFACTANT) | |
| Status | Started | |
| Energy Categories | Energy Efficiency (Transport) 20%; Other Power and Storage Technologies (Energy storage) 80%; |
|
| Research Types | Applied Research and Development 100% | |
| Science and Technology Fields | ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) 50%; ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering) 50%; |
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| UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation | Not Cross-cutting 100% | |
| Principal Investigator |
Professor SA Jones University of Sheffield |
|
| Award Type | Standard | |
| Funding Source | EPSRC | |
| Start Date | 07 July 2025 | |
| End Date | 06 January 2029 | |
| Duration | 42 months | |
| Total Grant Value | £1,819,117 | |
| Industrial Sectors | Energy | |
| Region | Yorkshire & Humberside | |
| Programme | NC : Engineering | |
| Investigators | Principal Investigator | Professor SA Jones , University of Sheffield |
| Other Investigator | Dr Q Abbas , University of the West of Scotland Professor D Gibson , University of the West of Scotland Dr R Goodall , Engineering Materials, University of Sheffield Professor D Hand , Heriot-Watt University Dr J Hughes , Advanced Manufacturing Res Centre Boeing, University of Sheffield Dr R Kshirsagar , University of Sheffield Professor MRS McCoustra , Heriot-Watt University |
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| Web Site | ||
| Objectives | ||
| Abstract | Proposal context Ambitious net-zero targets and society's expectation for a continuous 'on-demand', clean, secure, and sustainable energy commodity necessitates a significant expansion in the UK's electrical infrastructure. The DfT's 2022 report "Taking Charge: the electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure strategy" and the APC's automotive battery end-of-life value chain roadmap, published in June 2023, highlight strategic economic benefits associated with this challenge. Regional and UK-wide prosperity, allied with extending battery life provides the support needed to grow a second hand EV market to allow vehicles to be more affordable, whilst simultaneously improving environmental stewardship through improved recycling and a reduction in demand for critical raw materials, further reducing energy usage. The challenge the project addresses and how it will be applied to this: Extending battery life through tactical replacement or repair of battery cells and / or modules provides a manifold of benefits and offers new market opportunities for the transportation sector. Presently, battery designs and those sub-assembly electrical connections between cells and busbars are created using fusion or solid-state bonded processes producing non-reversible joints; i.e., separation of joints is a destructive activity if they are to be replaced, repaired or recycled. Mechanical methods have been investigated and used for early designs, but these are vulnerable to 'efficiency drop-off' triggered by 'resistance ageing', resulting from thermal and corrosive activities between the connection interfaces and loosening of connections caused by random vibrations. The University of Sheffield, Heriot-Watt University and the University of the West of Scotland will develop a sustainable manufacturing process for battery applications, enabling assembly, non-destructive disassembly and reassembly between electrical connections to achieve full recovery of the cells and busbars. Our EPSRC funding request brings together expertise from across multifarious engineering disciplines: surface engineering and flow dynamics; materials science; joining; AI; and tooling design. We will utilise outputs from previous EPSRC funding projects; e.g., 'NASCENT' to accelerate capability to produce a reversible solution. | |
| Data | No related datasets |
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| Projects | No related projects |
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| Publications | No related publications |
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| Added to Database | 29/10/25 | |
