Projects
Projects: Custom Search |
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| Reference Number | UKRI638 | |
| Title | Towards “print and use” of aluminium alloys for aviation | |
| Status | Started | |
| Energy Categories | Energy Efficiency (Transport) 70%; Not Energy Related 30%; |
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| Research Types | Basic and strategic applied research 100% | |
| Science and Technology Fields | PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Metallurgy and Materials) 20%; ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering) 80%; |
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| UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation | Not Cross-cutting 100% | |
| Principal Investigator |
Matteo Seita University of Cambridge |
|
| Award Type | Standard | |
| Funding Source | EPSRC | |
| Start Date | 16 June 2025 | |
| End Date | 16 June 2027 | |
| Duration | 24 months | |
| Total Grant Value | £258,656 | |
| Industrial Sectors | Unknown | |
| Region | East of England | |
| Programme | NC : Engineering | |
| Investigators | Principal Investigator | Matteo Seita , University of Cambridge |
| Other Investigator | Fiona Schulz , Manufacturing Technology Centre (United Kingdom) |
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| Web Site | ||
| Objectives | ||
| Abstract | Context Transportation accounts for 1/5th of global CO2 emissions from energy and about 20% of that could be reduced through lightweighting of metallic components. A promising strategy to achieve that is to use net-shape manufacturing processes—such as additive manufacturing (AM)—to re-design parts with optimised geometry and to employ low density materials, such as aluminium (Al) alloys. The main problem with this strategy, however, is that Al parts made by AM exhibit sub-optimal properties, which hinder their certification and use in safety-critical applications, such as in aviation. The connection enabled by this project This project will promote collaborative work between the University of Cambridge (UoC) and the National Centre for Additive Manufacturing (NCAM) as part of the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) to devise scalable AM processes for lightweight Al structures that are of interest to their industrial members, such as Airbus. The project will capitalize on the microstructure control strategies developed by the UoC research group, which will be applied to an alloy system selected by the MTC and which will be scaled up for technology validation (TRL4-6). As such, this project aims to bridge the gap between fundamental research and industrial application and—by working with Airbus—to promote the adoption of AM for sustainable aviation. The challenge addressed Laser-based AM processes typically yield builds with heterogeneous microstructure and anisotropic properties. This is due to the variable and directional thermal flux experienced by the material during AM. As a result, AM parts must undergo involved and costly heat treatments aimed at homogenising their microstructure to bring their properties within specifications. This additional hurdle hampers the adoption of AM by the industry, offsetting the potential of this technology for lightweighting and thus for reducing carbon emissions in transportation. Aims and objectives This project will directly address the above challenge. Focusing on a special Al alloy—called Aheadd® CP1 (developed by Constellium)—which has been designed specifically for laser-based AM, the research team will demonstrate the ability to make samples and miniaturized parts with controlled microstructure and mechanical properties (including yield stress, impact energy, and fracture toughness), which are within the specifications set by Airbus. The work will consist of two consecutive steps: i) inducing microstructures that can be homogenised via traditional heat treatments, thus streamlining the production of Al parts by AM, and ii) producing parts that exhibit the desired, homogeneous microstructure in their as-built condition, and thus require no additional heat treatment whatsoever. Potential applications and benefits The direct beneficiary of the work is Airbus. The company has great interest in using AM technology to optimise the geometry of Al partsused in aircraft. However, the involved and costly post-processing required to certify parts has offset the adoption of AM significantly so far. One potential application of this project outcomes is in the manufacturing of topology-optimised, high-strength landing gears in civil aircraft. The project will also benefit the team at UoC, who will be able to translate their materials processing strategies and microstructure designs from the lab to real-world applications | |
| 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 | |
