MELComp - Mutiplex Energy Laser Sustained Plasma Consolidation of Lightweight Novel Continuous Fibre Aluminium Matrix Composites

Completed

Energy Efficiency(Transport)
Not Energy Related

Applied Research and Development

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Metallurgy and Materials)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Environmental dimensions)

Project Contact
Antich & Sons Limited

Feasibility Study

Innovate UK

01 April 2015

31 March 2016

12 months

£89,279

Yorkshire & Humberside

Competition Call: 1406_FS_HVM_NMMP - Mechanical conversion manufacturing processes - Feasibility Studies. Activity Mechanical conversion manufacturing processes (FS)

Project Contact, Antich & Sons Limited

Project Contact, 313M Technology Ltd

Aluminium Matrix Composites (AMCs) offer the strength and stiffness of steel, but with the density of aluminium, making them an exciting candidate for reducing the weight of ground and air vehicles to help improve efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. Although in existence for many decades, the barriers to widespread uptake are ever decreasing and these materials are steadily making their way into mass vehicle production. Advantages over carbon fibre reinforced plastic composites include higher temperature resistance, better toughness, recyclability and no corrosion in contact with aluminium structures. This project will investigate the feasibility of an entirely novel manufacturing process for producing these materials which can remove many of the limitations of the existing processes. The new process uses multiple lasers to consolidate novel woven composite material into potentially large and complex shapes, enabling AMC to be used in large structures such as automotive vehicle bodies or aircraft fuselages. It will also enable production of continuous AMC strip, a first for AMC production processes and a major enabler of cost reduction.Aluminium Matrix Composites (AMCs) offer the strength and stiffness of steel, but with the density of aluminium, making them an exciting candidate for reducing the weight of ground and air vehicles to help improve efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. Although in existence for many decades, the barriers to widespread uptake are ever decreasing and these materials are steadily making their way into mass vehicle production. Advantages over carbon fibre reinforced plastic composites include higher temperature resistance, better toughness, recyclability and no corrosion in contact with aluminium structures. This project will investigate the feasibility of an entirely novel manufacturing process for producing these materials which can remove many of the limitations of the existing processes. The new process uses multiple lasers to consolidate novel woven composite material into potentially large and complex shapes, enabling AMC to be used in large structures such as automotive vehicle bodies or aircraft fuselages. It will also enable production of continuous AMC strip, a first for AMC production processes and a major enabler of cost reduction.

08/10/15