JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #55 - February/March 2010 - 51

KNOW-HOW Design & Manufacturing Advanced composite racing yacht construction Trimarine is a project management company that was founded in 1995 to develop weight-optimised solutions for marine applications. The company specialises in the process engineering, construction, systems design and fit-out of racing and high-performance cruising yachts using advanced composites. FERNANDO BORGES DE SENA, DIRECTOR, & SEBASTIANO RECH MORASSUTTI, DIRECTOR, TRIMARINE ADVANCED MARINE PROJECTS, LTD ased in the Isle of Wight, UK and in Belluno, Italy, Trimarine has provided specialist assistance on a global basis to designers, boat yards and owners for more than 13 years. Overall, the company’s experience in the construction, assembly and fit-out of advanced composite structures has given it the opportunity to work on the construction of eight America's Cup Class yachts for four separate campaigns – Il Moro di Venezia, Mascalzone Latino, Piu 39 and Desafio Espanol 2007. The VOR70 Telefonica Blue, competing in the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race was also built under the supervision of Trimarine. reducing the variability of results due to manufacturing. Initially quite unstable, the new low-temperature marine prepregs have evolved into standard industrial products available in a large variety of styles and cure temperatures with a shelf life and window of application similar to any other aerospace prepreg. The (indoors) environmental conditions are another important element in the manufacture of such large components. Requiring very large facilities to house such large mouldings creates a significant problem of temperature, moisture and contamination control. All marine composites created by using thermoset resin systems require full control of the polymerisation reactions. It is critical that their production environment have no negative impact on their cure while being controllable to create the best possible conditions. Even when not using prepregs, elevated temperature post-cure is necessary to maximise the polymer mechanical characteristics in processes using infusion or wet-preg epoxies. Building constraints of marine advanced composites Marine composites, especially hull and deck shells, are some of the largest components ever built out of advanced composites in onepiece mouldings. Trimarine has been involved in the construction of 60-metre hull mouldings and knows of even bigger ones like some Mine sweepers at 75 metres and over. It is only now that the largest wind turbine blades and some aerospace components are getting near such sizes. Of course, sheer size inevitably plays an important role in limiting the choice of technology and processes used in their construction. In the past, the choices invariably ended up favouring more forgiving techniques like vacuum-bagged hand lay-up or wet-preg with initial room temperature cure and elevated temperature postcure. Starting some 20 years ago, the development of lower-temperature cured prepregs (curing at 70-85°C) changed the building methods for ever. These new materials imparted much higher mechanical properties to the structures and improved the consistency of results, greatly "Il Moro di Venezia" Challenger to the XXVIII America's Cup This can be achieved with an appropriate post-curing oven or by elevating the temperature of a properly-insulated building. In the case of very large components where the number of units produced is only one or two per year, it may be more economical to use removable insulation to envelop the No55 February - March 2010 / jec composites magazine

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #55 - February/March 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #55 - February/March 2010