SAMPE Journal - September/October 2016 - 46

Europe news

Gary Turner
European Section Editor
gt@ttrc.de

SAMPE UK and Ireland (SUKIC) Annual Seminar and SME Table Top Exhibition
National College for Teaching and Leadership:
Jubilee Campus, University of Nottingham
Thursday, 25 February, 2016.

(Editor's note: space limits required greatly condensing the excellent and detailed report submitted by Geoff Gould).
This year's seminar followed the success of previous events with 100 delegates, 20 exhibitors and 8 presentations. Thanks are due to TenCate
Advanced Composites for sponsorship, plus the U. of Nottingham and to Trevor Cook and David Carlton for organization.
The Keynote presentation by Arnt Offringa of Fokker dealt with Aerospace Composite Manufacturing Technologies including Thermoplastics
and related Automotive Applications. An overview of Fokker's activities and composites' advantages cited the example of the Boeing 787
overhaul schedule being extended from 6 years to 13 years. The basic material benefits of thermoplastics versus thermosets were summarised
and examples like thermofolding given. Cost savings and process simplification allowed by thermoplastic welding were highlighted. The coconsolidation of large structures, e.g. fuselage sections, and the buttjointing of thermoplastic parts were further described. A new Fokker
concept is the manufacture of both frame and skin in a single part.
2. Fibre Preforms for Automotive Applications, Stefan Voskamp,
Eurocarbon. The long history of braiding was briefly reviewed.
Eurocarbon was founded by Stefan's father in 1982 with the specific
aim of supplying the composites market with elaborate braided fibre
reinforcements using carbon fibre. In 1994 Eurocarbon introduced
an overbraiding process in which fibres are layed down on to a core,
similar to filament winding, but with many advantages. Eurocarbon's
largest overbraiding machine, built in-house, has a fibre feed carrier
to handle 144 or 288 spools. Automotive apps include the Mercedes
McLaren SLR crash core, the Lamborghini A-pillar and the BMW 7
series roof beam.
3. Application of Composite Materials to Turbine Engine Components,
Daniel Dunn, GE Aviation. The driver to use composite materials in jet engines is weight reduction and hence lower fuel burn. The GE90
turbofan engine is the first in service to use CFRP/polymer matrix composite in the front fan blades. CMCs are required for top high temperature
performance now. GE will supply the (static) HP turbine shroud for the best-selling LEAP engine. (GE also has rotating CMC parts on advanced
tests for a military demonstrator). High speed video films were shown of an impact lab test.
4. Thermoplastic Materials - Innovation and Value Creation, Nick Tiffin, TenCate. TenCate has T/O of €1.6bn, is listed on the NYSE and has
4500 employees worldwide. It grows by acquisition with a strategy of "Buy and Build", the latest being Amber Composites. TenCate commenced
composites production in 1972 and introduced the first thermoplastic aerospace parts in 1989. The advantages of thermoplastics over thermosets
were highlighted. TenCate operate an "over-moulding" process combining stamp forming with injection moulding allowing use of long fibres.
5. Innovations in Composites at Rolls-Royce, James Lee, Rolls-Royce. Large growth in the use of composite materials in RR from 2008 to 2020
has occurred and is forecast, driven by automation and the availability of higher temperature resins. Composite applications include civil and
military aircraft engines, ground-based power systems, marine and nuclear components. The increased efficiency of aero engines over the
above period necessitates increased composites use. The Trent 1000 engine had only 5% composites whereas the ALPS has 65% composite
use and weight savings of 500 lbs.
6. Robot Layup Techniques, Michael Elkington, University of Bristol. Bristol is part of a research unit, Advanced Composites Centre for Innovation
and Science (ACCIS) which includes the Universities of Cranfield, Nottingham and Manchester. A primary aim is "High Quality Manufacturing."
Specifically, Bristol's work examines whether manufacture of a satisfactory quality can be devised from an upgraded process between extremes
of basic hand layup and AFP/ATP automatic fibre placement and ATP. Difficult, but some success has been achieved.
7. Joining of Composites to Metals, by Biomimetic Concepts, Evangelos Avgoulas, University of Cambridge. Evangelos is the winner of the UK
2015 student seminar competition. Biomimetics is used to examine how nature achieves bonding particularly between materials with different
stiffness for example bone and tissue. Nature's solution is to use a graded interface bond strength along the joint line between the softer and
stiffer material. Work continues on where CFRP is bonded to steel in a propeller root for GE Aviation / Dowty Propellers.
8. CFC Usage and Future Strategy at Jaguar Land Rover, Rebecca Hitch, Jaguar Land Rover. The environmental challenge is to reduce CO2
emissions. The challenge is not only in the design and manufacture of lightweight vehicles but in the reduction of parasitic energy loss, as in
aerodynamics. The use of electric and hybrid vehicles is environmentally beneficial but the batteries are very heavy. The main thrust of the
talk was that although there has been an increase in the use of composites over the years, JLR operate a mixed materials approach; there is
still a vital role for metals and polymers.
46

SAMPE Journal, Volume 52, No. 5, September/October 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SAMPE Journal - September/October 2016