The Composites Perspectives Series

Posted on by jo.rich

Last year the Bristol Composites Institute launched “Composites Perspectives”, a series of talks each focusing on different topics and including two composite-expert speakers. Since June 2022, the BCI has hosted three Composite Perspectives events, with the next one arranged for 11 July 2023 (details on how to register will be released soon).

The first Composites Perspectives event took place on 14 June 2022 and saw Professor Richard Oldfield (Chief Executive, UK National Composites Centre and Honorary Industrial Professor, University of Bristol) and Professor Pascal Hubert (Werner Graupe Chair on Sustainable Composites Manufacturing and Director at the Research Center for High Performance Polymer and Composite Systems, McGill University, Canada) discuss “Composites Role in Delivering Net Zero” and “Solutions for Zero Waste Composite Prepreg Processing”, respectively.

These talks became part of a wider ‘Sustainable Composites’ programme, and in September 2022 guest speaker Dr. Tia Benson-Tolle (Director, Advanced Materials and Sustainability, Boeing Commercial Aircraft) covered the importance of “Circularity and Recycling” within sustainable composites, and Professor Ian Hamerton (NCC Professor of Polymers and Sustainable Composites, University of Bristol) discussed the “High Performance Discontinuous Fibre technology (HiPerDiF)”.

The most recent event, which took place on 14 March 2023,  focused on Transformation in Engineering, with talks from Professor Mike Hinton, Consultant in Research and Technology Partnerships, High Value Manufacturing Catapult (“Engineering Transformation”) and Professor Ole Thomsen, Co-Director of Bristol Composites Institute and NCC Chair in Composites Design and Manufacture (“Towards virtual validation of composites structures – rethinking the testing pyramid approach”).

You can read about the previous events here and recordings of each session are available to view on the BCI Youtube Channel.

We look forward to inviting you to our future Composites Perspectives events.

BCI / NCC Joint Annual Conference, 10 November 2022

Posted on by jo.rich

Last November, the Bristol Composites Institute and National Composites Centre presented the 2022 BCI NCC Joint Annual Conference, which addressed some of the key engineering challenges of our time, particularly focusing on how composites will ensure a net zero future for the UK.

The conference showcased the cross-TRL work we conduct together and how we can work in partnership with industry to advance and optimise their technology developments and fast-track innovation.

The morning session included updates from the NCC and BCI on their work in Sustainability, Hydrogen and Digital and the afternoon session focused on transitional research and how the gap between the technology readiness levels can be bridged. There was also a keynote presentation from Kate Barnard (WhatBox – Consultants facilitating mutually beneficial partnerships (whatboxltd.com)) which was followed by a panel session chaired by Michele Barbour and featured Matt Scott, Valeska Ting, Evangelos Zympeloudis, Kate Robson-Brown and Musty Rampuri and sparked plenty of thoughtful discussions between guests and speakers.

The conference, which was held at the NCC in Emersons Green, Bristol, welcomed over 60 people in-person, and had an additional 40 online attendees. Details of the 2023 joint conference will be released later in the year.

Guests listening to a presentation at the conference Guests listening to a presentation at the conference

Why you should consider the EngD route for your doctorate study…

Posted on by jo.rich

The Industrial Doctorate Centre in Composites Manufacture (IDC) is pleased to announce that we are seeking high calibre candidates to take up one of five fully funded EngD studentships based at the National Composites Centre (NCC) – the UK’s leading mid-TRL innovation facility in composite materials.

To apply complete and submit this online form and send your CV and transcript of results to Helen.Howard@bristol.ac.uk

Why an EngD?

Patrick Sullivan, an EngD student currently based at the NCC, says

“ The ethos of an EngD is to work in industry as if you are a full time employee, fully embedded in your organisation’s system’s and structures, but to work towards your long term research and academic goal as your thesis approaches. The industry focus is beneficial for steering your research in a meaningful way, allowing greater impact and dissemination of your work. 

The appeal of an EngD is that you stay in the academic loop where innovation rules with the freedom to pursue research topics and work with world leading academics. But you are also driven by the focus of your industrial sponsor and their need to see the impact of the research on live projects. ”

As a successful applicant, you will be based at the National Composites Centre (NCC) and will work on novel, yet industrially focused, cutting-edge research, whilst following a taught programme at University of Bristol. The projects will cover a wide range of NCC’s strategic areas with a focus on using digital manufacturing with composite materials to solve urgent issues towards sustainability.

Financially it makes sense too.

Successful applicants will receive an enhanced tax-free stipend of £23,730 a year, a fee waiver and a generous allowance to support training.

 

Why the EngD works for industry.

The NCC has supported the Industrial Doctorate Centre (IDC) in Composites Manufacture for many years. Matt Scott, Chief Engineer for Capability at NCC, says

“ We find that our deep partnership with the IDC allows us to solve two pressing needs. Firstly, it gives us a mechanism to set motivated and tenacious minds on solving some of the research challenges that a commercial context by itself may not easily allow for. Secondly, it allows us to train the leaders of tomorrow towards an exciting and fulfilling career in the composites sector and beyond. ”

The topics you could be working on.

We are seeking highly motivated and committed individuals with an eye on the future, who are interested in conducting stimulating and essential industrial research and have a passion for finding sustainable solutions in areas such as:

  • Low-carbon concrete.
  • Through-Life Damage and Environmental Assessment.
  • Recycled Fibre/Matrix Interfacial Properties
  • Composite Shielding against Directed Energy Weapons
  • High-Rate Automated Deposition of CFRP for rapid production of aircraft wings.
  • Advanced Tooling for Aerospace Composites
  • Large Scale Rapid Infusion of wings.
  • In-Process Material Inspection and Verification of Aerospace Parts.
  • Digital Passport for Re-Using Aerospace Manufacturing Waste.

For more information about the topics you could be exploring visit our website here.

Professor Janice Barton, Director of the IDC, says;

“ If you are interested in studying for a doctorate at University of Bristol, being involved in the activities of Bristol Composites Institute and have a passion to explore sustainable composites solutions to address NetZero challenges then please consider applying to be part of our inclusive and dynamic programme in Composites Engineering. ”

What you need to bring.

Applicants must hold/achieve a minimum of a 2:1 MEng or merit at Masters level or equivalent in engineering, physics or chemistry. Applicants without a master’s qualification may be considered on an exceptional basis, provided they hold a first-class undergraduate degree. Please note, acceptance will also depend on evidence of readiness to pursue a research degree and performance at interview.

Due to visa restrictions these posts are available to Home/EU (UK settled status) with permanent UK residency.

To apply complete this online form and send your CV and transcript of results to Helen.Howard@bristol.ac.uk

If you have any further questions about our programme, or if you would like to have an informal chat with Professor Barton or a current EngD student, please do get in touch by e-mail.

Helen Howard, IDC Manager Helen.Howard@bristol.ac.uk

The BCI Start-Up Companies Tackling Sustainable Engineering Innovation

Posted on by jo.rich

The Bristol Composites Institute (BCI) has seen the beginnings of multiple start-up companies since starting as ACCIS in 2007. Playing host to a range of different engineering disciplines, it’s no surprise to see BCI start-ups tackling many problems affecting sustainable development today. Below is an overview of three start-ups led by former BCI PhD students who all graduated with PhDs from the ACCIS or CoSEM centres for doctoral training.

 

iCOMAT:

iCOMAT spun out of BCI and co-founded by CEO Dr Evangelos Zympeloudis and Dr ByungChul (Eric) Kim in 2019, and has since grown to 25 staff with blue-chip customers across Europe and USA. They are on a mission to unlock the performance of composites using their fibre steering technology and enable the lightest and the most structurally efficient composite products.

iCOMAT’s Rapid Tow Shearing (RTS) technology is the world’s first defect-free fibre steering process that enables the placement of carbon fibre tapes along curved paths without defects, enabling highly optimised structures. It was originated from the Continuous Tow Shearing (CTS) technology developed at Bristol Composites Institute. The novel process leads to drastically lighter components beyond the limit of conventional straight-fibre designs, while simultaneously lowering manufacturing cost. The process is ideal for high-volume production of complex high-performance composite components used in automotive and aerospace industries such as car frames, aircraft structures, and rocket structures. Such highly efficient structures lead to significantly lower CO2 emissions, both during use (lower weight, less fuel/energy) and during manufacture (minimum waste generation, more effective use of high-value carbon fibre materials).

 

Actuation Lab:

Simon Bates, Tom Llewellyn-Jones, and Michael Dicker have worked together as researchers for the last 10 years, optimising and simplifying technology for applications spanning the manufacturing, renewable energy, and marine sectors. In 2019, they spun Actuation Lab out of the University of Bristol, with a revolutionary approach to designing industrial hardware.

Aware that the use of hydrogen has the potential to eliminate over half the UK’s carbon emissions, but conscious of how hydrogen leaking from valves can have 11x the Global Warming Potential of CO2, they created the Dragonfly Valve. With an origami-inspired design, it requires the minimum amount of force to operate, preventing many of the leak paths of traditional valves. With help from partners like the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Actuation Lab is aiming to commercialise the Dragonfly Valve in time to meet the pressing needs of the UK’s energy supply.

 

 

Molydyn:

Matthew Bone started Molydyn to make computational chemistry more accessible to materials scientists, while undertaking his PhD with BCI, in June 2022. Computer modelling can provide direction to laboratory research, reducing costs, saving time, and eliminating waste. The pharmaceuticals industry has been using chemical simulation to discover new drugs for the last 40 years. However, materials science, which can benefit from using the same simulation tools, has seen minimal uptake in modelling.

To support computational chemists, Molydyn has created Atlas, a simple to use web platform that allows users to save 90% of their time pre-processing through automation. This makes using the popular modelling software LAMMPS much quicker and easier, helping new students to learn, and veteran users to research new sustainable materials faster. Molydyn has recently won a £25k innovation prize and Innovate UK funding to work with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre to develop case studies showcasing their ability to model polymers and plastics.

 

The BCI continues to support and promote the success of these start-ups.

BCI Co-Directors Prof. Stephen Hallett and Prof. Ole Thomsen: “We are delighted that fundamental research derived from novel and original ideas in Bristol Composites Institute has led to successful and highly innovative spin-outs. It serves as a testament to the impact of BCI’s research and the power of researchers in BCI in delivering added value to UK industry and society at large”.

Prof. Michele Barbour, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor Enterprise & Innovation, University of Bristol: “The Bristol Composites Institute has a rich history of innovation and enterprise, and the four companies that are highlighted in this report are superb examples of that entrepreneurial spirit combined with world-leading engineering research and the commitment to realise the impact of that research outside of an academic environment. The companies Profs Thomsen and Hallett highlight here are diverse in their technology and focus but united in their aspirations to make real, lasting and impactful contributions some of our biggest global challenges, particularly to addressing climate breakdown and the need for truly sustainable processes and technologies. I will continue to follow the stories of these great companies and the inspiring people who lead them, and have no doubt that more exciting new spin-outs and start-ups will emerge from BCI in the months and years to come”.

 

 

BCI Volunteers Help Bristol Youth Club

Posted on by jo.rich

A group of volunteers from the BCI and ILO recently spent a day painting the sports hall at Stockwood Youth Club in preparation for a new mural to be painted on it by a local artist. The club, which is run by the charity Young Bristol, supports children across the city by providing them with safe and inclusive environments where they can take part in a range of creative and sporting activities. Young Bristol relies solely on donations and grants, so by painting the hall we were able to save them a significant amount of money they may have struggled to raise themselves. Well done to everyone for your hard work!

Group photo of the volunteers at Young Bristol youth club

Four members of the BCI in the Young Bristol sports hall

Volunteers painting a sports hall

 

Engineering with Origami

Posted on by jo.rich

Armed with a large collection of origami models (which handily packed down for the journey to London), Aerospace Engineering academic Mark Schenk recently gave an outreach talk on Engineering with Origami at the Royal Institution (https://www.rigb.org/whats-on/engineering-origami). The talk attracted a diverse family audience to the lecture theatre famous for its Christmas Lectures.

A demonstration of origami being given to children

Origami, the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, has received widespread attention from mathematicians, scientists and engineers to understand its properties and explore its applications. In his talk, Mark introduced the audience to some surprising examples of folding (have you ever looked closely at Mona Lisa’s sleeves?) and a few underlying mathematical principles of origami, ultimately leading to a surprising diversity of engineering applications.

A view of the lecture hall used to give the talk on origami engineering

These applications range from designer materials with tailored properties, to self-folding origami and deployable structures in space. To get a hands-on feel for engineering origami, the audience were asked to fold their own Miura-ori sheet (a common fold pattern used in engineering origami) from a laser cut pattern, and after the talk they explored the various engineering origami models brought to the lecture.

 

The event was hosted by the Dutch Embassy in the United Kingdom, and supported by the Dutch Academic Network in the UK (DANinUK).

Two BCI students win Best Presentation prize at International Conference MIMS22

Posted on by jo.rich
by Fabrizio Scarpa

Congratulations to Mengzhou Yang and Wenfei Ji from the Bristol Composites Institute and the School of Chemistry of the University of Bristol for jointly winning the Best Student Presentation prize at the Multiscale Innovative Materials and Structures conference in Cetara. Mengzhou has presented the paper: “Numerical and experimental study of non-rigid foldable Origami bellows”, while Wenfei has described her work in: “Preparation of nanoclay/polymer coating for flexible polyurethane foam and the improvement of mechanical performance”.

Mengzhou is mainly supervised by Mark Schenk, Wenfei by Jeroen van Duijneveldt and Wuge Briscoe. Fabrizio Scarpa is co-supervisor of both students. The Bristol Composites Institute was well represented in the conference, with other presentations made by Xindi Yu, Keyao Song and Gianni C. on novel tensegrity structures, beetle elytra and Tesla valve acoustic metamaterials. The work of the students has been supported by China Scholarship Council, UKRI and European Research Council (ERC). Special thanks go to the University of Bristol Engineering and Faculty of Sciences of the University for the further support provided to the students. MIMS22 has been an excellent conference showcasing top speakers in the field of metamaterials and architected materials.

A collage of photos showing the Amalfi coast and BCI students winning their award at the MIMS22 event

Key Strategic Appointments to Enable Net Zero Future

Posted on by jo.rich

Reaching net zero is key to tackling the global climate emergency and composite materials, with their unique properties, will play a fundamental role in enabling a net zero future to be achieved. The University of Bristol and the National Composite Centre (NCC) have strengthened their partnership with the appointment of three leading figures from the composite materials sector, to help enable a net zero future for the UK. Professor Ian Hamerton of the Bristol Composites Institute (BCI) has been appointed as NCC Chair in Sustainable Polymers and Composites, and from the NCC, Dr Enrique Garcia, Chief Technology Officer, and Dr Tim Young, Head of Sustainability, have been made Visiting Industrial Professors of BCI.

Bringing a combined experience of over 60-years in the development of composite materials, the trio will work closely to further strengthen the collaboration between the two institutions, delivering new joint initiatives across sustainability and digital engineering, including recycling of composites, sustainable composite material systems and processes, new material systems for hydrogen storage, and digital twinning covering the range from manufacturing processes to in-service and operations. If you would like to engage with BCI and NCC on this topic, please contact us at: composites-institute@bristol.ac.uk

NCC Logo BCI Logo Square

 

BCI Celebrates UTC 15 Year Anniversary

Posted on by jo.rich

This year the Composites University Technology Centre (UTC), supported by Rolls-Royce, celebrated its 15 year anniversary. An event with talks and posters held on the 6th September was opened by the University of Bristol’s Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Enterprise, Prof. Phil Taylor, and followed by a dinner at The Orangery in Goldney Hall. The Composites UTC was set up in 2007 to support research into the use of composite materials for aero-engine applications and was led by Prof. Michael Wisnom for its first 10 years. In 2017, Prof. Stephen Hallett took on the Director role, leading the UTC into new technology areas such as Ceramic Matrix Composites and Hydrogen storage. Among the key achievements from the UTC have been the delivery of design and manufacturing technology for Rolls-Royce’s next generation of turbofan aeroengine, the UltraFan that will deliver a 25% reduction in fuel consumption compared to early 2000s technology. This was written up as an Impact Case Study for the REF 2021 evaluation of university research, helping the University of Bristol achieve its top 5 UK ranking.

Audience at of UTC conferencePeople in Bill Brown FoyerPeople standing outside restaurant

New start-up ‘Molydyn’ by Matthew Bone

Posted on by jo.rich

 

An image of the Molydyn logo

BCI members have gone on to launch a number of start-up companies over the years, and the latest is MOLYDYN, which has been established by Matthew Bone from the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Composites Science, Engineering and Manufacturing (CoSEM CDT).

Molydyn is working to drive materials discovery with a new accessible approach to computational chemistry. Simulating polymers at the molecular level can help guide lab work, eliminating screening and accelerating the development of new sustainable materials. This leads to time saving, allowing researchers to use their effort more efficiently to discover other innovative solutions.

We asked Matthew about his experience of setting up his own company and what advice he would give to others, “For me, the toughest and most enjoyable part is getting out there and talking to people about what you do. It’s difficult as you’re asking people to judge something that is so personal to you, but the overwhelming majority of people are so kind, give fantastic feedback and wish you nothing but the best. My advice to people is take whatever idea you have and start getting people’s opinion on it. If you’re willing to change it, you’ll end up with something so much better than you could have achieved on your own.”

Molydyn is relevant now more than ever as the world needs new materials to enable more sustainable applications like:

  • Hydrogen storage
  • Carbon capture
  • Green energy

It takes 10-20 years for a new material to come to market and long laboratory trials are a slow stage of the development cycle. As companies embrace Industry 4.0 they are realising that simulation can guide their scientists and save significant amounts of time, money, and physical waste.

The challenge is running these complex simulations and getting accurate data that means something to the people in the lab. Molydyn’s managed simulation platform can help companies screen new materials in days instead of weeks, for half the cost of a laboratory trial.

You can read more about Molydyn at www.molydyn.com