Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	EP/N024354/1
Title:	Analysis and Design for Accelerated Production and Tailoring of composites (ADAPT)
Principal Investigator:	Butler, Professor R
Other Investigators:	Rhead, Dr A T Dodwell, Professor T J
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:	Airbus Group Limited CHOMARAT GKN
Department:	Mechanical Engineering
Organisation:	University of Bath
Scheme:	Standard Research
Starts:	01 October 2016	Ends:	31 May 2021	Value (£):	695,334
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Manufacturing Machine & Plant
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Manufacturing
Related Grants:	EP/N024508/1
Panel History:	Panel Date Panel Name Outcome 09 Feb 2016 Engineering Prioritisation Panel Meeting 9 and 10 February 2016 Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
If demand for production of next-generation, short-range commercial aircraft is to be profitably met, current methods for composite airframe manufacture must achieve significant increases in material deposition rates at reduced cost. However, improved rates cannot come at the expense of safety or increased airframe mass. This project will enable a fourfold increase in productivity by establishing novel manufacturing techniques that speed up deposition of stiffness tailored material. New continuum mechanics-based forming models will ensure delivery of better products by minimising occurrence of manufacturing defects. In a parallel stream of activity, new methodologies for analysis and design of composite structures in which the ply angle and thickness of fibre-reinforcement is spatially tailored, both continuously and discretely, will reduce the need for stiffening, leading to significant savings in structural mass (by up to 30%) and manufacturing cost (by up to 20%). Potential structural integrity and damage tolerance issues, such as transition in fibre angle and tapering of laminate thickness from one discrete angle to another, will be addressed. The project will engage a multidisciplinary team of engineers and applied mathematicians to develop novel manufacturing and modelling techniques. An embedded university-industry partnership will focus on the creation of new manufacturing and analysis capabilities, supported by fundamental research. Academics at Bath and Exeter will partner with the National Composites Centre and with industrial collaborators that span the airframe supply chain. The project will enable production of high performance composite components at rates suitable for the next generation of short-range aircraft. There are also opportunities for impact in the wider composites manufacturing industry, including automotive and energy sectors.
Key Findings
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Potential use in non-academic contexts
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Impacts
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher
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Further Information:
Organisation Website:	http://www.bath.ac.uk