| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/S67104/01 |
| Title: |
Design Optimisation of Textile Composite Structures (DotComp) |
| Principal Investigator: |
Long, Professor A |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Sch of Mech Materials Manuf Eng Mgt |
| Organisation: |
University of Nottingham |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
01 September 2003 |
Ends: |
31 October 2006 |
Value (£): |
224,294
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Design & Testing Technology |
Materials Characterisation |
| Materials Processing |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| Aerospace, Defence and Marine |
Construction |
| Transport Systems and Vehicles |
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| Related Grants: |
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| Panel History: |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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Whilst modelling of forming or draping of textile based composites has received significant attention in recent years, the resulting software tools are not fully integrated within the design process. Users must specify material properties and processing details manually for each design considered, and it is extremely difficult to achieve an optimum design given conflicting requirements of component quality, mechanical performance, component mass and cost. The aim of this project is to develop advanced models for forming and consolidation of composite structures, and to utilise these within an integrated design framework to optimise component design. This will build upon existing models developed by the applicants, and will be validated for a series of industrial case studies. Process modelling will focus on developing models of practical manufacturing aspects, including wrinkling, tailoring, consolidation and material variability. Design-oriented work will concentrate on developing integrated software tools to define a range of design options, spawn appropriate analysis runs, and choose the best design, based on suitable optimisation algorithms and materials selection methods. A wide range of materials will be considered but, in line with the priorities of the industrial collaborators, the main focus will be on thermoplastic and thermoset prepreg and drv fabrics (for RTM).
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk |