Composite engineering research project to make air travel greener (Video)

The research is a collaboration between engineers from the Universities of Bath and Bristol and the aerospace industry. It is funded by the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and aircraft manufacturers, Airbus and GKN. The research will focus on using carbon fibres, that are curved within flat plates, to produce damage-tolerant, buckle-free structures. The Bristol-based team will be leading the development and manufacturing of the new carbon fibre materials, and the Bath team will be investigating different designs for the structures of wing panels, to test their damage tolerance. It is hoped this will lead to cost and weight savings of 10 to 30 per cent on structural components, saving fuel and reducing CO2 emissions, which would reduce environmental impact. Dr Richard Butler is leading the University of Bath team, which includes Dr H Alicia Kim and Professor Giles Hunt. The project stems from research carried out under the ABBSTRACT consortium (Airbus, Bristol, Bath STrategic Research Alliance in Composites Technology). Professor Paul Weaver, from the Department of Aerospace Engineering and the Advanced Composites Centre for Innovation and Science (ACCIS), is leading the University of Bristol team, which includes Dr Kevin Potter and Dr Stephen Hallett. The addition of GKN to the collaboration, as one of Airbus' risk sharing partners and supplier of major wing components, creates a strong link with the manufacturing industry. Related video: University of Bath composite research.