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Title: Integrating Materials, Manufacturing, Design and Validation for Sustainability in Future Transport Systems

Journal Article · · AIP Conference Proceedings
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3589760· OSTI ID:21516742
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  1. CEIAT, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Queens University, Belfast (United Kingdom)

The predictive methods currently used for material specification, component design and the development of manufacturing processes, need to evolve beyond the current 'metal centric' state of the art, if advanced composites are to realise their potential in delivering sustainable transport solutions. There are however, significant technical challenges associated with this process. Deteriorating environmental, political, economic and social conditions across the globe have resulted in unprecedented pressures to improve the operational efficiency of the manufacturing sector generally and to change perceptions regarding the environmental credentials of transport systems in particular. There is a need to apply new technologies and develop new capabilities to ensure commercial sustainability in the face of twenty first century economic and climatic conditions as well as transport market demands. A major technology gap exists between design, analysis and manufacturing processes in both the OEMs, and the smaller companies that make up the SME based supply chain. As regulatory requirements align with environmental needs, manufacturers are increasingly responsible for the broader lifecycle aspects of vehicle performance. These include not only manufacture and supply but disposal and re-use or re-cycling. In order to make advances in the reduction of emissions coupled with improved economic efficiency through the provision of advanced lightweight vehicles, four key challenges are identified as follows: Material systems, Manufacturing systems, Integrated design methods using digital manufacturing tools and Validation systems. This paper presents a project which has been designed to address these four key issues, using at its core, a digital framework for the creation and management of key parameters related to the lifecycle performance of thermoplastic composite parts and structures. It aims to provide capability for the proposition, definition, evaluation and demonstration of advanced lightweight structures for new generation vehicles in the context of whole life performance parameters.

OSTI ID:
21516742
Journal Information:
AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1353, Issue 1; Conference: ESAFORM 2011: 14. international ESAFORM conference on material forming, Belfast, Northern Ireland (United Kingdom), 27-29 Apr 2011; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3589760; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0094-243X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English