| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/L505171/1 |
| Title: |
Carbon/biocomposite hybrid vehicle structures for reduced weight, cost and environmental impact (CARBIO) |
| Principal Investigator: |
Brighton, Professor JL |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Sch of Energy, Environment and Agrifood |
| Organisation: |
Cranfield University |
| Scheme: |
Technology Programme |
| Starts: |
14 January 2014 |
Ends: |
13 January 2016 |
Value (£): |
118,445
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Energy Efficiency |
Materials testing & eng. |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| Manufacturing |
Energy |
| 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 |
Carbon/flax fibre-reinforced hybrid composites offer advantages in terms of vibroacoustic, weight and cost when compared
to conventional steel and aluminium alloys which can be related to minimisation of emissions and fuel consumption.
However, vibro-acoustic characteristics of epoxy-carbon fibres/flax hybrid composites and their co-relation to structural
strength of the composite remain unexplored and a stumbling block in the application of the material technology to
manufacture better components. The increased application of both flax fibres and carbon fibre composites in automotive
components requires proper understand of vibro-acoustic problems and their effects in structural design and
manufacturing. The CARBIO project, therefore, involve investigating the vibro-acoustic levels for selected components
/systems for determination of tuneable frequencies, determination and quantification of vibroacoustic coupling between
temperatures variations, panels architecture and body assembly contributions and noise levels benefit against
benchmarked fully epoxy/carbon fibre, steel and aluminium components.
The study stems from the fact that with increasingly stringent environmental regulations and requirements, noise and
vibration have become very important design considerations for automotive manufacturing. Modern vehicle customers are
aware of their environmental needs and therefore demand the most economical car, the most comfortable to drive and
obviously the cheapest. As a consequence, the automotive industry has become a consumer driven industry where noise,
vibration and environmental harshness has become a measure of design excellence and vehicle performance, a fact
reflected strongly in vehicle sales. A rational approach to reducing noise and vibration is to improve the damping properties
of the materials from which the car parts are manufactured. Currently, body panels are mainly manufactured from steel
and aluminium alloy in conventional vehicles and epoxy - carbon/glass fibre- reinforced composites in high performance
cars. More effective measures for noise and vibration reduction are desirable if the automotive industry is to achieve an
acceptable driving environment and comfort as vehicle structural masses are reduced in response to environmental
demands.
The project acknowledge that hybrid composites with natural fibres are a key solutions to the vibroacoustic problem since
natural fibres (flax) have much higher damping properties. In addition to the reduction of mass, composite materials offer
consistent potential advantages in terms of noise and vibrations reduction, impact resistance, energy absorption capability. They also offer advantages in the manufacturing process, such as cost reduction for producing low volume pieces and the
possibility of integration, i.e. structures which can be made with fewer sub-components. Composites also possess a unique
capability: to be tailored in order to meet design requirements which are ill-matched for conventional materials, by properly
choosing the constituent materials and the orientation of the reinforcement fibres. This is of primary importance for the
performance optimization, the target objective being a minimization of the mass and/or of stress concentrations,
guaranteeing the required performance. Use of thermoplastics and other lightweight materials also aligns UK OEMs with
the end of life vehicle EU directive in that by 2015 , vehicles must be constructed of 95% recyclable materials, with 85%
recoverable through reuse or mechanical recycling and 10% through energy recovery or thermal recycling. It is envisaged
that the proposed project will give the UK automotive industry a leading edge in global industry.
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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.cranfield.ac.uk |