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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/K83557/01
Title: ECO-DESIGN FOR ACTIVE DISASSEMBLY USING SMART MATERIALS
Principal Investigator: Billett, Professor E
Other Investigators:
Harrison, Professor D Perks, Mr R Perkins, Professor M
Perks, Dr RM
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department: Design
Organisation: Brunel University London
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 29 April 1996 Ends: 28 April 1997 Value (£): 35,208
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Design Engineering
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
This research will investigate the use of SMART materials in active disassembly, the eventual aim being that at the end of its useful life a product could disassemble itself in an organised well structured way according to a programme built in at the design stage. The initial project would comprise 2 stages: (i) a survey of currently available materials including both Shape Memorary Alloys and Plastics. It seems likely that in the early stages one of the shape memory materials would be chosen for development, although we can envisage other SMART properties being useful in the future; (ii) consideration of a number of possible mechanisms to exploit the memory effect in a controlled fashion. A range of different techniques would be required according to the nature of the disassembly task. It would seem likely that by the use of appropriate circuits and heaters that a product could be dismantled sequentially in a controlled manner, in some ways the reverse of assembly.
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Summary
Date Materialised
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Further Information:  
Organisation Website: http://www.brunel.ac.uk