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TexComp9 – An International Success

By Melissa Josef

TexComp9, October’s international conference on textile composites co-chaired by Suresh G. Advani and John W. Gillespie, Jr., was a huge success!  Researchers from all over the world convened on the University’s campus at Clayton Hall to hear a wide variety of presentations on textile composites.

For many attendees, this was a great opportunity to meet face to face with researchers in the field who they had only heard of through papers they had written or methods they had developed.  “I think that conferences like TexComp9 are absolutely necessary.  Research is too often isolated – researchers need to know others are out there and what they are doing,” said Rob Adkinson, Sr. Process Engineer, ARL, “TexComp acts both as a link to other’s efforts and as a spur to ‘get there first.’  I was overwhelmed by the scope and difficulty of what was being attempted with an off-setting realization of those dedicated to the task.  I look forward to the next TexComp.”


The conference provided another opportunity for international discourse on textile composites and liquid molding. “CCM has long recognized that international collaboration is at the forefront of science and partnerships,” said CCM’s Director Jack Gillespie, “TexComp was an excellent example of international scientific collaboration at its best.”

The Conference brought together researchers from Belgium, Germany, France, Spain, England, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and India, to name just some of the nationalities represented.  During the three day Conference, there were 56 presentations and a poster session on the latest research related to textile composites.

“I was struck by the similar and yet unique approaches to the solution of structural analysis issues, as well as some of the novel manufacturing approaches for new textile forms (for example, non-crimp braiding),”said Scott Holmes of V Systems Composites, “And you couldn’t beat the meal with a great view at the banquet!”
“From what we saw, the research presented in Trellised Fabric Architectures for Improving the Ballistic Performance of Soft Body Armor during the second session on day two impressed us the most,” Holmes continued,  “although there were many excellent presentations.  CCM did a great job hosting this conference.  It was world class.”


OTHER NEWS

Composites Manufacturing Short Courses Continue to Earn High Ratings

By Melissa Josef


CCM Researcher Hope Deffor explains the VARTM process to trainees

The reviews are in on Introduction to VARTM (Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding), and the ratings by attendees are consistently “excellent.”  The 15-hour course is coordinated by UD’s Engineering Outreach Program and taught by CCM research professionals in the Center’s Composites Manufacturing Science Laboratory. “As a new designer to composite parts, it was extremely useful for me to gain an understanding of how composites are made and what variables need to be considered in manufacturing,” commented Lisa Maradik, a Design Engineer from Boeing.

This non-credit 2-day course, initially offered for engineers and engineering technicians from the Ridley Park (PA) Boeing site, is unanimously well-received and recommended by participants to their peers.  As a result, it has been offered multiple times throughout the year.  Participants have included employees from various locations of 3M, Air Products, ATK, BAE Systems, Ceramic Protection Corp, Dassault Falcon Jet Corp, DHS, General Dynamics, Great Lakes Composites Institute, Lockheed Martin, Materials Sciences Corp, NASA Langley Research Center, PolyComp, Rock Island Arsenal, U.S. Army Research Lab, USA TACOM, and the U.S. Department of Energy.  Enrollment in each class is restricted to a maximum of 16 participants, enabling an excellent and truly experiential laboratory that would not be possible with a larger group.

The course includes some classroom instruction, including time using modeling software in UD’s computer teaching classrooms.  But the bulk of the participants’ time is spent in CCM’s laboratories, learning manufacturing techniques through hands-on experience.  Intro to VARTM introduces participants to liquid composites molding processes, focusing on issues of flow and modeling.  They learn to use the LIMS (Liquid Injection Molding Simulation) software to save time and reduce costs, as this program enables virtual fine-tuning of manufacturing processes to avoid flaws in the final product.  In the manufacturing laboratory, participants learn about materials characterization, including fabric permeability, resin viscosity, and complex part fabrication.  Divided into 3 groups, each group infuses a sandwich structure that they left to cure and mechanically test on Day 2 of the course. 

According to Kathy Werrell, Assistant Dean and Director of UD’s Engineering Outreach Program, “The enthusiasm of course participants in these workshops shows us that we are doing the right thing – hands-on training.  ‘Awesome’ was a quote this week …  And many of the participants were excited about the proposed new composites workshop, Composites Design & Analysis Workshop, taking place on February 3 & 4, 2009 here on campus:  http://www.engr.udel.edu/outreach/short-courses/CompositesDesign/index.html.  I think we’ll see several familiar faces in attendance in February!”



Engineering Design Students Visit CCM

Ten students from Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology in North Beach, NY visited CCM as part of a design course studying Boeing CPD manufacturing of composites.  The purpose of their visit was to expose the students to a composites manufacturing lab and give them a hands-on experience.
The visit provided the students from Vaughn College program a real world experience showcasing processing science and composites manufacturing that complement their coursework on computer aided design and analysis of structures..  “This was a kick-off of a first exchange of students from their side coming over here with a one-day seminar on composite processing with the potential for an extended program in the future including other student exchanges, summer internships and , graduate student recruitment” said Dr. Dirk Heider of CCM.

The students made a VARTM part in the morning and tested it in the afternoon.  They conducted some basic flexure and hardness properties of their panels. They also took some panels home with them for future testing as part of their courses.  “I was very impressed with the students from Vaughn College.  They were very enthusiastic and motivated to learn new laboratory techniques” said Heider.  “Some of the students had a military background and appreciated the need for lightweight and durable composite structures.  The students were excited to see the real-life connection to their studies.”

After they returned to Vaughn, students wrote about their experiences in the CCM labs.  “Thanks for providing the opportunity to expose my students to composite manufacturing processes.   The expertise of the researchers in your labs and the quality of your lab facilities were excellent.  This experience will enable me to take the class in a number of directions over the remainder of the semester,” said Dr. Donald O’Keefe of Vaughn College.


Photo courtesy of UDaily

University of Delaware Energy Institute and the Role of Composites

By Melissa Josef

September 19th marked the inauguration of the University of Delaware Energy Institute which was created to search for and integrate new solutions to challenges in energy sufficiency and sustainability. The daylong program included discussion of a collaborative approach to global energy challenges by U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman, highlights of an approach to securing our nation's energy future by U.S. Senator Thomas Carper (D-Del.) and U.S. Representative Michael Castle (R-Del.) and an overview of UD's Initiative for the Planet by University President Patrick Harker. UD-CCM highlighted the important role of lightweight composites to reduce energy consumption in the automotive and aerospace sector as well as being an enabling technology in the wind energy market.

“The composite market is continuously growing and the opportunity in the energy sector is tremendous.  UD-CCM will work with UDEI and our governmental and industrial partners to develop innovative solutions at an affordable price,” said Gillespie.
Full Story in UDaily


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