Primarily used in the production of linen, flax is an incredibly versatile plant that has been around for millions of years. It differs from many biomaterials in that it’s ideal for use in crop rotation programmes and can be grown without directly competing with food crops. Flax is a CO2-neutral raw material and its fibres are biodegradable. At the end of the seat’s life, for example, it can be ground down into a new base material or thermally recycled without residual waste, rather than end up in landfill.

Inspired by the thin veins on the back of leaves, Bcomp’s powerRibs technology provides a three-dimensional grid structure on one side of the seat, which is then used to reinforce the spun and woven flax fibre reinforcement fabric, ampliTex. Made by twisting flax fibres to form a thick yarn, the powerRibs act as a backbone to the ampliTex flax fabric that is bonded to it

With the introduction of the new regulation in 2019, the seat now forms part of the driver’s weight budget, so it’s over-engineered as a result

McLaren saw a clear opportunity to use this technology in this area of the car based on the current F1 technical regulations. Since 2019, a minimum driver weight of 80 kg has been mandated. And if a driver weighs less than that, ballast must be used to bring them up to the minimum weight. But instead of allowing this ballast to be placed in other areas of the car, which could improve weight distribution, it must be located within the immediate area of the driver’s seat.

While the environmental benefits are clear, the mechanical properties of flax make it an attractive renewable raw material for high-performance composites. The tubular structure of flax fibres provides low density and high stiffness, which affords the opportunity to reduce weight while simultaneously improving vibration damping, as well as resistance to breakage, torsion and compression.

Flax fibres are 9% lighter than any equivalent carbon material and offer significantly better vibration damping. 

Greater vibration absorption and impact resistance make the natural fibre material well suited to use in the driver’s seat. It improves comfort and reduces vibration in the cockpit, which can have a fatiguing effect on drivers and if the seat were to break, unlike carbon fibre, it’s not prone to brittle fracture and splintering.

The ductile fracture behaviour of natural fibre composites opens the door to other possibilities too. One of the most spectacular, but equally dangerous, aspects of an on-track incident is the shards of carbon fibre that result from a collision. Not only do they present an immediate risk to the drivers, but they are also notorious for causing punctures and leaving a driver’s race in tatters. By using natural fibre composites in other areas of the car, such as front wing endplates and the floor, it’s possible to reduce carbon fibre debris and therefore the risk of punctures.

The cost of materials is going to be a big focus and the use of natural fibre composites has the potential to help in this area

With a budget cap set be introduced from 2021, many F1 teams will need to reduce costs while maintaining and improving performance – no mean feat in a sport where, typically, a team can pursue more development routes the more resource it has available. Teams are going to have to work even smarter, McLaren says that using these natural composite solutions has seen a reduction in raw material cost by up to 30% compared to traditional carbon fibre.

Most of the moulds used to make parts of the car are made from carbon fibre composite because of its low thermal expansion. However, flax fibres also possess this property, potentially making them a suitable tooling material for moulding performance parts that are made from standard composites. So even if the part being produced isn’t made from natural fibre materials, the tool to produce it can be – allowing us to reduce the cost of mould tools and our carbon footprint.

With so many potential applications, McLaren sees the natural fibre racing seat as just the beginning and will continue to work with Bcomp to identify other components that can be replaced. The seat was run in pre-season testing without any problems and McLaren hope to be racing with the Bcomp flax seats in the near future.

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The bike’s unibody frame is made by 3D-printing one single continuous piece of carbon-fibre thermoplastic, which the company says is stronger than any traditional carbon fibre frame on the market today. The use of thermoplastic materials not only make the bikes stronger and more impact resistant but also lightweight with the Superstrata Terra weighing in at just 1.27 kgs while the e-bike Ion version weighs 10.98 kgs, depending on size.

While 3D printing can be a more costly process, Superstrata says it makes for a more bespoke design and will appeal to people willing to pay extra for a custom fit. Customers can send in their measurements, and Superstrata will 3D-print the bike down to the spokes. Each frame takes about 10 hours to create, and the company claims it can create up to 250,000 unique combinations.

The bikes are available for pre-order on Indegogo and are scheduled to ship in Q1 and Q2 of 2021 with special early bird pricing starting at $1,299 for the Terra and $1,799 for the Ion.

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TuFF was patented in June 2020 with 32 claims. According to the U.S. Patent Office, the claim(s) within a patent application clearly define the invention, its scope and what aspects are legally enforceable.

TuFF represents a paradigm shift in composites design and opens the door for composites to replace metals in a variety of applications in the automotive, aerospace, infrastructure, electronics industries and more. Many common products, from kitchen appliances to smartphones and more, are now made with stamped sheet metal, and manufacturers might someday use TuFF instead.

TuFF is a low cost, can be made quickly, and is recyclable. Instead of expecting the metal manufacturers to redesign metal parts like aeroplanes, we decided to create a new material that can be designed and processed like metals using their existing manufacturing equipment – while still providing 40-70% weight savings

Jack Gillespie, director of CCM

While transforming existing industries, TuFF could enable the development of new products, such as flying cars, said John Tierney, senior scientist at CCM. “For urban air mobility, you need aerospace performance at automotive rates, which is exactly what TuFF provides,” he said.

Researchers at CCM started working on TuFF in 2016 when they received a $14.9 million, three-year cooperative agreement from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the Tailorable Feedstock and Forming (TuFF) Program. The objective of the TuFF program was to develop new composite materials with properties equivalent to previously used materials and develop a single-step manufacturing process that enables the use of the advanced materials for small parts weighing less than 20 pounds at costs competitive with aluminium. The project also included CCM faculty alumni collaborators at Clemson, Drexel and Virginia Tech universities.

About four decades ago, scientists theorised that if they could align these short carbon fibres precisely, they could make composites with desirable properties, but no one achieved this feat in practice until now. It took a few years, but after trying several different alignment mechanisms, the team at CCM figured out how to bring everything in line. The process can now use any type of fibre (or combinations) with nearly all polymers (thermoplastics and thermosets).

The Composites Centre has established a semi-automated pilot plant incorporating new control systems and inline sensors for quality control. TuFF product forms range from 20-inch wide rolls, tailored blanks for forming parts and narrow and steerable tapes for additive manufacturing processes. The team has demonstrated the feasibility and scalability of novel technologies developed through this program and are looking to supply TuFF material to designated industry partners for evaluation, prototype development and scale-up.

Researchers are now conducting additional experiments, including modelling and simulation, to further understand the behaviour of TuFF so that they can tailor it for more applications.

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NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama will be the development and manufacturing headquarters for the new aerospace-grade hull which will be key to completing the Company’s latest Cyclops-class submersible.

NASA’s advanced composite manufacturing capability is ideally suited for the high precision and high-quality requirements of our latest hull design

OceanGate CEO & Founder, Stockton Rush

The company are hoping that this joint design agreement with NASA will further the development of its five-person submarine capable of reaching 19,700 feet. It’s hoped that the new submersible would be operational by 2021 and take on a series of dives to the wreck of the Titanic which lies at a depth of 12,500 feet in the North Atlantic.

Over the last few years, OceanGate has been developing its Titan submersible, made from a mixture of carbon fibre and titanium. The filament wound cylinder that forms the centre section of the pressure vessel is nearly 13 cm thick and made from over 800 layers of carbon fibre composites. The entire pressure vessel consists of two titanium hemispheres, two matching titanium interface rings, and the 142 cm internal diameter, 2.4 metres long carbon fibre wound cylinder, the largest such device ever built for use in a manned submersible.

In April 2019 OceanGate crew sets a world record with Titan as the first four-person dive to 12,300 feet.

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A significant focus has been devoted to producing thermoplastic and thermosetting systems with amalgamations of a range of mechanical and functional properties. These include; improved strength and stiffness, increased thermal and electrical conductivity, enhanced barrier properties, fire retardation and others. Progress has been made in identifying and developing the appropriate incorporation processing techniques capable of delivering these property enhancements. Indeed, in this area, a number of companies have already started/are close to launching graphene-enhanced thermoplastic and thermosetting materials to market. This is a promising area in the near term as the underlying processing technologies have reached the required level of maturity and there is little need for additional equipment for prospective manufacturers. This knowledge and the low capital expenditure requirements result in minimal barriers to entry.

The incorporation of graphene-related materials into conventional elastomeric compounds can significantly augment a number of their desirable properties. Traditionally in certain elastomer components, there was a need to trade off/compromise between the wear resistance and application-specific functionality. The addition of graphene has been shown to enhance the properties of the elastomer to the extent that the wear resistance and performance functionality can both be greatly improved. Additionally, the improvement of the materials’ electrical and thermal conductivity is beneficial for a number of their applications. Some graphene-enhanced elastomers are commercially available and have been processed into products. These include high-performance sports shoes, bicycle tyres, recycled mats and many others.

Inorganic composites including ceramics and metal matrix composites is another promising materials sector with significant potential to benefit from graphene and related materials. Academia has shown that a plethora of mechanical and functional benefits could be achieved in suitable inorganic composite systems. These benefits include; improved hardness, enhanced fracture toughness, increased strength and stiffness, superior wear resistance and conductivity. There are many applications for these nanocomposites in a range of industrial sectors. The incorporation and processing techniques for these materials have not yet reached the same level of maturity as the aforementioned systems. Considering the combination of ‘market pull’ and ‘academic push’ this area could also be very promising in the near future.

The challenges Graphene faces to become integrated with Composites

The term “composites” encompasses a vast range of different material technologies each of which has distinct processing procedures and production parameters. Each of these systems brings its own unique technical challenges to ensure appropriate 2D material incorporation. The following are some of the key technical and logistical challenges facing graphene and other 2D materials in the composite domain area.

In order to achieve the desired reinforcement, the nanomaterials must have the appropriate microstructure and interfacial properties to promote ideal bonding and stress transfer with the matrix. The challenge is identifying the right graphene material capable of providing the desired reinforcement for the specific system. Graphene materials available on the market can differ greatly in terms of their lateral size, aspect ratio, defect density and surface functional groups. Materials often require modification in order to alter the aspect ratio and lateral dimensions as well as functionalisation procedures to ensure that the appropriate chemical groups are available for effective matrix bonding. This is a significant challenge, there is no one solution that fits all, and therefore it is a challenge for material scientists to constantly iterate.

A validation service was launched by some members of the Graphene Flagship which could provide some independent authentication and assessment of different graphene material supplies, the consistency of supply and performance in the variety of relevant material systems.

Additionally, to attain the potential property enhancements, the incorporation process of the nanomaterials into the matrix system is often critical. Achieving a homogeneous dispersion and ideal orientation of the nanomaterial is a particular challenge for the relevant range of composite materials and is often affected by the interfacial interactions. Graphene’s reinforcement abilities are dependent on the number of layers and therefore in some systems, it can be beneficial to use high shear processing techniques to exfoliate and disperse the materials in situ. This opportunity is not available in other systems due to the phases and processing procedures deployed. It is often necessary to apply pre-processing treatments to the 2D materials prior to the dispersion to ensure they are in a state capable of achieving the enhancements.

If you have read this far, you are starting to understand the complexity of engineering these nanocomposite systems and the myriad of parameters involved. An additional challenge is solving the knowledge gap in the 2D materials space. As mentioned before, the composites sector spans a wide range of materials industries each of which will have unique opportunities, technical issues and novel solutions. A challenge for the composites sector is identifying the people and projects with the expertise to drive the nanocomposite field forward.

One of the unique selling points of graphene to the composites industry is that significant property enhancements can be achieved at low nanomaterial loadings, often in the range of 0.1-5 weight per cent. This is also beneficial as graphene is still a relatively expensive material and therefore the loadings must be low enough that a financial margin is present. Although the loading levels are low, some application areas such as the concrete industry, for example, use millions of tons of material annually. Even at low loadings of 0.1 weight per cent, in order to be applied at scale, manufacturers would need more than the current global graphene production capacity. A challenge for the industry is to ensure that the production capacity is in place and consistent enough for the scale-up of bulk composite materials applications.

Finally, but not exhaustively, certain composite manufacturers operate in highly regulated application areas. They may often face individual and unique challenges in introducing new nanomaterials into their existing products. This is a more nuanced issue; however, organizations and experts are often available in each field to guide companies to drive their products through the regulatory process and into the market.

The most promising Graphene Composite products currently on the market

Graphene enhanced composite products have been launched to market in a number of different application areas. Many of these products have been successful in gaining market share and providing application-specific enhancements relative to their conventional alternatives. The following are some of the promising graphene-enhanced composite products on the market in accordance with their application areas.

In the automotive sector, a number of products are now commercially available from a range of suppliers. Graphene enhanced polyurethane foams were produced by one supplier that is more thermally stable, reduce cabin noise (improved acoustic attenuation) and improved mechanical properties. This component has now been incorporated into over a million cars. One company already has graphene-enhanced carbon fibre pre-pregs available for purchase. A high-end sports car manufacturer has produced a track car with graphene-enhanced composite panels using these pre-preg material systems. The incorporation of graphene improves the strength and allows the manufacturer to greatly reduce the weight. This should simultaneously improve application performance and reduce fuel consumption/GHG emissions.

The high-end sporting equipment sector has also seen some disruptive graphene composite products launched into their market. A tyre manufacturer has produced graphene-enhanced elastomer bicycle tyres to enhance the performance and improve the wear resistance. One company has successfully launched a range of graphene-enhanced sports shoe products tailored for activities such as running and hiking. Another company was able to produce graphene-enhanced mats from 80% recycled rubber with the properties of the virgin material. A number of companies have launched graphene-enhanced sporting goods such as tennis rackets and fishing rods. They have capitalised on the enhanced strength and stiffness from the nanomaterial additives to reduce the weight of the components and improve the performance.

The built environment/construction sector is also starting to see products launched to the market and high profile in situ testing for certain systems. One company has produced a graphene-enhanced bitumen composite for longer enduring road surfaces. This has the potential to greatly improve road quality by reducing pothole incidence, which in turn should reduce maintenance costs and associated injuries. Graphene enhanced coatings for the protection of composite systems have been developed and launched to the market by a number of producers which could greatly reduce corrosion degradation. Graphene enhanced concrete products are not yet commercially available; however, this is a promising product due to the significant environmental and financial savings that could be achieved with nanomaterials.

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Made entirely of carbon fibre, the all-new design has been engineered and built to propel the Venom F5 to a top speed of over 310 mph.  The new F5 chassis is both strong and lightweight.  Torsional rigidity has been measured at 52,000-newton metres per degree (38,353 lb-ft torque per degree) and it weighs in at 86 kilograms.

Our all new carbon fiber chassis is an engineering marvel and to see it in person is like looking at a piece of artwork.  It’s like a piece of automotive jewelry that’s built to run 500+ km/h

Company founder and CEO, John Hennessey

Being mated to the new chassis is Hennessey Specialty Vehicles’ all-new bespoke 1,800+ hp engine called Fury. Based on classic American V8 architecture, the Hennessey Venom F5 engine produces 1817 horsepower and 1193 lb-ft of torque. It uses a combination of high-tech, lightweight engine components (crankshaft, pistons, connecting rods & custom engine block) that combine for 6.6L of displacement. Combined with a pair of Precision ball bearing twin turbochargers with 3D printed titanium compressor housings, the Venom F5 engine delivers over 1800 bhp at 8000 rpm!

Hennessey has contracted Delta Motorsports in the UK to design, engineer, and manufacture the Venom F5 which has previously produced all of the previous generation Venom GT cars for Hennessey at its facility in England.

The first three Venom F5’s are currently in production and testing will begin in Q2 2020. Starting prices for the Venom F5 begin $1.8 million with the company only producing a total of 24 examples, 12 for the American market and 12 for international markets. US allocations are close to being sold out. The Venom F5 will make its official debut at The Quail during Monterey car week in August of this year.

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Bureau Veritas measured total oxidation times of sub-15 and sub-20 minutes over two separate production campaigns of 24K standard modulus (SM) carbon fibre, achieving fibre tow properties in excess of 270 GPa tensile modulus and 3,500 MPa tensile strength.

The BV audit was conducted on Carbon Nexus’s 100 metric ton (nameplate) pilot line which is currently producing samples for trials with LeMond’s target customers in several SM industrial markets. In addition to accurately measuring oxidation times and assuring process traceability, BV oversaw the fibre sampling, packaging and shipping of audit samples for extensive testing at the BV laboratories in Pessac, France. Composite tow tests of the LeMond fibre were completed according to ASTM D 4018-17 standards.

This is a significant milestone for our company. Having our technology independently verified by BV validates the revolutionary nature of our technology. My team and I are excited to bring our high-performance low-cost carbon fibre to the global market and look forward to expanding into new markets where the current high cost of carbon fibre has been a significant barrier to adoption Greg LeMond, Founder and Chairman of the Board of LeMond Carbon

LeMond and Deakin University are teamed to commercialise this innovative technology which enables reductions of 75% and 70% in Capex and energy consumption per kilo of output respectively. The rapid oxidation process enables LeMond to produce carbon fibre with the lowest embodied energy of any standard PAN-based carbon fibre available today.

Having proven the capability to successfully produce a competitive standard modulus carbon fibre, LeMond has launched a new capital raise to develop a 5,400-metric ton (nameplate) production facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. To date, parent LeMond Companies LLC has raised approximately USD 18.6M of seed capital from individual and institutional investors, including Deakin University.

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The 6-month study aboard the International space station will evaluate the ability of Lamborghini’s carbon fibre materials to withstand temperature fluctuations, radiation exposure (including ultraviolet and linear energy transfer), vacuum and atomic oxygen exposure.

Environmental conditions at low-Earth orbit allow us to evaluate the properties and robustness of the carbon fibre materials under extreme conditions. This is a unique environment to learn more about their properties and characteristics, in the hope of one-day developing technologies and devices that could be used on Earth and in space. Alessandro Grattoni, Ph.D., Chair of the department of nano-medicine at Houston Methodist Research Institute

Grattoni heads the Centre for Space Nanomedicine at Houston Methodist Research Institute and began sending select research projects to the International space station in 2015. The centre’s focus is on nanotechnology-based therapeutics, biomedical devices for precision medicine, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. The Lamborghini project is the fourth of 10 experiments from Grattoni’s lab scheduled for the ISS over the next several years.

For the past 12 years, Grattoni’s work has focused on implantable nanochannel platforms to control the delivery of therapies for a variety of chronic medical needs, including HIV-prevention, muscle atrophy, obesity and cancer.

Grattoni is already collaborating with Lamborghini on another project to study the biocompatibility of the automaker’s proprietary carbon fibre composites for implantable devices. Understanding the durability of Lamborghini’s proprietary material in accelerated and extreme environmental conditions in space could help future research efforts for biomedical technologies beyond drug-delivery devices, such as in prostheses and in dental and orthopaedic implants.

Compared to conventional materials, Lamborghini’s carbon fibre composites could prove to be more durable at a fraction of the weight. If this study shows mechanical strength and robustness, I could see the possibility of additional applications within the aerospace industry.

Lamborghini’s Advanced Composite Lightweight Structures Department of Research & Development is the carmaker’s unit focused on the research and production of carbon fibre composite materials in their vehicles.

The ISS National Lab works in a cooperative agreement with NASA to launch research investigations to the orbiting laboratory that has the capacity to benefit life on Earth through space-based inquiry. Future Houston Methodist experiments scheduled for launch to the ISS include an implantable nanochannel drug-delivery device that will be remotely controlled on Earth, as well as a platform for the controlled delivery of therapeutics for osteoporosis prevention and treatment.

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This state-of-the-art, 39ft-long vessel named Victa is designed and manufactured by British company SubSea Craft in Havant and is set to be tested by British Special Forces in the Persian Gulf.

The craft is controlled by a two-man crew and can carry an additional six commandos all of them equipped with diving gear as the cockpit floods when the vessel dives underwater.

When underwater a pair of marine propulsion 20 kW electric thrusters provide forward propulsion at speed up to 8 knots. The craft will be “flown” whilst submerged, with roll and pitch control through forward and aft hydroplanes. 4 Copenhagen thrusters are mounted vertically for accurate slow speed depth control.

The craft is fully fly-by-wire, with an advanced control system developed in-house using the experience gained from previous America’s Cup and Princess Yachts projects. The control system manages the dive and surfacing and provides all propulsion controls. VICTA’s hull is constructed from carbon fibre and Diab core to yield an efficient strength to weight ratio design. The hull can withstand the wide range of surface and subsurface loads that are dictated by the mission profiles.

For decades, we’ve been waiting for a vessel to be developed which is effective on the surface of the water and below. The enemy won’t be able to see or hear us coming. Given the threat to British ships in the Strait of Hormuz, its arrival is very timely Royal navy source

With Hull construction completed the company have scheduled fit-out and dry trials running on through early 2020 before it moves into sea trials by mid-2020.

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The resin-infused advanced composite aircraft wing underpins the Airbus A220 and is the first certified commercial aircraft wing made using resin transfer infusion (RTI). The RTI process sees a complex structure created by placing the dry fabric into moulds before impregnating it with liquid resin, which then sets into shape under heat and pressure. While other processes involve pre-impregnated carbon fibre requiring intensive refrigeration before manufacture, the RTI process uses less energy, fewer parts and results in a lighter wing. Compared to a conventional metal wing, Bombardier’s carbon composite wing is approximately 10% lighter helping to reduce fuel burn in flight, with an accompanying reduction of CO2 and NOx emissions.

The £520 million investment in Bombardier’s aircraft wing programme is the largest ever single inward investment in Northern Ireland and around 200 suppliers across the UK are directly involved with the programme alongside many others throughout the supply chain.

Bombardier was chosen from a shortlist of four finalists that included Darktrace, M Squared and OrganOx. Founded in 1969, the MacRobert Award is overseen by the Royal Academy of Engineering and is the UK’s longest-running engineering prize.

The Award honours the winning organisation with a gold medal and the team members with a cash prize of £50,000. It recognises engineering teams that demonstrate outstanding innovation, tangible societal benefit and proven commercial success within the UK engineering sector.

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