Sustainable innovation for transportation: new frontiers per materials and processes.

CETMA contribution

Advanced Materials International Forum

Bari 2014 september 18

Luigi Barone – CETMA General Manager

CETMA is a RTO, Research an Technology Organization. It is a non-profit organization and all its profits are reinvested in R&D.

CETMA was founded in 1994 by ENEA with the aim of developing the Innovation System of Southern Italy

85 employees:Researcher, engineers, designers & innovation managers

SKILLS•Materials and Structures engineering•Computer science and engineering•Industrial design

One of 50 (out 5100) research organizations with more than 50 employees in Italy

One of the biggest research center not linked to a Great Enterprise

One of 50 (out 5100) research organizations with more than 50 employees in Italy

One of the biggest research center not linked to a Great Enterprise

CETMA is located in the area of “Cittadella della Ricerca” close to Brindisi.

Laboratories and offices take up about 5.000 sq.mt

A well equipped laboratory of advanced materials tecnologies

One of the biggest Virtual Reality Center in Europe

A prototyping laboratory

Knowledge and skills acquiredfrom our independent research projects are transferred to our customers by means high qualification services

Profits coming from services are totally re-invested to co-fund research projects

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CETMA Research activities are compliant with main trends of new productions

Reducing ecological impact

Reduction of energy consumption

More and more «smart» products

Products increasingly interconnected

The role of materials

Reducing ecological impact•Recycling•Recycled materials utilizing•Bio-based materials

Reduction of energy consumption•Materials for more efficient power generation•Materials for lighter transportations

More and more «smart» products•Multifunctional materials•Processes to integrate electronic component and materials

Products increasingly interconnected•Processes to integrate tag and trasponder

CETMA IS VERY INVOLVED IN ALL THESE ACTIVITIES

Materials for Lighter Transportation

10% weight reduction → 7% fuel consumption

Target for passenger car weight reduction

Materials for weight reduction

CETMA is working since 15 years about Composites in order to exploit their potential

CETMA is working since 15 years about Composites in order to exploit their potential

Gaps to overcome for a fully exploitation of composites

1. Raw materials cost

2. Lack of knowledge about materials behavior and predictive methods

3. Cost-effective Manufacturing processes

4. Joining techniques

5. Lack of knowledge about defect detection

6. Recycling

Raw materials cost

All over the world there are initiatives in order to improve production processes of carbon fiber and there are setting up joint ventures to increase the production.

Fibre recuperate con processo batch Fibre recuperate con processo continuo

Fig. 4: Materiale recuperato

Fibre recuperate con il processo ENEA Materiale vergine

Fig. 5: Micrografia SEM del materiale recuperato in confronto al materiale vergine

Another way: recovered fibers

ENEA, Karborek and CETMA are setting-up a partnership to exploit recovered carbon fiber

Knowledge about composite behavior and predictive methods

• Composite materials are a product of human ingenuity and not a natural product.

• Their behavior can not be represented with few parameters. In addition, the behavior is strongly influenced by the processes of production

• A correct approach of design and engineering of composite parts is multidisciplinary

Typical design approach for composite materials

The integration of experimental characterization and numerical tools is essential to fully exploit the potential of composites

Cost-effective Manufacturing processes

Out of autoclave technologies

Advanced liquid moulding technologies

Induction welding

Compression moulding of thermoplastic composites

Vacuum bag of out of autoclave prepregs

Sheet moulding compound

Bladder Moulding

Other processes

Investigated Processes-1

Investigated Processes-2

Investigated Processes-3

Sheet and Bulk Molding

Bladder Molding

Joining techniques

One of the limitations of thermoplastic composites is impossible to obtain complex shapes as for the autoclave. For these reasons it is of fundamental importance the definition of new systems of junction with high performance. CETMA has developed along with Sinergo a new machine for induction welding of thermoplastics. In this technique an electromagnetic field at high frequency is used to weld the thermoplastic component by the Joule effect.

Nuova saldatrice ad induzione realizzata al CETMA

Principio fisico dell’induction welding

CETMA is one of the few research centers in the world capable of performing continuous induction welding of thermoplastic composites, even on complex geometries

Outstanding values of single lap shear strength were found for carbon-PEEK, carbon PEI and carbon PPS joinings

Composite Defect detectionInfraRed Thermography is a non - contact and non - destructive method, which provides rapid visual information about the structural integrity of a component

Impact Fault

Honeycomb

CFRP

Delamination

Hybrid GFRP sample with SMA

Void/detachment

CFRP

RecyclingA gap to overcome for an enhanced utilization of composites concerning recycling issue.

A present trend aims to use more and more thermoplastics composites

However some other solutions concerning utilization of composite waste for other sector (i.e. building)

CETMA carries out activities on recycling processes, technologies and new applications of recycled materials

Bio-based Composites

Development of new bio-based composites is a response to the growing demand for so-called environmentally friendly materials.

Bio-based composites can have matrix and/or fiber coming from renewable resources.

There is an increasing use of bio-based composites in non-structural part in the automotive

However, recent developments have shown that some physical-mechanical properties of biocomposites are comparable with lower performance composites properties (Glass FRP).

Typical Natural fiber•Flax •Cellulose•Jute•Hemp•Coconut •Bamboo

Example of Natural Resin•Pine oil•Castor oil•Soybean oil

Some applications in Mercedes

Biobased composites: some CETMA case studies

Smart materials

Cetma is working on processes to integrate Bragg fiber into composite materials in order to detect continously structural health

Conclusions• Composite materials can contribute to make transportation more

sustainable

• Fully exploitation of potential and advantages of composites

• The full exploitation of the potential benefits of composite materials requires an approach consisting of multidisciplinary and integrated competencies

• In Apulia, Cetma has created a center of expertise capable of addressing all the issues of product development in composite materials. These skills are further enhanced by the network in which this center operates as a connection link.

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