Composite materials change through collaboration
The CEMCAST project funded through the FP7 Research Potential programme, aimed to unlock the full potential of Lublin University of Technology's Centre for Modern Composite Materials (CMCM). Thanks to support received under the FP6, CMCM had become one of the leading research institutes in central-eastern Europe in the field of composite materials. The three-year CEMCAST project set out to further enhance CMCM's capacity to participate in research activities aiming to advance composite materials technology. For this purpose, the research equipment for testing composite materials was upgraded. The upgrade included an extension of the existing digital image correlation system Aramis for measuring displacement under different loading and an infrared camera for inspecting materials for cracks and other defects. A new stress screening system for monitoring the behaviour of composite materials subjected to thermal loading has also been obtained. In addition, a temperature shock chamber will enable CMCM researchers to determine the influence of temperature changes on composite materials. A newly developed corrosion chamber will be used for testing layered materials used in aircraft and ship parts which are affected by environmental conditions. Alongside CMCM, 11 universities from 8 different countries were invited to closely collaborate and secure Europe's leading position in the next advances in composite materials technology. The aim of twinning partnerships was to gather people working on the newest modelling methods to elucidate the rich variety of features seen in composite materials' response. Newly formulated theoretical concepts were then transferred to real world applications in aerospace and surface transport. A vital component of the CEMCAST project was also the organisation of CMCM staff visits to partner institutes, the recruitment of top foreign researchers and the participation in international conferences. Through these initiatives, the CMCM's visibility at global scale was raised so that it could be better integrated in the European Research Area (ERA).
Keywords
Composite materials, transport sector, research, twinning partnerships, infrared camera, European Research Area
