Circularity of existing aluminium unitised curtain wall facades: Unlocking Value from Waste

The circular potential of existing aluminium curtain wall facades is investigated in this study. The focus is primarily on reuse, refurbishment and re-manufacturing, aiming to raise the value of materials that have not yet reached the end of their service life. The increasing concern about resource depletion, damage to the ecosphere and the need...

Hypervelocity Impact Simulation using Smoothed-Particle Hydrodynamics

The issue of space debris in Low Earth Orbit is a growing concern that requires comprehensive solutions. This includes preventing further pollution, removing existing debris, and designing resilient spacecraft that can withstand impacts. This thesis focuses on the improvement of spacecraft shielding structures to provide effective protection...

Bi-Directional Tuning of Josephson Junction Resistance

One of the main components used in superconducting quantum chips is the Josephson junction. Currently when fabricating Josephson junctions, the resistance uniformity at wafer-scale is not optimal. It is also known that an annealing process can alter the junction resistance and with it the qubit frequency. However, laser annealing has only shown...

Performance and mechanistic understanding of sodium galactarate as a green corrosion inhibitor and adhesion promoter for aluminium alloys

Pretreatment has become a necessary process to enhance the surface chemistry and morphology of aluminium alloys before implementing subsequent corrosion protection measures, especially organic coating application. Traditionally, hexavalent-chromium-based pretreatment processes were frequently used in many industries, but hexavalent-chromium...

Impact of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism: An economic and geopolitical assessment of the German-Chinese aluminium trade flows

As part of the EU Green Deal, the European Commission (EC) has announced a new renewable energy policy instrument that is to be installed in addition to the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) of the EU: the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). CBAM obligates companies, from non-EU countries who want to import products from the selected CBAM...

Passive scrap singulation for demand-driven sorting

Aluminium is a vital component of the world's economy, thanks to its versatile applications. However, the environmental impacts of primary production result in a growing desire and societal pressure to develop more efficient recycling techniques. Secondary aluminium is produced at 5% of the energy consumption used to produce primary aluminium....

Investigation of novel Cr6+-free anodising pre-treatments for enhanced corrosion protection of aluminium alloy 2024-T3

Hexavalent chromium has been the industry standard for corrosion protection for many years. Its unsurpassed active corrosion inhibiting capabilities, its incredible versatility and its economic benefits made it a popular all-rounder. Nowadays the widely known toxic and carcinogenic nature have restricted its use within the European Union. More...

Ultrasonic Plastic Welding of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polyamide 6 to Aluminium and Steel

An experimental study has been performed to examine the application of displacement controlled Ultrasonic Plastic Welding (UPW) in the creation of joints between aluminium or steel and carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 6 (CFR-PA6). This is known as a fast welding technique in which in the order of seconds a joint can be created by means of...