Sustainability Integration in Engineering Practice: A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment Study for the Case Study of a Wing Rib

Having seen exponential growth in demand for air travel, the aviation industry has found itself trying to find a balance between economic growth, technological development, and environmental sustainability. This saw a shift in attention towards materials such as fiber reinforced composites, predominantly thermoset in the past with higher...

Predicting Impact Damage for Carbon Composite Propeller Certification: Using ASTM D7136 and quasi-static testing to predict component impact damage.

During this research, a new approach to predict impact damage was evaluated using the PAL-V Liberty’s propeller blade as the test subject. The purpose of this research was to provide a simple method for impact damage prediction which will support the certification activities of the PAL-V propeller.<br/>This method involves conducting a threat...

Carbon Fiber Tow Spreading: Experimental Machine Design, Friction Behaviour, and Novel Monitoring Concepts

This master’s thesis focuses on the design and assembly of an innovative tow spreading line for investigating carbon fiber tow spreading through the utilization of spreader bars. The primary objective was to examine the friction behavior during the spreading process by employing multiple tension sensors. Additionally, novel monitoring concepts...

Joining techniques for internal bonding of components into carbon fibre-reinforced polymer structures with limited access

Hall spars, a leading innovator in the composite mast-building industry with a long history of successful projects, provided a challenge which is the inspiration of this thesis. This thesis aims to contribute to the challenge: Joining techniques for the internal bonding of carbon fibre-reinforced polymer components into carbon fibre-reinforced...

Deconsolidation of thermoplastic prepreg tapes during the heating phase of LAFP: An experimental investigation into the effect of a resin-rich surface and tape pre-tension

Laser-assisted automated fiber placement (LAFP) is a promising additive manufacturing technique for the production of large aerospace components. Thermoplastic prepreg tapes will be placed ply-by-ply on top of a mould and in-situ consolidated. This is beneficial for higher production rates. The mechanical performance of thermoplastic composite...

Effect of Rapid Laser Deconsolidation on Intimate Contact Development

L-AFP is able to place composite tapes in very precise directions, thereby allowing tailored stiffness designs. The laser is used to heat the thermoplastic matrix material to temperatures above its melting point. CF/PEEK is a popular choice for aerospace grade structures due to the high structural performance and high glass transition and...

Induction welding of high performance thermoplastic composites: Focused heat generation in weld zones of carbon fiber laminates by magnetic field manipulation and carbon fiber susceptors

Mass reduction is one of the main drivers for aircraft design. A big potential for saving mass can be found in part joining. Currently, most parts are joined by mechanical fastening. However, mechanical fastening requires labor intensive work and results in a weight increase especially for composite parts that, due to the mass saving they allow,...

Fiber optimization of a carbon windsurfing boom: FEM fiber optimization for mass and stiffness

The goal of this research is to optimize the fiber layup of a carbon windsurfing boom for weight and stiffness. A windsurfing boom should be stiff to provide an efficient basis for the energy transfer from the sail through the surfer to the board. The weight of the boom is important as the total weight of the rig influences the performance,...

Float, the next generation hydrofoil

This project focusses on the creation of a hydrofoil specifically for the windsurfing market. The assigment was created for PWsurfsport. PWsurfsport is a windsurfing company based in Leiden. The company has two subsidiary companies called Tribal and KA. Sails. Tribal produces windsurfing fins and KA produces windsurf sails. Tribal wanted to add...

Composite Cylindrical Shell Buckling: Simulation & Experimental Correlation

Guidelines dating back 50 years, NASA SP-8007, are employed today in the design of thin-walled launch vehicle structures. Due to advances in materials, structural designs, and manufacturing techniques since the publication of SP-8007, the development of new knockdown factors for contemporary launch vehicle structures is an ongoing subject of...

Positive vibe[r]s for Parkstad: Strategies for implementing, processing and producing Miscanthus x Giganteus

This paper gives an insight in strategies for implementing, processing and producing Miscanthus x Giganteus, or Elephant grass as it is mistakenly called, on a mid-large scale in the Parkstad Region. The area is rooted in agriculture because of fertile löss soil. There have always been a tight bond between the villages and surrounding land. This...

Open-Mold Polyurethane Injection Bonding Process for Modular Exterior Automotive Parts: Experimental Verification of a Subframe for a Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic Roof with Class-A Surface Finish

The development and production of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) exterior parts with Class-A surface finish in the automotive industry comes with challenges. Next to the structural design of the components, the surface quality as well as the joining technique to the body-in-white and the Mercedes-AMG specific factory integration into the...

Effects of Thermal Degradation on Carbon Reinforced PEEK Composites

The application of fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites in aerospace industry has increased drastically in the last decade. Carbon fibre/Polyether-ether-ketone (C/PEEK) is one of the high-performance thermoplastic composites and is replacing metallic and thermosetting counterparts in various aircrafts components. Parts made from such...

Carbon Valley

This project will house the next generation of technology and startups. The design will reflect what is held on the inside through a computational design strategy progressing nonstandard architecture. The site will first be analyzed in terms of people flow, (where people come from, where they are most likely to go, where they are most likely to...

3D Printed Unidirectional Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymers for aerospace applications

In order to save weight and reduce the impact on the environment, the aerospace industry keeps searching for strong and lightweight materials to reduce fuel consumption. A relatively new manufacturing technique made it possible to print nylon, reinforced with continuous unidirectional carbon fibres on a layer-by-layer basis and praised itself...

Digital manufacturing of reinforcement in a free-form concrete structure: Digital manufacturing of freeform concrete

This research paper is a TU Delft Master’s thesis for graduation track in the field of Building Technology. Its main theme, digital manufacturing of reinforced concrete structures, has already been studied/researched by many other enthusiasts; but they adopted approaches mainly based on the digital production of formworks or 3D printing of...

Innovative material solutions for economical composite bridges with large spans and constrained slenderness

FiberCore Europe is a Dutch company, specialized in the design and manufacturing of composite, load-bearing structures for architecture and infrastructure. The company’s main focus is on bridges and lock gates made from glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP). The price for currently produced GFRP bridges longer than approximately 26 meter is...