BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering with Composites
This fully accredited, and well respected, programme of study allows students to develop a firm foundation in the principles of Mechanical Engineering in a Composite Materials context. Our graduates have found employment in a diverse range of industries. That diversity is mirrored in the range of dissertation projects our students conduct, examples of which you will find here.
The projects currently being displayed are from our current academic year. To view other years
please select below.
Dawid Wroblewski
Environmental Analysis of Hemp Cultivation & Fibre Processing as Reinforcement in Polymer Matrix Composites
This investigation aimed to assess the sustainability of
bio-based composite reinforcement compared to conventional reinforcement, namely
E-glass. Cultivation of industrial hemp was selected as the subject of the
study, as it requires minimal input of agricultural chemicals and irrigation,
compared to other bast fibres used for this purpose when cultivated in the UK.
Three scenarios of cultivation and fibre extraction methods
were designed to distinguish the most sustainable approach. These were scenario
1: No-till & Warm-water retting, scenario 2: Mouldboard-ploughing &
Dew-retting, and scenario 3: Chisel-ploughing & Bio-retting. The
collaborating partner who proposed the project provided data for scenario 2 as
this reflected their procedures, scenarios 1&3 used data identified in
literature.
A quantitative life cycle assessment was conducted with a
scope of 'cradle-to-gate', assessing input resources from the preparation of
soil through to fibre extraction and subsequent processing to produce one tonne
of yarn, ready for incorporation into composite materials in the form of filament
tows or further processing into weaved-textile fabrics.
The output emissions generated throughout each phase of
cultivation & production were assessed using seven of the eight
environmental impact classification factors, as defined by Adiza Azapagic, to
quantify the environmental burdens imposed by hemp cultivation.
The embodied energy within the final product and resultant impacts
produced were compared against data acquired through analytical software
(Granta Edupack -EcoAudit), to identify correlations or discrepancies in the independent
analysis, in addition to the results produced for E-glass manufacture as
reported by Owens Corning (2021).
The most sustainable cultivation method for production of
industrial hemp was identified as conservation tillage (No-till) combined with Dew-retting.
Although the embodied energy for each scenario was greater than typically found
in glass fibre manufacture, the environmental impact of glass fibre was
substantially greater. Hence, Hemp fibre is a feasibly sustainable substitute
in composite materials.
This investigation aimed to assess the sustainability of
bio-based composite reinforcement compared...
Ethan Tucker
The Effect of Infusion Media on the Mechanical Properties of Natural Fibre Reinforced Composites.
This project looked at the differences in infusion
configurations and how these differences effected the performance and aesthetics
of a cured laminate.
Modern manufacturing techniques for composite structures require
large amounts of plastic and non-renewable materials. With the modern push to
be more sustainable and use more renewable and bio-based materials, emphasis
has been placed into research using less of these plastic and fossil based
materials in manufacturing. This project explored the feasibility in terms of
mechanical performance of removing plastics from the manufacturing process of a
flax & bio-epoxy composite. Identical laminates, other than manufacturing
strategy with varying plastics, were manufactured and tested to ascertain any
performance differences.
The configuration with
the most plastic (Resin Infusion under Flexible Tooling with a distribution media,
RIFT2) produced a higher performing laminate in terms of strength and
stiffness. Also, it experienced a faster infusion time compared to the
configuration with reduced plastics (Resin Infusion under Flexible Tooling, no
flow media or peel ply, RIFT1). This reduced plastics configuration was not
drastically underperforming and resulted in a different surface finish that
could be conducive to certain applications.
Testing concluded with the view of, if ultimate performance and
further processing is a key consideration, then RIFT2 is the best course.
However, if ultimate performance is not necessary, and the aesthetics of the
reflective surface are of benefit, then there is little downsides to using the
RIFT1 technique and reducing the plastics in production.
This project looked at the differences in infusion
configurations and how these differences effecte...
