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The vulnerability of both military and civilian infrastructure to the threat of terrorist activity has highlighted the need to improve its survivability, and this poses a significant design challenge to engineers. Research work at Imperial has led to the development of novel constitutive relationships for polymeric materials coupled to novel analysis procedures; software algorithms for effective simulations of blast and impact events; and enhanced experimental testing methods allowing a fundamental understanding of the structures. According to Dstl, this body of research has `unquestionably improved the security and effectiveness of the UK armed forces operating in hostile environments abroad as well as the safety of citizens using metropolitan infrastructure within the UK'. The techniques have been applied to vehicles and UK infrastructure, including for high profile events, such as the 2012 Olympics.
The Computational Mechanics and Reliability Group at the University of Greenwich has been developing design and materials modelling expertise and tools for electronic manufacturing and reliability since the late 1990s. This case study details economic and environmental impacts and impacts on practitioners. In particular it shows how our expertise has:
Heat capacity is the measurable physical quantity that specifies the amount of heat required to change the temperature of an object or body by a given amount and is an important quantity to establish in any application that requires knowledge of the thermal response of a material. It is quite usual in the development of new materials that the volume of material available in single crystalline form is limited, and the ability to measure small samples sensitively has particular importance for this reason. We claim a dominant influence on the design of an ultrasensitive heat capacity microcalorimeter that is now sold by the UK company Cryogenic Ltd as a heat capacity option for their cryogenic measurement systems. The microcalorimeter makes it possible to measure ultra-small samples, particularly magnetic samples that are invisible to other commercial probes. Research was carried out within Imperial's Physics Department in 2003-04 to develop the instrumentation; the design was published in 2005 after which it transferred to UK company Cryogenic Ltd. In the past three years the approximate total sales of the heat capacity option at Cryogenics amount to £500K, as a valuable component of a physical properties measurement system with a total sale value in the region of £2M [section 5, source E].
Fluid modelling approaches devised by the Materials and Engineering Research Institute's (MERI's) materials and fluid flow modelling group have impacted on industrial partners, research professionals and outreach recipients. This case study focuses on economic impacts arising from improved understanding which this modelling work has given of commercial products and processes. These include: metal particulate decontamination methods developed by the UK small company Fluid Maintenance Solutions; liquid crystal devices (LCDs) manufactured by the UK SME ZBD Displays; and an ink-droplet dispenser module originally invented at the multinational Kodak. Additionally, the modelling group's computer simulation algorithms have been adopted by industrial research professionals and made available via STFC Daresbury's internationally distributed software package DL_MESO. Finally, the group has developed, presented and disseminated simulation-based materials and visualisations at major public understanding of science (PUS) events.
The investigators of this impact case study have utilised their expertise in materials engineering, theoretical/numerical modelling and product development to achieve significant economic, social and environmental impacts in a range of fields through developing a systematic methodology for innovative product design and optimisation. Through several industrial projects and collaborations, significant impacts have been witnessed including new products creating several million pounds in revenue annually for businesses in different sectors and green manufacturing technologies in repair and reclamation of components. All the described impacts were results of investigation in the Mechanical Engineering and Materials Research Centre (MEMARC) over the assessment period.
The techniques developed by the Warwick Ultrasonics Group focus on non-destructive testing (NDT) and address particular industrial needs as specified by industrial funders. These partners have included over 40 companies in the REF Impact period, ranging from SMEs to large multi- nationals operating in a range of sectors such as the heavy manufacturing, nuclear energy, food, petrochemical, transport, aerospace, power generation, equipment manufacturing and service industries. In particular, our spin-out company, Sonemat, has commercialised high-performance electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) developed by the research group, which has led to economic benefits for NDT equipment suppliers and their end users. Further industrial impact has arisen from novel NDT methodologies established by the Group.
XeraCarb Ltd is a spin-out company formed in 2011 to exploit a class of ceramic composite materials co-invented by Jones. These materials were first devised in 2008 via a Materials and Engineering Research Institute (MERI) Knowledge Transfer activity and developed from 2009 onwards through a series of UK Ministry of Defence (UK MoD)-funded research projects. XeraCarb was spun out after the underpinning research won a national award in 2011 as the most promising UK materials system for commercialisation. The applications for XeraCarb's materials range from body- and vehicle-armour to kiln furniture and wear-resistant components. The company has attracted significant venture capital investment and is valued at over £1m. It has set up an independent production facility, has appointed employees, has been awarded a TSB grant, has materials undergoing trials in respect of a number of applications, and has delivered its first orders.
Ulster research groups in the fields of composites and metal forming have had a long-term and fruitful engagement with major industries such as Caterpillar (FG Wilson), Rolls Royce and Bombardier. Since 2008 this has resulted in new patented technologies, significant cost/performance improvement in manufacturing, the delivery of on-site industrial training, the formation of spin-out companies and the establishment of the £6m N. Ireland Advanced Composites and Engineering Centre with currently 10 member companies. In particular, Ulster research has been at the heart of patented Bombardier processes which underpinned their strategic entry into the commercial narrow body aircraft market which is worth $43billion per annum globally. The C Series wing programme, which utilises composites, employs 800 people directly in Belfast at full production, with a further 2,000 employed in the supply chain. As of today, Bombardier has global orders and commitments for 388 C Series aircraft, which include firm orders for 177 of the new airliner.
In 2012, it is estimated the $145bn was invested in solar photovoltaic technology. Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSC) are expected to play an increasing role in renewable energy generation over the next decade and beyond, but several practical issues need to be overcome to facilitate large-scale economic production. Fundamental research at Bangor has laid the ground for collaborative work with industry which has overcome several of the key production constraints in their manufacture, increasing production speed and efficiency and substantially reducing costs. As a result, we have developed a Technology Roadmap with a major multinational partner (TATA) which has led to significant investment in plant and to the production of pilot products in the form of photovoltaic roofs, currently undergoing outdoor testing.
Publically and industrially funded research at Loughborough University into the simulation, monitoring and control of electronics soldering has had significant impact in the development of new software and hardware technologies, which have delivered substantial commercial and economic benefits, with examples cited for at least two leading companies. One key commercial product is a modelling tool that optimizes reflow oven settings quickly, easily and accurately. It optimises oven settings each time a new product or solder paste is introduced, reducing set up times and scrap levels. More than 700 systems per year continue to be sold, with 90% exported.