The design and development of novel component architectures incorporating aluminium matrix composite materials, utilising new CAE methodologies.

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Composite Metal Technology, together with the National Composites Centre and two industrial partners, YASA Motors and GE Aviation, are collaborating on a TSB-funded project to accelerate the take-up of advanced materials. Aluminium matrix composites (AMCs), when used as inserts within aluminium castings, can produce components of low weight and inertia, reduced package size and exceptional mechanical properties. However the lack of a comprehensive, validated set of computer design and analysis tools currently limits applications to simple component designs. This project will develop a new set of computer tools, enabling the industrial partners to design and manufacture complex AMC-reinforced components incorporating novel material architectures, without the need to resort to a ’make and test’ approach which results in unacceptably long product development timespans. The project will produce a step change in the number and variety of components that can benefit from the weight reduction opportunities afforded by these materials by providing industry with the tools to produce accurate predictions of component performance and optimised designs.