NSERC/Bell Helicopter Textron Industrial Research Chair in Automated Composites Manufacturing

为了保持竞争力，加拿大航空航天业需要降低制造成本，同时增加产品的耐用性和能源效率。在这方面，近年来工业界特别重视碳纤维复合材料。这些材料虽然满足了所有的结构考虑，从而提高了耐用性和减轻了重量，但传统上在制造成本方面没有竞争力.最近新的自动化制造工艺，如自动纤维铺放（AFP）已显示出显着的承诺，在复合材料制造成本降低和much研究已进行了广泛的应用，以最近的主要平台，如波音787梦想飞机。虽然AFP热固基体材料的加工提供了显着的制造成本降低，仍然有进一步的收益，以实现该加工扩展到热塑性基体材料。在这里，可以将材料直接固化到工具面上，而不需要高压釜后处理，这与其他专业热塑性加工（如热冲压和热成型）相结合，有望显着进一步降低成本。因此，该工业研究主席（IRC）的总体目标是开发新的科学和技术知识，如何与主要航空航天结构的ACM相关，特别关注热塑性基体材料。自动化是基于机器人系统有利于新兴的网络物理系统的发展，在飞机工业和“未来工厂”的复合材料主要结构制造。在这个项目中就业的研究生将在康考迪亚和贝尔直升机德事隆加拿大有限公司的设施提供特殊水平的经验，这样，他们就可以进入劳动力市场，掌握利用发达技术和衍生工具所需的技能，以加强加拿大航空航天工业在全球市场上的地位。

In order to remain competitive, there is a need for the Canadian aerospace industry to reduce its manufacturingcosts, whilst adding durability and energy efficiency to its products. In this regard the industry has in recentyears placed particular emphasis on carbon fiber composites. These materials whilst satisfying all structuralconsiderations resulting in enhanced durability and reduced weight have traditionally however not competedwell in terms of manufacturing costs. Recently new automated manufacturing processes such as AutomatedFiber Placement (AFP) have shown significant promise in composite manufacturing cost reduction and muchresearch has been carried out resulting in extensive application to recent major platforms such as the Boeing787 Dreamliner. Though AFP processing of thermoset matrix materials has provided significant manufacturingcost reduction, there remain further gains to be achieved should the processing be extended to thermoplasticmatrix materials. Here it is possible to consolidate material directly on to the tool face with no requirement forautoclave post processing and this combined with other specialist thermoplastic processing such asthermo-stamping and thermo-forming promises significant further cost reductions.The overall objective of thisIndustrial Research Chair (IRC) is therefore to develop novel scientific and technical know-how relating to theACM of primary aerospace structures with a special focus on thermoplastic matrix materials. The automationis based on robotic systems conducive with the emerging cyber physical system developments in the aircraftindustry and "Factory of the Future" composite primary structure manufacture. Graduate students employed inthis program will be provided with an exceptional level of experience at the facilities of both Concordia andBell Helicopter Textron Canada Ltd., so that they may enter the workforce with the skills required to exploitthe developed technologies and derived tools to strengthen the position of the Canadian aerospace industry inthe global market place.