G8 Initiative: Material Efficiency: A First Step Toward Sustainable Manufacturing of Composite Materials

这项NSF奖授予南加州大学，资助美国研究人员参加由八国集团研究理事会倡议的“材料效率跨学科项目——迈向可持续制造的第一步”的竞争性项目。这是美国国家科学基金会、加拿大国家科学与工程研究委员会（NSERC）、法国国家研究局（ANR）、德国德国科学促进会（DFG）、日本科学促进会（JSPS）、俄罗斯基础研究基金会（RFBR）和英国研究委员会（RCUK）之间的试点合作。支持在竞争基础上选出的由至少三个伙伴国家的研究人员组成的合作研究项目。航空航天结构的复合材料部件目前使用高压灭菌器制造，这是一种大型加热压力容器，用于固化由部分浸渍聚合物薄膜（称为预浸料）的纤维层组成的层压板。高压灭菌器在生产具有高纤维负载和低缺陷含量的高性能层压板方面非常有效，但它们消耗大量的能量和氮气。最近推出了一种新的真空袋（VBO）预浸料，以消除制造过程中对高压灭菌器的需要。南加州大学（USC）和麦吉尔大学（McGill University）复合材料中心的工作已经开始对VBO预浸料加工的固有过程有了基本的了解，这表明了这种新型材料的广泛用途。虽然这些发展在扩大复合材料和VBO预浸料的使用方面具有巨大的潜力，但要实现广泛接受和使用，必须解决关键的技术挑战。这个与美国、加拿大、德国和英国合作的跨学科项目侧重于(1)发展对制造工艺参数对VBO预浸料生产的复合材料缺陷影响的基本理解，(2)通过减少复合材料零件自动化制造中的材料浪费来提高材料效率，(3)通过模拟和验证VBO复合材料性能来加速VBO材料技术的应用。(4)通过推进回收技术以及开发和展示节能智能工具概念来提高可持续性。这些目标需要结合过程模拟，自动化制造，材料鉴定和验收以及基础聚合物科学和技术方面的专业知识的方法。拟议的工作将利用八国集团四个国家的主要学术合成中心的研究人员的专业知识。项目人员将接受有关设计、制造和再利用下一代复合材料的最先进工具的培训。博士后研究人员、研究生和本科生将参与完成这项工作。该项目将涉及参与的学生和早期职业研究人员，通过国际合作协调努力，解决具有全球重要性的科学问题。

This NSF award to the University of Southern California funds U.S. researchers participating in a project competitively selected by the G8 Research Councils Initiative "Interdisciplinary Program on Material Efficiency - A first step towards sustainable manufacturing". This is a pilot collaboration among the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Canadian National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), the German Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR),and the United Kingdom Research Councils (RCUK), supporting collaborative research projects selected on a competitive basis that are comprised of researchers from at least three of the partner countries. Composite parts for aerospace structures are presently manufactured using autoclaves, large heated pressure vessels used to cure laminates consisting of fiber layers partly impregnated with polymer films, called prepregs. Autoclaves are highly effective in producing high-performance laminates with high fiber loadings and low defect content, but they consume large amounts of energy and nitrogen gas. A new class of vacuum bag only (VBO) prepregs was recently introduced to eliminate the need for autoclaves during manufacture. Work at the composite centers at the University of Southern California (USC) and McGill University has begun to develop fundamental understanding of processes inherent to VBO prepreg processing, suggesting the broad utility of this new class of materials. While these developments have great potential for expanding the use of composite materials and VBO prepregs in particular, key technical challenges must be addressed to realize widespread acceptance and use. This interdisciplinary project with the United States, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom focuses on (1) developing fundamental understanding of the effects of manufacturing process parameters on defects in composites produced with VBO prepregs, (2) improving material efficiency by reducing material waste in the automated manufacture of composite parts, (3) accelerating insertion of VBO materials technology through simulation and validation of VBO composite performance, and (4) improving sustainability by advancing recycling technology and developing and demonstrating energy-efficient smart tooling concepts. These objectives require an approach that combines expertise in process simulation, automated manufacturing, materials qualification and acceptance, and fundamental polymer science and technology. The proposed work will leverage the expertise of researchers at major academic composite centers in four G8 countries. Project personnel will be trained in state-of-the art tools for design, manufacture and re-use of next-generation composites. Postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and undergraduate students will be involved in the completion of this work. The project will involve participating students and early-career researchers in a coordinated effort to address scientific issues of global importance through international collaboration.