The National Composites Centre (NCC), based at the University of Bristol in the UK, has been awarded £1 million grant by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
The funds have been used to install a new autoclave and CT scanner.
The Nikon XTH320 CT scanner uses x-rays to assess internal structures, and is capable of analysing large samples of up to 0.6m x 0.6m and 100kg, with a spot size of 10-40 microns. The ASC autoclave has been designed to be highly instrumented, integrated with a suite of sensing technologies, allowing NCC members, customers and researchers to undertake detailed in-process monitoring.
‘Placing this new equipment at the NCC’s state-of-the-art facilities will not only allow us to undertake world-class research in composites manufacture, but also facilitate the widest possible use of the equipment, by universities, NCC’s members and SMEs,’ said Professor Kevin Potter, NCC chair in composites manufacturing.
This story is reprinted from material from the National Composites Centre, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
