Program Theme
Transportation equipment such as aircraft is shifting from the use of conventional metallic materials to the use of lightweight carbon fiber composite materials because weight reduction contributes significantly to fuel consumption and operating efficiency. In this case, carbon fiber–reinforced plastic (CFRP) is covered with polymer and may be subject to lightning strikes during operation, especially in aircraft. Therefore, metal meshes are laminated on CFRP to provide lightning resistance to airframes and wings. However, the manual lamination process takes time, and a new technology is needed to replace metal mesh lamination in order to increase production efficiency in the future.
Cold spray technique is a solid–phase deposition technology developed in Russia in the 1980s, and until now it has been a process mainly for metal deposition on metal substrates. In recent years, deposition of ceramics and polymers on metal substrates has become possible, as well as metal deposition on CFRP. However, the deposition mechanism is still unknown. Observations of the interface conditions of the coating–forming materials suggest that the mechanical (kinetic) energy of the cold–spray technique may cause physical and/or chemical bonding between the metal and the polymer, resulting in coating formation. Therefore, in this study, a team of experts in surface modification, polymer materials, surface activation technology, and finite element analysis aims to establish a metal deposition technology on the CFRP, which is indispensable for next–generation transportation equipment. This technology is also expected to be applied to offshore wind power generation and urban air mobility, as well as to multimaterials made of metals and polymers.
Events
Webinar: Metallization on Polymers by Cold Spray Technique
(September 9, 2022)
Public Lecture: Application of CFRP to Future Equipment and Structures, and Its Metallization Technique
(December 19, 2022)
Research Forum: Lightning Resistant Metal Coating Technology on CFRP Assisted by Kinetic, Physical and Chemical Energies
(January 31, 2023)
Organizers
Kazuhiro Ogawa
(Professor, Fracture and Reliability Research Institute, Tohoku University)
Yuji Ichikawa
(Associate Professor, Fracture and Reliability Research Institute, Tohoku University)
Hiroki Saito
(Assistant Professor, Fracture and Reliability Research Institute, Tohoku University)
Stephen Yue
(Professor, Department of Mining and Materials Engineering, McGill University)
Olivier Lame
(Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, INSA–Lyon)
Yoshihiro Naruse
(Senior Staff, Advanced Composites Development Center, TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.)
Shinji Koyama
(Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Science and Technology, Gunma University)
Poster
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Co–hosted
- Fracture and Reliability Research Institute, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University
- ELyTMaX (Engineering and Science, Lyon Tohoku joint Laboratory for Materials and Systems under eXtreme conditions)
- TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.