Public Funding for Gurit (UK) Limited

Materials, especially advanced materials, are the backbone and source of prosperity of an industrial society” (Materials 2030 Manifesto). The Green Deal and the Digital Decade establish high-priority policies for Europe, where 70% of all technical innovations are directly or indirectly attributed to advanced materials. Lightweight and high-strength materials have consistently played a key role in the construction of fuel-efficient and high-performing transportation structures. Lightweight materials such as glass and carbon fibres composites are commonly used due to their intrinsic properties such as high mechanical performance. However, the poor recyclability and recovery aspect poses a significant challenge. The end-of-life aspect of these materials is crucial, as when landfilled they release toxic substances into the environment. Moreover, minimising resource use, energy of manufacturing processes and optimising waste disposal of future advanced materials can help mitigate cost and product’s end-to-end footprint acrossits global lifecycle, thereby significantly improving its overall environmental performance. REPOXYBLE will create a new class of high-performance materials -bio-based epoxy compositestargeting cost and energy effectiveness, recyclability and sustainability. REPOXYBLE assumes an upstream approach more efficient and effective than having to address deficiencies at the end of the product development process. This approach integrates product performance, multifunctionality, sustainability, safety and potential legal concerns, while there is still time to act, on the monomers’ synthesis, the resin formulation and the future composite design. REPOXYBLE is driven by two complementary market applications in the aerospace and automotive sectors.

The project will design, engineer, manufacture, fit-out and test a prefabricated accommodation module typical of cabins currently installed on cruise liners and other ships. The cabin will be manufactured from FRP (fibre reinforced polymer) composite materials. The project will research suitable commercially available composite materials and also suitable series production processes including those that may still be in a development phase The key drivers for the use of composite materials in place of steel are: reduced weight, as vessels are getting larger and weight is becoming an important issue, especially in connection with vessel stability; reducing fuel usage leading to lower emissions; reduced carbon footprint; greener credentials. Present SOLAS regulation governing the construction of ships restricts the use of materials which present as "combustible" when tested to the international standard. The project will aim to meet all other current goal based prescriptive requirements. The project will undertake comparative materials characterisation tests at an early stage and will include further formal mechanical, chemical and fire tests to verify materials properties and fire performance of the materials of construction of the cabin structure.

No abstract available.

Awaiting Public Summary