Enormous numbers of energetic neutrons are released when helium is produced by the fusion of deuterium and tritium at high temperatures, as in our Sun. This promises to solve the World's long-term energy needs if a controlled version can be carried out on Earth. JET at Culham has been one of the leading experimental reactors for magnetically confined fusion using gaseous plasmas, and has been an important step towards designing the international thermonuclear experimental reactor, ITER. UK fusion technology is now on the fast track and will demand a new generation of materials for commercial reactor construction. The selection of materials for ITER has been based on those available some years ago, but there are trade-offs in deciding whether to use high temperature metals that are resistant to plasma erosion but liable to be damaged by radiation and also contaminate the pure plasma, or to use light elements that are toxic (beryllium) or more easily eroded and may absorb significant amounts of tritium fuel (graphite). We want to establish a materials capability for the next generation, and in particular to exploit our capability in diamond films as a route to designer carbons as plasma-facing wall materials. This proposal intends to coat carbon tiles with diamond on a large scale, in order to lower the erosion rates, dust formation, and tritium absorption, by using the unique properties of diamond, namely high temperature stability, radiation resistance, high atomic density and unsurpassed chemical stability in the presence of hydrogen plasmas. This solution enables the preferred use of low atomic number plasma-facing materials. Computational modelling of carbon structures will complement the experimental programme in optimising the chemical and physical structure of a composite functional material exposed to radiation. If successful, this approach would enable reactors to operate for longer periods before component replacements and without compromising the tritium inventory.

Enormous numbers of energetic neutrons are released when helium is produced by the fusion of deuterium and tritium at high temperatures, as in our Sun. This promises to solve the World's long-term energy needs if a controlled version can be carried out on Earth. JET at Culham has been one of the leading experimental reactors for magnetically confined fusion using gaseous plasmas, and has been an important step towards designing the international thermonuclear experimental reactor, ITER. UK fusion technology is now on the fast track and will demand a new generation of materials for commercial reactor construction. The selection of materials for ITER has been based on those available some years ago, but there are trade-offs in deciding whether to use high temperature metals that are resistant to plasma erosion but liable to be damaged by radiation and also contaminate the pure plasma, or to use light elements that are toxic (beryllium) or more easily eroded and may absorb significant amounts of tritium fuel (graphite). We want to establish a materials capability for the next generation, and in particular to exploit our capability in diamond films as a route to designer carbons as plasma-facing wall materials. This proposal intends to coat carbon tiles with diamond on a large scale, in order to lower the erosion rates, dust formation, and tritium absorption, by using the unique properties of diamond, namely high temperature stability, radiation resistance, high atomic density and unsurpassed chemical stability in the presence of hydrogen plasmas. This solution enables the preferred use of low atomic number plasma-facing materials. Computational modelling of carbon structures will complement the experimental programme in optimising the chemical and physical structure of a composite functional material exposed to radiation. If successful, this approach would enable reactors to operate for longer periods before component replacements and without compromising the tritium inventory.

Composites based on continuous fibre prepreg sheet laminates are a mature technology - widely used in the aviation industry for key structural components, However, the future horizon for composite development now lies in providing lightweight thick-section composite parts aimed at replacing metal components predominantly within the automotive sector. High thermal tolerance, thick section composites that are tough and durable could now offer a viable metal replacement technology for an expanding range of sub-chassis applications, particularly wheels, suspension, braking systems gear casings, rotor shrouds and components within the engine compartment. Historically, monolith-type, thick-section parts have typically been made from aluminium or steel, and exceptionally with thermoset composites - but these have fundamental drawbacks when used for thick-section moulding. Thermoplastic discontinuous fibre tapes offer a tantalising alternative to traditional thermosets. Thermoplastic composites (TPC) based on e.g. PEEK and high-performance Nylons have the potential to offer a viable lightweight aluminium replacement option, with superior toughness and fatigue performance - both critical considerations for both automotive and aviation applications. The excellent formability and high flow characteristics mean parts can be produced quickly and cheaply with part counts into the 100,000's, making this class of composites uniquely suited to the volume demanded by the automotive industry, whilst also being capable of being used in thick section mouldings . The recent development of Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) carbon fibre moulding compounds at Exeter showed that this material achieves a bulk modulus of ~40GPa when hot-pressed, which, whilst short of the ~70GPa offered by aluminium, is a marked improvement over previous offerings. Recent advances in manufacturing approach pioneered by the University of Exeter have seen the achievable modulus reliably pushed above 70GPa - directly on par with Aluminium, and, most excitingly, a technique by which controlled, localised orientation might be achieved through the use of pre-consolidated charges, exploiting the high viscosity of the material during manufacture. This technique could revolutionise the TPC sector, allowing the simple manufacture of thick-section components with the optimised design properties previously found only in multiaxial ATL processes. The new "pre-charges" route being proposed, will simplify manufacture, and remove the barriers to rapid volume production, similar to the advent of prepregs and SMC in the 1970's, that made possible the controlled, mass-manufacture of high performance composites in the aviation and automotive industries. A base line improvement in properties together with the removal of manufacturing barriers, could change the current emphasis on thermosets to thermoplastics, which is highly important environmentally. Recycling of most types of thermosets is not commercially viable, despite extensive research into the area. Thermoplastic based systems have the potential to solve the recycling issue, with the ability to melt and re-press components without performance implications greatly improving the recyclability of the material - a characteristic that has long eluded thermoset CFRP's. Moreover, this trait lends itself exceptionally well to in-situ repair and damage healing. The viability of remanufacture and remoulding of composites needs to be established for all of the most common TPC's available. The study will both consider the remanufacture of components (closed loop recycling), and also the viability of 'shape change' with TPC's, i.e. the extent to which materials can be reprocessed like metals through re-melting and reforming multiple times. The future vision is for manufacturers to include recycling/remanufacture instructions as part of standard materials datasheets.

Composite materials represent the future landscape for many industries. The possibility of combining better mechanical strength and reduced weight make composites the material of choice in transportation allowing unique design and functionalities in combination with high fuel efficiency. However, the increased use of composites, automatically leads to waste, either end-of-life or manufacturing waste. It is estimated that in the EU by 2015 end of life composite waste will reach 251,000 tonnes and production waste will achieve 53,000 tonnes. The composites industry, (in particular carbon fibre) is under increasing pressure to provide viable recycling technology for their materials. This is the case because the European Commission has controlled landfill and incineration of these materials. Through research and development of novel recycling and re-manufacture processes, this EXHUME project will provide a step-change in composites resource efficiency. These composite materials evoke difficult scientific and technical recycling challenges due to the mixed nature of their composition. The project will demonstrate to the waste industry, vital re-manufacturing science and chemical/process engineering. It will develop the first data sets and exemplars of mixed composite processing and associated resource footprints that can be used to drive the future of scrap re-use across industrial sectors. This project is pioneering in that it: i) Is the first cross-sector research-inspired use of heterogeneous scrap material in manufacture. ii) Develops novel transformation technologies to process thermoset and thermoplastic composites. iii) Develops a fundamental understanding of microstructure-property relationship in scrap material and in manufacturing process science. iv) Provides vital support to companies to exploit the scrap re-manufacturing technology. v) Evaluates the energy and resource efficiency of composite, re-processing, re-use and re-manufacture assessing the environmental impact and business case.

Composite materials represent the future landscape for many industries. The possibility of combining better mechanical strength and reduced weight make composites the material of choice in transportation allowing unique design and functionalities in combination with high fuel efficiency. However, the increased use of composites, automatically leads to waste, either end-of-life or manufacturing waste. It is estimated that in the EU by 2015 end of life composite waste will reach 251,000 tonnes and production waste will achieve 53,000 tonnes. The composites industry, (in particular carbon fibre) is under increasing pressure to provide viable recycling technology for their materials. This is the case because the European Commission has controlled landfill and incineration of these materials. Through research and development of novel recycling and re-manufacture processes, this EXHUME project will provide a step-change in composites resource efficiency. These composite materials evoke difficult scientific and technical recycling challenges due to the mixed nature of their composition. The project will demonstrate to the waste industry, vital re-manufacturing science and chemical/process engineering. It will develop the first data sets and exemplars of mixed composite processing and associated resource footprints that can be used to drive the future of scrap re-use across industrial sectors. This project is pioneering in that it: i) Is the first cross-sector research-inspired use of heterogeneous scrap material in manufacture. ii) Develops novel transformation technologies to process thermoset and thermoplastic composites. iii) Develops a fundamental understanding of microstructure-property relationship in scrap material and in manufacturing process science. iv) Provides vital support to companies to exploit the scrap re-manufacturing technology. v) Evaluates the energy and resource efficiency of composite, re-processing, re-use and re-manufacture assessing the environmental impact and business case.