Composite materials have seen significant growth in structural applications across multiple sectors due to the high strength and low weight, enabling fuel savings. This is considered a vital component on the journey to achieving Net Zero targets set by industry and governments. To achieve this goal, development of new composite materials is required to see greater adoption of composites to structures. A key area that offers potential for significant weight saving is complex loaded structural joints such as lugs that are used to connect structural components and transfer loads. One of the primary weaknesses facing traditional laminated composites in their attempt to replace metallics in this area is the lack of through thickness reinforcement, leading to delamination and premature failure. 3D woven composites offer a desirable answer to these challenges through use of fibre in the primary xyz direction, with the "z" or binder fibre being able to carry load through the thickness and resist impact damage. Additional benefits for 3D weaving are the ability to create near net shape preforms and tailored properties. Despite the high potential benefits of 3D preforms, there are several challenges associated with it. The first is driven from the high bespoke nature of the material that creates several unknowns in how changes in the 3D architecture or weave parameters will affect the resulting composite properties. This has led to most 3D composites being manufactured in a uniform architecture and not utilising the full potential of the material. The second challenge is the absence of +/-45o or off-axis fibre that is necessary for complex loading conditions. This project aims to address this challenge through developing a new 3D+ material, by utilising the advantages of both technologies through the combination of 3D woven and 2D fibre preforming. The material will consist of a 3D woven core overlaid above and below with off-axis 2D fibre, creating a material that contains both through-thickness reinforcement and off-axis fibres necessary for complex loaded components. The 3D core will investigate the use of architecture transitions within the preform from an architecture tailored to maximise mechanical performance in the main lug body to an architecture tailored for high bearing response and delamination resistance around the lug hole. By utilising existing technologies, a high rate of production is possible with a reduced need for capital investment providing possible rapid and high impact solution for industry. This approach in material design goes against conventional methods of having a homogenised lay-up but generates a potential step change in composite design, a deeper understanding of 3D material, and potential application of composites to structures that have previously been inhibited by traditional lay-ups.

The UK Net Zero Strategy published in October 2021 reflects the urgency of action needed to avoid climate catastrophe. The net zero journey outlined therein addresses economy and emissions reduction in all sectors, with the specific challenge in aviation a notable element. Global aviation is currently responsible for 2% of emissions with 90% currently from aircraft operations, and this will grow progressively as air transportation grows. In response to this technology and policy are changing rapidly offering both opportunity and challenge, but the standard design systems and processes in practice today are insufficiently agile to support the current need for novel designs that can adapt to these rapidly changing future needs. With current approaches solutions get locked in early based on the available technology level, and optimised around that technology, and consequently have limited opportunity for upgrade and enhancement through operational life, which in the case of aerospace is decades. But delivery of net zero demands radical change quickly. Agile and adaptable design systems are needed to help develop solutions that can be easily upgraded to use advanced technology as it emerges. The key here is that constraints are needed to to allow a baseline solution to be found, but in then optimising around this baseline the constraints become a barrier to future enhancements. To allow future variation without redesign needs new capability. In particular capability to map and measure a design space and to subsequently be able to dynamically change the constraints was found to be a core need for progress in this area. The mapping and measurement capability is needed to understand how constraints are influencing the design at this point in time, and the capability to deal with changing constraints to allow understanding of how the design could change with new technology advance or policy changes. The four research questions emerging from this are therefore: 1. Navigation of Dynamic Design Spaces: How can constraints be represented in a design model such that a changing design space can be navigated and the constraints driving or limiting the design can be identified, and their influence on the design quantified? 2. Evolving Constraints over time: How can constraints be allowed to evolve over time and their influence on the design solutions over time captured, including ability to prioritise requirements/constraints? 3. Measurement and Evaluation of Solution Paths: What metrics are appropriate for maintaining a set of time-history linked solutions open to further development? 4. Keeping Design Options Open: How can design options be kept open, and how can technology changes/policy changes or removal over a long time period be studied? In DECIDE for Net Zero constraints will be permitted to evolve just as every part of the design can. In doing this the design context itself will evolve, creating new fitness landscapes for product evolution. Contrary to standard practice today which is to optimise as far as possible, the aim here is to generate a diverse population of solutions that will have many individuals that survive major disruptions even if some may fail. This is moving significantly beyond current concepts of robust design. This variation of constraints requires a completely novel design system architecture using time history dependent genetics. Geometric analogies for design spaces will allow innovative design tools to support exploration of design spaces in a more meaningful way and the latest bio-inspired methodologies will allow exploration of how products evolve in the context of ever-changing constraints. With this capability robust baseline designs can be developed that will enable the fastest transition to net zero, for example a more modular airframe that can accept plug and play solutions for hydrogen or electric propulsion systems and energy supply which are easy to cost effective to maintain.

The use of advanced composites in commercial aircraft structures has significantly increased in recent years through products such as the Airbus A350XWB, where they make up 52% by weight of the structure. But the transition over from metals has actually been slower than anticipated, despite the advanced composites promise of offering lower weight components that are capable of exhibiting high strength-to-weight ratios & high stiffness. This slow uptake is primarily due to the high cost of manufacturing; and is now more of a concern, as when designing a new aircraft the mechanical properties are not the only aspect taken into consideration. Composites must be cost-competitive. Historically, civil aircraft design and manufacturing was largely conducted in-house and relied heavily on manual intervention, especially during assembly. This reliance on manual operations came as a result of long development times and ongoing aircraft design iterations, which together rendered the mass production of aircraft costly and infeasible. In the past decade a transformation has occurred as aircraft manufacturers see higher sales and uptake; and are increasingly subcontracting parts and systems to suppliers. Boeing for example increased their outsourcing from 35-50% for the 737 program to 70% for the 787 program. Whilst this has provided cost saving opportunities for the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), it adds pressure to an already restricted supply chain to deliver parts that are not only made to specification but governed by shortening times and cost reductions. It has also demonstrated supply chain inefficiencies in the global industry, and that the need for cost-effective manufacturing methods tailored for smaller and medium sized suppliers has become more evident. For these companies, the cost of rearranging the work space and of purchasing new equipment is quite restrictive, especially if manufacturing small batches of components, as they may not reach their break-even point. In order to meet the projected growth & demand for the aerospace industry, and guard against projected skills shortages, manufacturing techniques need to be developed to allow for greater efficiency, affordability, and greater consistency in quality. The ultimate goal is to produce high quality components right first time, consisting of the proper dimensions and performance properties that are not only reproducible, but economically viable. Composites usage is particularly dominant in secondary structures or sandwich panels. The complex geometries associated with these restrict the use of automation and so hand layup dominates the manufacturing process. It involves forming a pre-impregnated cloth over a geometry into as near-net shape as possible, using shear as the main in-plane deformation mode. Difficulty in manufacture arises from geometrical clashes (imposed by structural and aerodynamic performance of the aerofoil, resulting in tight dimensional tolerances); audit trails (imposed by the OEM), and; their low-cost development (company imposed). These coalesce such that the majority of the total manufacturing cost for aircraft composite components resides in secondary structures, dependent on inefficient design and manufacturing processes based on tacit skills and understanding. To break this vicious cycle for price-critical parts, either low-cost manufacturing methods or designs for manufacturability need to be implemented. This research targets the latter, developing a new toolset capable of informing for intelligent design processing that considers manufacturing capabilities earlier, and delivering the design intent to manufacturing as functional unambiguous workflow instructions enabling right first time yields. A new process towards composites DfM will be developed through this research, and in enabling gathered information to be exploited in simple formats, a user-based knowledge system will be achieved.

The rapid growth of the global composite market is primarily driven by the ever-more critical need for lightweighting, especially in the automotive and aerospace sectors constituting over 70% of the UK's demand for composites. The increasing need for high-volume manufacture of composite components cannot be addressed by solely relying on time-consuming traditional composite processing technologies. This is one of the main factors contributing to the UK's reliance on non-domestic production, especially in the automotive industry, where over 50% of the required composite parts are currently imported. High-speed manufacture of near-net-shape hybrid thermoplastic composite components via the highly automated injection over-moulding process (or hybrid injection moulding) is arguably one of the only available solutions to address such a significant demand. Composite injection overmoulding is characterised by its capability to manufacture selectively reinforced, highly complex multi-material components within a few minutes, thereby eliminating several hours-long manufacturing steps that would otherwise be required to produce a part at a similar level of complexity. This will, in turn, largely reduce the waste formation, carbon footprint, and by-to-fly ratio. However, despite these advantages, the adoption of this technology has been hampered by the inconsistent and unpredictable performance of the overmoulded components under loading, predominantly caused by a premature failure at the interface. The lack of a fundamental understanding of the interface formation between the injected polymer and the thermoplastic composite insert is the underlying reason for the current inability to control the bond strength and hence the performance of the overmoulded composite. The complexity of the problem mainly arises from the multitude of factors that affect the interpenetration of the polymer chains and at the interface. Even the slightest changes in processing conditions or the composition of the injected polymer or the thermoplastic insert can significantly affect the bonding quality and hence the service life of the components. The absence of a reliable method to support a high-confidence prediction of the structural performance of overmoulded components has left the manufacturers with no other option but to consider costly trials or resort to other, often highly time-consuming labour-intensive multistep alternative processes. To address this gap in the knowledge base, the OVERCOMP project aims to deliver a reliable multi-scale model to predict the interfacial strength between the two thermoplastic phases involved in an overmoulded component. To this end, the project will focus on the three main aspects that contribute to interface formation during overmoulding. These include (i) heat transfer and rheology, (ii) material compatibility; and (iii) time and temperature-dependent interdiffusion of the polymer chain at the interface (healing). This way, the model will ensure a complete picture of the interface formation during overmoulding and reduce the risk of transitioning to this processing method. This model will enable the manufacturers and part designers to make informed decisions during the material selection step and have a clear picture of the part performance before undertaking to manufacture.

The Nobel prize-winning technology of cryogenic Electron Microscopy (cryoEM) has transformed structural biology research, furthering our knowledge of biology, providing novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of health and disease, enabling drug design, and driving engineering biology efforts. Until recently, high-resolution cryoEM was limited to purified proteins and complexes, which necessitates removing the protein from its native environment. We therefore lose in situ information, which contains the functional data about the cellular context. Cryogenic electron tomography (cryoET) provides this information, but samples must be less than 200 nm thick for high-resolution imaging, whereas mammalian cells are >5000 nm thick, which completely precludes imaging. To produce thin samples, the optimal method is focussed ion beam (FIB) milling, performed at cryogenic temperatures (-180°C). Such a cryo-FIB removes material with nanometre precision, leaving behind a lamella - a thin slice - through the sample (e.g., cell, tissue, biopsy, etc). Cryo-FIB-SEMs contain integrated fluorescence modules that allow for targeted milling towards the fluorescent regions/molecules of interest, making the process more efficient and time-saving. CryoEM in the south-west of the UK is world-leading and highly collaborative, supported by the GW4 facility for high-resolution cryoEM. It is used extensively by the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter (GW4) and beyond. Since 2017, the facility has enabled the determination of dozens of structures. However, research has so far largely focussed on single-particle analysis approaches. Driven by the aspiration and need of GW4 researchers to incorporate in situ structural biology using cryoET, the Universities of Bristol (the host institute) and Exeter have recently invested in equipment and personnel to expand the region's state-of-the-art cryoEM capabilities. In particular, the recent recruitment of Thom Sharp, a cryoET specialist, to Bristol was borne with that vision in mind. We seek to acquire the first cryo-FIB-SEM in the south-west of UK dedicated to strengthen in situ structural biology research in the region. Various types of integrated fluorescence cryo-FIB-SEMs are available; some are designed for the one single task of lamella preparation, which limits the application spectrum of such an (expensive) instrument. Here, we are applying for a microscope that, in addition to the targeted lamella preparation, will allow for "routine" cryo-SEM applications and uniquely incorporate elemental analysis capabilities (EDS) under cryo-conditions without compromising the cryo lamella preparation capabilities. Such an instrument would provide completely novel capabilities for GW4 but importantly will also replace an over 18-year old cryo-SEM and integrate the new capabilities (targeted lamella preparation and cryo-EDS) with existing ones ("routine" cryo-SEM) into 1 instrument to increase sustainability rather than running 2 individual instruments. The new instrument will support a very wide range of research projects, and herein we demonstrate the need for these new capabilities by 4 detailed case studies from GW4 researchers supplemented with the titles of an additional 18 planned projects, addressing fundamental biological understanding, advancing cell biology for an integrated understanding of health, engineering biology, and technology development, all key BBSRC strategic areas.