Light Metal DivisionAnnual Report for 2013

  1. Board membership

Board membership changed significantly in 2013 to reflect the changed strategy of the division. The present composition of the Board is shown in the table.


The LMD has developed a revised strategy:

  • To provide the framework for a strong UK-based light metals network with good university involvement and to help to shape light metals research in the UK.
  • To be a forum to link industry and universities to help ensure that advances in science and technology are aligned with industry challenges.
  • To assist universities and industry collaborate together to develop enabling technologies to open up new applications for light metals.
  • To address the challenges of major industrial users such as JLR and Airbus?
  • To work more closely with other IOM3 groups, such as the Automotive Applications Division and the Casting and Solidification Division
  • To host regular workshops to deliver a new strategic plan for light metals research linked with current and perceived future industry needs.
  • To present and refine this strategic plan, with input from both EPSRC and the TSB and other key groups such as the Materials KTN etc.
  • To promulgate the key outcomes of this meeting and to widely distribute the supporting presentations
  • To work closely with LiME and Latest2 as the main centres of light metals research in the UK
  1. Board meetings

Strategy meeting 12th December 2013 at CHT (attendance 12)

Board meeting 22nd March 2013 at MTC Anstey (attendance 16)

Board meeting 4th October 2013 at BrunelUniversity (attendance 20)

  1. Activities during 2013
  2. Technical programme

The LMD co-organised a Light Metals Technology Workshop at BrunelUniversity on 11th April at BrunelUniversity and a strategy meeting at CHT on 12th December 2013. Details of both these meetings are appended

3.2.Web-site developments

Helen Forrest is now looking after the website. The presentations from the recent strategy meeting have been posted but only so far in the closed section. The next step will be to make as many of these presentations open access once the authors agreement have been attained. Helen hascarried out a surveyon what is generally wanted from the LMD microsite. The survey was sent to all registrants at the Light Metals Technology Workshop after the event, and to all IOM3 members who have light metals identified in their profile.The content of the current site is not updated regularly, other than new items from Materials World etc. being added.

Engagement with technical community and/or local societies

This has been realised through the workshop and the strategy meeting

3.3.Contributions to IoM3 house journals

Report on the Light Metals Technology Workshop.

3.4.Other

Strong support for the continuation of the Light Metals DTC at Sheffield/Manchester that was not successful initially but was awarded on appeal.

  1. Strategy and Objectives for 2014

The intention is to hold a titanium workshop in 2014. This was planned for 2013 but was not realised. The Materials KTN created a roadmap for titanium in 2006 and the workshop will be used to update this document. The intention is that the workshop is co-organised with the Titanium Information Group (TIG) with help both from NAMTEC and the AMRC.

4.1.Opportunities and constraints

The main opportunities are to build from the success of the strategy meeting

4.2.Specific targets

The main target is to enable a metallic wing programme to be established in the UK.

  1. Other matters

Appendix: Technical Programme as of December 2013

Date
(YY/YY/MM) / Status
(Held
/Progressing
/Planned) / Title / Location / Organising Division(s) /Committee(s)
/Collaborators / Financial Underwriter (IOM3/
Local/
Other) / 100%
Target No's /

Actual No’s

2014 / Progressing / Titanium Workshop / tba / LMD / no

Appendix

Light Metals Technology Workshop 2013

The Light Metals Technology Workshop, hosted by The EPSRC Centre – LiME, attracted a wide audience including industrial leaders, technical managers and researchers from across the UK.

EPSRC Portfolio Manager, Dr Tony Chapman, “found the workshop very interesting and useful. It was good to see the activities going on in the Centre and see good progress being made in the research programme, as well as lots of interest from industry”.

The extended panel-led discussions in the afternoon gave ample opportunity for discussion and debate on future industry needs and research opportunities for transport applications with a particular emphasis on end-of-life recovery and recycling. Discussion topics included: the future of the alloy design, the need for more magnesium research, UK car recycling and high pressure die-casting research.

An aluminium-intensive All New Range Rover was on display by Jaguar Land Rover and LATEST2 gave attendees a chance to see the Chocolate Impact Tester in action, which received very positive feedback.

The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) Casting Division was re-launched at the workshop, the first step in re-building the casting and solidification community. Several board members were present as a plaque was unveiled and presented to co-chairmen, Professors Zhongyun Fan and Paul Withey.

Front-line UK research in aluminium and magnesium at the EPSRC Centre-LiME and within the LATEST2 research programme at the University of Manchester was highlighted. Exclusive presentations revealed unique aluminium and magnesium perspectives within automotive and aerospace applications and explored the funding opportunities provided by EPSRC and the Technology Strategy Board.

LATEST2 representatives commented on the success of the workshop, saying “The workshop provided a great opportunity for old contacts to reconnect, and new contacts to be made, which will hopefully lead to future collaborations and some exciting new research”. The workshop is one of four major events this year hosted by The EPSRC Centre - LiME and the Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST) to build and strengthen the UK manufacturing and research communities, aligning academic research to help meet industrial challenges.

The EPSRC Centre – LiME is a collaboration between BrunelUniversity, University of Oxford and University of Birmingham. Primarily funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the innovative manufacturing centre has gained a reputation for research excellence in solidification science and developing innovative and sustainable technologies to enable the UK metal casting industry and its customers to improve their competitiveness in global markets.

LATEST2 (Light Alloys Towards Environmentally Sustainable Transport: 2nd Generation) is an EPSRC funded Programme Grant awarded to the School of Materials at the University of Manchester. The research is currently progressed in three overlapping themes of forming, joining and surface engineering and their key aim is to support dramatic reductions in the environmental impact of transport by facilitating a step change in high-performance light alloy design solutions in the automotive and aerospace industries.

Appendix


Light Metals Division Strategy Meeting

Stand Out Themes from LMD Strategy Meeting

Overall the requirement for lightweight structures in all forms of transport means there is a massive opportunity for light metals, particularly for automotive and aerospace applications. The size of the potential market over the next few short years is larger than the market in these areas to date. The opportunities in these areas are particularly strong for aluminium and titanium.

The requirements for aluminium in the automotive and aerospace markets are much more similar than have previously been identified and there is significant potential for synergy between these two markets and technologies. Closed-loop recycling as demonstrated by the aluminium beverage can must be realised for end-of-life automotive vehicles and aeroplanes. Aluminium alloys must be developed that are suitable for closed-loop recycling and can tolerate impurities. Common themes between the two markets also include affordable lightweighting, low maintenance costs (corrosion resistance), low cost of manufacture, sustainable manufacture and resistance to threats from substitutes such as CFRP (Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymers).

The opportunities for titanium are in powders for additive manufacturing and for the aerospace industry, both for structures in composite aircraft and for lightweight, fuel-efficient engines. If the price of titanium could be halved, this would generate at least a tenfold volume growth as seen with aluminium.

Magnesium has a new potential market in medical applications and magnesium diecasting are still growing at strongly in automotive applications. However, the use of wrought products still remains hampered by enabling technologies (joining and corrosion control) and by cost. The positive amendment of flammability regulations by the FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) means that the use of both wrought and cast alloys for secondary aerospace applications (e.g. seats and trolleys) are likely to see resurgence.

The major area of concern highlighted was the requirement for a UK-based metallic wing project. Presently, although the composite wing programme is strongly supported in the UK, this is far from the case for the metallic wing. The aluminium metallic wing shows no sign of saturation in structural efficiency. New alloy systems have been developed. New processing technologies are available to improve the buy-to-fly relationship and the wings are fully closed-loop recyclable. These aluminium metallic wing structures offer opportunities and a family of key properties beyond those which can be achieved with composite structures.

Issues and Opportunities

Collaboration and communication amongst the key players in light metals is an issue. There should be more collaboration between aluminium, magnesium and titanium to address issues that are common to all three, such as sustainability. Furthermore, there are synergies between the aerospace and automotive markets, such as lightweighting strategies, that are not being exploited.

There needs to be regular communication between the IOM3 (LMD) Light Metals Division and TSB/EPSRC so that they have the right information to make decisions. Questions have been raised about the proposal review process, and whether the panel really understand the industry. For example, are the TSB ruling out certain technologies by their selection criteria? For example, aluminium rolling – it is critical that fundamental research is carried out in this area but, as there won’t be any capital investment in the UK, will this technology be ruled out?

There isn’t a centre in the UK for recycling mixed Al alloys like there is for mixed polymers. This means they are sent overseas for sorting which results in a poor carbon footprint. The government policy on, for example, carbon credits does not help us to develop our own recycling industry. Is this something the TSB can influence?

High temperature capability (200-250oC) is required for the heat treatment of aluminium for the use in aerospace engines. This is also something JLR have expressed an interest in.

There is not a satisfactory recycling route for magnesium.

With titanium, the buy-to fly cost is key and research must be done to provide near-net shape components. Currently, 75% losses are observed at machining.

There is a need to develop the titanium UK supply chain.

There are not enough metallurgists and there is no metallurgy training in the UK. As a result, the light metals expertise in the UK has degenerated and there’s concern that this will affect the metallic wing programme.

Composite Leadership Forum – can this model be transferred to Light Metals?

Should representatives from construction and packaging be present at the LMD meetings as these are large markets for light metals? However, most of the new technology and high value is in aerospace and automotive.

Aluminium: JLR / Manchester Uni / Constellium collaboration?