Sustainable Materials for Future Aviation

Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composite materials are used in aviation applications which push their performance to the limit, leveraging their inherent benefits in weight, strength, cost and producibility. Unfortunately, these materials are derived from petroleum-based sources which makes them unsustainable for future aviation needs.

Replacing petroleum-based composite materials with more sustainable alternatives is both a hugely significant goal and a tremendous long-term challenge for the aerospace industry. Finding sustainable material sources with aerospace performance requires rebuilding our fundamental understanding of the constituent materials and their interactions. Leveraging multi-scale modelling approaches developed by Boeing and UNSW over the last decade, the candidate will develop state-of-the-art relationships between composite microstructure and structural material performance. The modelling framework will be used to study and predict: (1) resin-fibre interface properties, (2) introduction of sustainable resin and fibre formulations and (3) the trends towards achieving aerospace performance from sustainable material sources.

Aims

More sustainable composite materials do exist, based on naturally derived fibres and resins, but their properties are not yet fit for aerospace vehicles. A proposed intermediate solution is to introduce a fraction of sustainable material into current (petroleum-based) materials, offsetting 10-50% of the raw material input with sustainable alternatives.

Project Design and Methodology

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation will be used to predict and optimise properties of these novel hybrids at the atomistic scale. Trends in material performance, as a function of constituent materials and their blending ratios, will be studied to synthesise candidate material systems for testing. The simulation-enhanced materials design will accelerate the search for high-performance yet sustainable materials for the aviation industry.

To date, MD is still extremely computationally demanding and best suited to understand trends in material behaviour, rather than as an absolute predictive tool. To counter this problem, the MD simulation will be coupled with machine learning/AI approaches to interpolate trends in the simulation data and correlate them with physical test results. An iterative approach of simulation, material synthesis, testing and ML training will be used to rapidly identify optimum candidate materials and blends.

Candidate

An ideal candidate for this project will have an Honours or Masters Degree in Materials, Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering, with demonstrated expertise in materials, solid mechanics, structural analysis, and numerical modelling. Australian domestic candidates may qualify for additional financial support (see below). Some international candidates may not be eligible to apply due to international restrictions on carbon fibre research.

Scholarship and Academic Support

The project will be financially supported by Boeing Aerostructures Australia and SoMAC CRC.

• $37,684 per annum 
• $5,000 per annum top up scholarship 
• Domestic candidates (especially those funded by an RTP scholarship) may qualify for greater top-up funding

The supervisory team assembled for this work are exceptional, with 70+ years of collective research on composite materials. The primary supervisor, A/Prof Garth Pearce, has supervised 20 PhD students, most with industry co-supervisors. In addition to his UNSW role, he serves as the Program Manager for Manufacturing Processes in SoMAC CRC. From Boeing, Phil Crothers (Enterprise Domain Leader – Manufacturing), Nayeem Chowdhury (Technical Lead Engineer – Advanced Production Systems) and Carla Reynolds (Associate Technical Fellow — Materials & Manufacturing Technology) represent a complementary industry supervision team to support the candidate.

How to apply

Contact Garth Pearce (g.pearce@unsw.edu.au) for further information. Applications proceed through UNSW (https://www.unsw.edu.au/research/hdr/application) and close 19 January 2024.