SAMPE Technical Sessions

Safe and rational use and circulation of resources is essential and is embodied in the EU REACH Regulation and ELV Directive, among others. In the future, highly transparent decision-making that also combines or integrates scientific information such as LCA/LCC is required. This presentation will introduce relevant initiatives being undertaken by JCMA (the Japanese Carbon Fiber Manufacturers Association).

Multifunctional composites can become the enabler for sustainable, high-performance design especially for various transportation technologies. In future, the role of composites with functionalities of structural batteries can be very broad. The necessary changes are driven by the needs of weight reduction, system integration, and sustainability. This talk will give a rich view to the topics of architecting structural batteries, combining structural and electrochemical functions, and the constituents i.e. carbon fibre electrodes, structural electrolytes, and multifunctional laminates. The contents of the talk will present European sustainability and circularity in structural energy storage, and also recent research highlights from Chalmers University of Technology. The recent novelties presented cover phase-separated polymer systems, as well as scalability and integration into demonstrators.

Provide a practical framework for facilitating circularity in carbon fiber composites including ways to provide complete material traceability through digital “product passports” from manufacture to end-of-life reclamation. We will outline approaches for building effective reverse-logistics pathways, ensuring retired components reliably reach post-processing and highlight product forms and application opportunities for utilizing these post-processed materials. This session will demonstrate how traceability and process innovation can open opportunities for higher value reuse, giving attendees clear, actionable strategies for advancing sustainable composite lifecycles.

Composite materials selection and the associated processing, manufacturing and design practice has to date been a complex and often fragile construct that has been primarily driven by the need to manage uncertainty and risk in scale-up. In the last two decades, the packaging of knowledge in the form of predictive simulation supported by characterized materials and standardized workflows has started to change this paradigm, but the best is yet to come. The latest digital approaches, fueled by the explosion in research on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), are enabling the fusion of physics-based simulation, data from all scales, and the quantification and propagation of uncertainty through all phases of materials and process development, manufacturing scale-up, and in-production control. This creates the potential to take out significant time, risk, and cost from future advanced composite structures development and production. This talk shares examples of the current state-of-the-art while suggesting best practices to benefit from this latest wave of digitalization.

Various approaches exist for the additive manufacturing of metallic materials. High-strength aluminium alloys often show metallurgical difficulties when employing fusion-based approaches. Recently, a new solid-state additive manufacturing approach has been developed at the University of Twente that can fabricate aluminium parts providing a fine-scale forged microstructure. The approach is aimed at the fabrication of large-scale builds at high velocities exploiting the relatively high process temperatures developed in the screw-based printhead. The objective is to avoid the use of a full-scale post-deposition heat treatment of the fabricated part but rely on a relatively low-temperature aging treatment only integrating solutionizing and quenching in the fabrication process. Deposition of multiple layers of a medium-strength AA6060 T6 at various build velocities (100 mm/min – 500 mm/min) showed promising mechanical properties obtained in the deposition and build direction in as-printed condition. A subsequently performed aging treatment for 20 hours at 170 °C restored the mechanical properties of the top layers of all builds fabricated at 250 mm/min or faster. Lower layers in the build showed a more limited response due to the influence of the heat of subsequently deposited layers. Approaches to fully restore the mechanical properties across the entire build after the low-temperature aging treatment will be discussed as well the applicability to other medium and high-strength aluminium alloys.

This study developed an epoxy resin curing system by introducing a structurally optimized curing agent. Compared to the commonly used DDS curing system, it significantly increased the resin matrix modulus without compromising impact toughness. Rigid nanoparticles were incorporated into two types of epoxy curing systems, resulting in enhanced compressive modulus without decreasing the compressive strength. Microscopic observations revealed uniform dispersion of the nanoparticles within the resin matrix. The addition of rigid particles exhibited only minor effects on the reaction and rheological properties, with minimum viscosity showing a slight increase as particle content rose. Composites were fabricated using the epoxy/nanoparticle resin matrix and high-strength, medium-modulus carbon fiber CCF800H. Compared with composites based on the traditional epoxy/DDS system, the new composites demonstrated a significantly improved longitudinal compressive strength.

Toyota Industries Corporation is innovatively advancing CFRP recycling through Recycled CF Spun Yarn, utilizing cotton spinning technology to ensure superior fiber orientation and physical properties. This innovative yarn achieves 70% flexural strength and 90% flexural modulus of virgin CF, offering improved usability compared to resin pelletization or nonwoven fabrics. Seamlessly integrating with existing production methods, it supports prepregs, autoclave molding, and resin transfer molding. TICO is also building a comprehensive recycling ecosystem with quality assurance, CAE tools, and external collaboration. Current projects include recycled CFRP heald frames and marine propellers, advancing global cross-industry adoption and demonstrating product reliability.

The future of composite manufacturing, particularly Automated Fiber Placement (AFP), is driven by the need for radical transformations through smart manufacturing philosophies. Traditional AFP processes are often siloed, resulting in complex, difficult-to-optimize open-loop systems. This complexity and cost burden creates a significant bottleneck, stalling current optimization efforts and hindering broader adoption beyond aerospace towards emerging markets. This talk outlines a vision moving towards a closed-loop AFP system, termed AFP+ , that seamlessly integrates design, process planning, manufacturing, and inspection via a robust digital thread. This advanced paradigm relies on a digital workflow and cyber-infrastructure to transform data into knowledge, enabling a two-way exchange between the physical machine and its digital twin to actively inform future manufacturing runs. Key functionalities of AFP+ include: Material Independent Automated Process Characterization to streamline setup and optimize parameters for diverse materials; Automated Process Placement for adaptable path trajectory planning and course-based optimization to manage defects and enhance performance ; Manual Inspection Annulment via in-situ machine learning and sensor integration to eliminate a major production bottleneck and provide real-time repair directives ; and Out of Autoclave AFP Composites Manufacturing to expand the process chain beyond conventional curing, reducing costs and limitations. By adopting a hybrid model that combines physical laws with data-driven AI, AFP+ will enable self-organizing production, overcoming complexity and unlocking new advancements across various domains.

Conventional thermoforming of continuous fiber‑reinforced thermoplastic (FRTP) organosheets requires part‑specific molds, making prototype and small‑series production costly and time‑consuming. To overcome this limitation, a novel robotic hot double‑sided incremental forming (DSIF) process was developed, inspired by existing incremental metal sheet forming. In this dieless approach, two cooperating robots locally shape the heated organosheet from both sides using simple forming tools, eliminating the need for dedicated molds. Wrinkling of the woven FRTP is avoided by a dedicated path planning strategy that considers the draping behavior of the fabric. The method achieves satisfactory geometric accuracies and minimal defects, while significantly reducing lead time and cost for prototypes, small series, and customized parts.

This presentation introduces a novel hydrogen tank manufacturing method using UV/REDOX-polymerized thermoplastic towpregs. CF towpreg is fabricated at over 100 m/min via rapid impregnation with low-viscosity acrylic monomers, then molded into dome and cylinder sections without filament winding. These non-FW preforms exhibit excellent shape retention and are joined using low-pressure RTM with REDOX resin. The integrated process enables direct molding of tank geometries, simplifies consolidation, and achieves a 5-minute production cycle with ~20% carbon fiber savings. This integrated process led to a significant reduction in manufacturing time (achieving a production rate of 5 minutes per tank) and yielded approximately 20% savings in carbon fiber consumption compared to conventional methods.

With the increasing complexity of aerospace lightweight components, the existing thermoforming process for thermoplastic composite structures is confronted with significant challenges: 1) Incapability of forming complex structures, leading to increased part count, component weight, and manufacturing costs; 2) Lack of capacity to form complex assembly features, requiring subsequent processes such as drilling and welding to meet assembly requirements, which causes fiber damage and reduces part performance and reliability; 3) Difficulty in forming complex stiffeners and large-curvature corners, greatly restricting product design freedom. Therefore, there is an urgent need to address the bottleneck in manufacturing complex thermoplastic composite components with characteristic structures. To this end, this study proposes an integrated thermoforming-injection molding process. Taking high-performance polyetheretherketone (PEEK)-based composites as the research object, it focuses on key technologies including the preparation process and mechanism of CF/PEEK composite sheets, as well as the interfacial bonding performance of CF/PEEK composite parts. Typical parts are designed for application verification. This research provides a feasible approach for the integrated molding of complex aerospace structures, and is of great significance for expanding the engineering application of CF/PEEK materials and developing high-performance, lightweight manufacturing technologies.

GE Aerospace has been a pioneer in the use of advanced composites to improve jet engine performance, durability, and efficiency. In fan systems, carbon fiber composite fan blades and cases—first proven on the GE90 and advanced on the GEnx and GE9X—deliver significant weight reduction while maintaining exceptional strength and impact resistance, contributing to lower fuel burn and quieter operation. Inside the hot section, ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) enable components such as shrouds, nozzles, and combustor/HP turbine parts to withstand much higher temperatures than metallic alloys at a fraction of the weight, allowing higher operating temperatures, improved thermal efficiency, and reduced cooling air requirements. Critically, each engine zone—fan, compressor, and turbine—presents unique mechanical, thermal, and environmental challenges that composites must address to ensure a viable, balanced design across the whole propulsion system. Combined, these composite technologies support better thrust-to-weight ratios, lower emissions, and improved reliability, helping airlines reduce operating costs and environmental footprint while advancing propulsion capability for today’s and next-generation engines.

During the last decades, a plethora of Thermal Protection System (TPS) materials designed for chemical rocket propulsion - especially Solid Rocket Motors (SRMs) and, more recently, Hybrid Rocket Motors (HRMs) - have been developed. Among them it is worth mentioning Carbon Phenolic Composites (CPCs) and Carbon Carbon Composites (CCCs). Through the use of techniques such as Liquid Silicon Infiltration (LSI), CCCs can be converted into Carbon Silicon Carbide Composites (CSiCCs). These TPS materials are mainly used to manufacture rocket nozzle assembly components, jet vanes, etc, but they can also be employed to produce the heat shield of probes and space vehicles which are essential during re-entry- or hypersonic-flight. Depending on the application, each TPS material can offer a balanced compromise in terms of thermal insulation capability and erosion resistance. However, some challenges still remain in several areas of TPS materials such as on the possibility to: 1) push down their cost; 2) quickly produce n-D dry carbon preforms to maximize the erosion resistance; 3) introducing fully automated manufacturing techniques which minimizes the use of human manpower. In this survey, the state of the art of these TPS Materials will be first covered then showing some exotic applications and the most challenging R&D areas.

Extreme composites are high-performance material systems designed to maintain stable performance under harsh conditions such as high temperature, high pressure, and strong corrosion. This review focuses on the aerospace field, providing a systematic overview of key materials, including ceramic matrix composites, carbon/carbon composites, and new high-temperature-resistant polymer matrix composites. By summarizing recent research developments on extreme composites both domestically and internationally, the key aerospace applications are highlighted, such as aircraft thermal protection systems, rocket engine combustion chambers, and primary load-bearing structures of spacecraft. Finally, prospects for the future development of extreme composites are discussed in response to increasing demands for extreme material tolerance and multifunctional integration in future aerospace missions.