JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #57 - May 2010 - 19

active materials using biotechnologies. It is hoped that process-related innovations will bring down the energy cost of manufacturing and improve recyclability. Standardisation as an economic intelligence tool may be leveraged at every stage of innovation in order to capitalise on know-how, promote this know-how throughout Europe and the world, identify market needs and encourage the emergence of new ideas, reduce technological risk and protect innovation as a complement to the patents process. So, the BNPP created two new standardisation committees in 2009 for flax fibres and composite railway sleepers.

AFNOR, the central standardisation body in France

A vast field of standardisation on the horizon ... Who will take the initiative?
standard for composite materials. However, the standard NF EN ISO 472 "Plastics - Vocabulary" presents the terminology relating to "Composites and reinforcement fibres" as developed internationally under the subcommittee ISO/TC 61 SC 13. There are few product specification standards when compared to the wide variety of composites. Internationally, work on composites is carried out under ISO/TC 61 "Plastics", SC13 "Composite materials" and SC4 "Fire behaviour". In Europe, the "composites" subcommittee within the CEN/TC 249 technical committee resumed its activity two years ago on the initiative of the Norwegians, specifically on how to declare the properties of composite materials. When faced with these existing structures and standards, the current challenge is to streamline the manufacturing of composite parts and make it more reliable. The latest technological trends point towards the development of multifunctional structures with new properties obtained by means of nanofillers or The first analyses of the "Industrial engineering, capital good and materials" strategic committee also took in: - general test methods including nondestructive tests and inspections with a view to defining how to adapt the methods developed by the CEN/TC 138 and ISO/TC 135 committees; - assembly techniques via welding and adhesive bonding and the assembly of composites/other materials along with methods for analysing ageing, damage mechanisms, etc.; - processing qualification; - machines and processes, for which there is no standardisation work currently underway in France despite a significant level of R&D. At the request and upon the initiative of the various stakeholders in France and in Europe, led by Germany, and worldwide, where the Asian presence has grown in stature in recent years, new standardisation work is due to start up in the coming months. More information: www.afnor.org

Towards a European standard for the declaration of composite material properties?
Standards define a common language for all economic stakeholders (producers, users and consumers), for clarifying and harmonising practices and defining the levels of quality, safety, compatibility, and minimal environmental impact of products, services and practices. They facilitate commercial exchange, both nationally and internationally, and help improve the structures of the economy. There is no generic terminological

More information ...
Key figures
- Turnover: M€ 120 (at 31/12/08) - Workforce: 1,168 including 254 registered abroad - 14 regional delegations - 28 agencies worldwide - Business ties with 90 countries - 20,000 people enrolled in standards-setting - 1,500 auditors and educators

No57 May 2010 / jec composites magazine

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http://www.afnor.org
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #57 - May 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #57 - May 2010
