JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #121 - May 2018 - 12

NEWS

JEC WORLD 2018 Report

Construction & Infrastructure
Cabkoma cable made of CFRTP
Winner: Komatsu Seiren Co., Ltd. (Japan) and its partners, Kanazawa
Institute of Technology (Japan) and Nagase ChemteX Corporation (Japan)

The Cabkoma CFRTP strand rod is a strong and flexible rope-shaped composite material that combines traditional Japanese braiding technology with modern carbon fibre technology. This product
has a huge potential to change the lives of people all over the world. One of the product's innovations is its original covering technology using a
braiding technique. Compared to the conventional covering method (winding), it combines high durability and high strength and allows high
production rates at low cost. Another innovation is the in-situ polymerized thermoplastic epoxy resin. Even though it is an epoxy resin, this innovative resin polymerizes linearly, so polymerization (after cure) shows the physical properties of thermoplastics. This resin combines the good
adhesion performance of epoxy and the toughness of a linear polymer. Moreover, it offers high fibre impregnation since its in-situ polymerization capability enables low-viscosity impregnation before polymerization. In addition, because this resin can be polymerized in the atmospheric
air, ultra-high speed production can be achieved with low-cost equipment.
With this GF-covered CFRTP strand rod, Komatsu Seiren pioneered new applications for the seismic reinforcement of buildings.
The innovation in two lines : Komatsu Seiren developed a CFRTP strand rod capable of ultra-high speed moulding at low cost by in-situ polymerizing of a thermoplastic epoxy resin.

Marine

Composite cargo decks for a vehicle carrier
Winner: Uljanik JSC (Croatia)
In July 2017, Uljanik Group delivered the SIEM Cicerocar carrier vessel featuring a high number of
composite structures in the cargo decks. The major novelty is that the three uppermost decks, in a
13-deck vessel, are constructed from GRP sandwich panels, saving considerable weight high up in
the ship and reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Compared to traditional steel decks, the weight savings for the Uljanik-designed
decks is 25% or 200 tons, at equal production cost. Pure car/truck carriers (PCTCs) of this type usually incorporate ballast to counteract their
high centre of gravity in order to fulfill stability requirements. So, reducing structural weight high up in the ship provides a double benefit. The result is a 4.5% lower fuel consumption or an increased payload (up to 800 tons).
The Uljanik-designed vessel has the lowest fuel consumption per car-equivalent unit (CEU) of any PCTC in its class.
The innovation in two lines : SIEM Cicero car carrier vessel using a large number of GRP composite structures for cargo decks, saving considerable weight, reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Railway

A bogie frame made of optimized lightweight carbon fiber
Winner: ELG Carbon Fibre Ltd. (United Kingdom) and
its partners, Alstom Transport (United Kingdom), Magma
Structures (United Kingdom), the University of Birmingham
(United Kingdom), and the University of Huddersfield (United
Kingdom)
This project, which received a £1.25 million grant from the RSSB, will deliver a composite bogie frame concept addressing the barriers that have prevented commercial adoption. It will be the first project to develop a
carbon fibre bogie frame and the first to include recycled material.
The project aimed to deliver at least 50% weight saving over metal frames through the use of carbon fibre materials; the current design delivers at least 70% weight saving. The mechanical properties of the materials are
tailored to provide integrated suspension and steering functionality, reducing the lateral forces on rail tracks
by up to 40%, and also providing a 20% reduction in overall train fuel consumption. This tailoring is achieved
by using a combination of approximately 80% recycled carbon fibre and 20% prime carbon fibre. By achieving this tailored flexibility using a lightweight composite construction, vertical loading will be reduced as a
consequence of lower axle weight, which will further reduce track damage.
The innovation in two lines : This is the first project to develop a carbon fibre bogie frame including recycled material that addresses the barriers that have prevented commercial adoption.

jec composites magazine / N°121 May - June 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #121 - May 2018