Background

ACLAIM (Advanced Composite Life Assurance and Integrity Management) will develop an integrated structural health management framework to assess the integrity of Advanced Composite Structures. The primary objective is to provide an integrated approach that includes detection techniques (embedded), assessment procedures and guidance documentation to;

- Increase confidence in the use of composite materials in safety critical components and structures through improved inspection schemes

- Minimise in-service structural or component failures through improved understanding of the influence of defects and damage on residual life

- Lower maintenance costs through remote monitoring and analysis based on cost effective and novel multi-functional sensors.

ACLAIM will be driven through an industrial steering group comprising asset owners, sensor equipment and composite component suppliers and regulatory bodies. This group will include diverse industry sectors ranging from power generation (wind, wave, conventional), off-shore oil and gas, through to major UK infrastructure (buildings, bridges) owners. Industry relevance to the Call has been ensured through selection of asset owners who are applying or wish to apply Advanced Composite Structures with the focus on construction or infrastructure in its many forms, e.g. offshore, chemical, power (wind turbine blades) and repair to infrastructure.

The major project deliverable is an integrated structural health assessment framework for asset integrity management of Advanced Composite Structures. It will include recommendations on how best to inspect the structure, guidelines for sensor selection, installation and calibration and interpretation of the results in terms of remaining life, severity of damage. The impact of the framework will be improved safety and reliability, reduced service failures and lower maintenance costs. It will enhance the take up of advanced composite structures within a wide range of industrial sectors as represented on the industry steering group. One such quote providing relevance of the deliverable is from the HSE, "The HSE has concerns with the in-service structural integrity of composite storage systems, pressure systems and transportable pressure receptacles and has investigated many failures of such structures over recent years."

The consortium will be led by ESR Technology Ltd (ESR) in partnership with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), Mitsui Babcock Energy Limited (MBEL) and Deepsea Engineering and Management. The consortium will also include the following industrial partners; Powergen, Highways Agency, NetworkRail, Vestas Wind Systems, Insensys, HSE, DML, Parsons Birnkerhoff, Inoes Chlor, Eurocomposites, Insys, ACLAIM will also inocrporate an EPSRC project which will be led by Cranfield University and involving Strathclyde and City Universities.

The primary partnership (ESR, NPL, MBEL and Deepsea) brings together complementary experience within the field of Advanced Composite Structures in terms of sensor development, modelling and mechanics, testing facilities, composite manufacturing and NDE capability. The partners also have experience in providing services for the industrial sectors mentioned in this proposal, however this proposal provides the first opportunity to work together to provide synergy. This partnership will develop the framework.

ACLAIM is divided into 9 linked Work Packages or Tasks, 5 Case Studies and an EPSRC project. The following flowchart indicates the linkage between the Project Tasks, the Case Studies and the EPSRC project.

 

These Case Studies which are described in the broadest of terms at this stage, will be agreed by the Industrial Partners, but will consider;

These 5 case studies will last the duration of the project and ensure that the activity of each work package is directly linked to an industrially relevant problem.

The total project proposal value is 1.8 million pounds over a 3 year period, including EPSRC funding. The proposal requests DTI to support £570,000 with a further £900,000 being provided through industrial (in-kind) contributions and £330,000 from EPSRC. 

 

Return to home page