Additively Manufactured Deployable Booms
We investigate the use of additive manufacturing to produce space structures such as deployable booms. At present, their fabrication typically relies on labor-intensive hand lamination techniques. The FFF and DISC processes offer an automated alternative, capable of delivering high structural integrity alongside greater design flexibility.
Thin-Shell Hybrid Composite Structures
Deployable thin-shell structures package large surfaces into compact volumes. By combining the high strength of carbon fibers and strain resilience of glass fibers as a "hybrid composite", thin-shell structures can be optimized for enhanced bending capabilities where conventional carbon fiber thin shells fail.
Additive Manufacturing of Satellite Reflectors
In satellite reflectors, geometrical precision is critical. We aim to replace conventional manual layup of woven materials with additive manufacturing to ensure high geometrical precision during both manufacturing and operation.
Carbon Fibre Reinforced Carbon Matrix Composites
We are developing methods for producing continuous fiber reinforced carbon-carbon composites from thermoplastic matrix precursors with the objective of providing alternatives to conventional manufacturing processes, reducing production cost and time.
Porous Carbon Fibres from Bitumen-derived Asphaltenes
We investigate strategies for converting bitumen-derived asphaltenes into value-added porous carbon fibers for potential applications in gas adsorption, energy storage, and electrocatalysis.
Functionally Graded Sandwich Panels
We are developing wing structures with spanwise stiffness gradients and bending–twisting coupling for a flapping wing drone with the aim of improving flight efficiency.
Natural Core Materials for Wind Turbine Blades
Experimental and numerical investigation of sustainable lightweight materials and sandwich structures, including mechanical characterization, finite element modelling, and aerodynamic performance evaluation, for wind turbine blade applications and sustainable engineering products.