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SUMMARY:IMX Colloquium - New test methods in support of composites manufac
 turing research: a tale of two fixtures
DTSTART:20250317T131500
DTEND:20250317T141500
DTSTAMP:20260921T180625Z
UID:87edfa934baf563c3954a1f9a800c9f03230becc732289faa9776409
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Prof. Davide De Focatiis\, University of Nottingham\, UK\nAs e
 ngineers we come to rely on and sometimes take for granted the many test m
 ethods\, standard protocols and test fixtures that enable us to undertake 
 our research in materials science. This talk will recount the development 
 process of two distinct test fixtures that have originated from my laborat
 ory\, one which has developed into an ASTM test standard\, and another whi
 ch was patented. The first fixture is a custom peel fixture developed spec
 ifically for measuring adhesive tack in a manner relevant to composite pre
 pregs during automated manufacturing. The data it produces is useful in un
 derstanding how tack can be maximised during manufacture to avoid defects\
 , coping with material out-time and environmental conditions\, and general
 ly reducing waste. The second fixture is a pin-jointed mechanism designed 
 for carrying out equibiaxial tensile tests. This is useful in obtaining th
 e constitutive response of materials up to large strains\, and the data it
  produces is typically combined with uniaxial data to calibrate hyperelast
 ic model parameters. In composites manufacturing it is used to characteris
 e and model the behaviour of highly deformable (typically silicone) membra
 nes used in diaphragm vacuum forming processes.\n\nBio: Dr Davide De Focat
 iis MA MEng FIMMM CSci completed his MEng degree in Engineering Science at
  the University of Cambridge in 1999. During his Masters research\, workin
 g with Dr Simon Guest\, he discovered a family of biomimetic folding mecha
 nisms based on the folding structure of beech and hornbeam leaves\, with a
 pplications as deployable structures. From 1999-2003 he studied for a DPhi
 l (Ph.D.) at the Department of Engineering Science\, University of Oxford\
 , with Dr Zhong You. This work was concerned with the mechanics of a needl
 e-free powder injection device developed by Oxford spin-off PowderJect Pha
 rmaceuticals. After completing his DPhil\, he was employed as a Research A
 ssistant in the Solid Mechanics and Materials Engineering group at the Eng
 ineering Department\, University of Oxford\, working under the direction o
 f Prof. C.Paul Buckley\, from 2005-2008. This work was part of a large EPS
 RC funded collaboration following the path of well-characterised polymers 
 from synthesis\, through processing into the solid state. Major developmen
 ts include the formulation of molecularly-aware and process-aware craze in
 itiation criteria\, and the development of large-deformation constitutive 
 models for processed amorphous polymer products.\nIn February 2009 he was 
 appointed to a Lectureship in the Department of Chemical and Environmental
  Engineering at the University of Nottingham. In September 2013 he transfe
 rred to the Department of Mechanical\, Materials and Manufacturing Enginee
 ring to better align teaching and research. Besides research on polymers\,
  he convenes the core year 1 module Statics and Dynamics\, and an interdis
 ciplinary module on Polymer Engineering (4rd year). He is the department's
  coordinator for peer observations.\nDr Davide De Focatiis is a part of th
 e Composites Research Group.
LOCATION:MXF 1 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==MXF%201
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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