International Conferences on Composite Materials

International Conferences on Composite Materials

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UD researchers advance TuFF composite's viability for aerospace

TuFF — tailored universal feedstock for forming — is a strong, highly aligned, short-fiber composite material that can be made from many fiber and resin combinations. Created at the University of Delaware’s Center for Composite Materials (UD-CCM, Newark, U.S.), it can be stamped into complex shapes, just like sheet metal, and features high-performance and stretchability up to 40%.

Since its introduction, CCM researchers have explored applications for TuFF, from materials for repairing U.S. pipelines to uses in flying taxis of the future (see “…TuFF composite material shows high potential for UAM” and “UD’s Center for Composite Materials hosts NASA University Leadership Initiative”). Now, armed with $13.5 million in funding from the U.S. Air Force, UD mechanical engineers and co-principal investigators Suresh Advani and Erik Thostenson, along with industry collaborators Composites Automation (Cape Coral, Fla., U.S.) and Maher and Associates (Baltimore, Md., U.S.) are working on ways to improve manufacturing methods for TuFF.

“I am excited at the opportunity to mature the TuFF prepregging process and demonstrate high-throughput composite thermoforming for Air Force-relevant components,” David Simone of the U.S. Air Force says.

The ultimate goal is to enable composites to be become cost-competitive with aluminum for creating small parts found in air vehicles. Advani, George W. Laird professor of mechanical engineering, explains that when it comes to making aircraft materials more cost-efficient, reducing a material’s weight even a mere kilogram, just 2.2. pounds, will reduce fuel consumption and emissions and can result in thousands of dollars in savings over time.

“In general, the aerospace industry wants to reduce weight and replace metals,” Advani says. “TuFF is a good option because the material can achieve properties equivalent to the best continuous fiber composites used in aerospace applications.”