The EU has set ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change. The transport sector is a major contributor to these emissions, but the targets for this sector cannot be met with currently available materials technology. Due to the direct link between weight and energy consumption, EU investment in advancing lightweight technologies is crucial. Therefore, fibre-reinforced composites are a key technology, but they are not yet widely used due (1) to their high price, (2) overdesign due to a lack of toughness and (3) difficulties with recycling. Addressing these challenges through fibre-hybridisation requires a highly interdisciplinary team of researchers with a strong background in both modelling and experimentation. Since such combined expertise is scarce, HyFiSyn aims to train 13 early stage researchers to become interdisciplinary, multi-talented experts. The 8 universities, 5 industrial partners and 2 professional training organisations offer the researchers a unique opportunity to be trained by world-leading experts in cutting-edge technologies, where they are supported by a strong network and industry participation. The training programme strongly emphasises entrepreneurship and innovation skills to maximise the impact of the project, thereby increasing the EU’s innovation capacity. Simultaneously, the researchers will be trained through research by developing and experimentally validating advanced simulation tools to predict optimal microstructures for fibre-hybrid composites. These microstructures will then be manufactured and verified in industrial applications. To further increase its impact, HyFiSyn also designs hybrids with smart and functional properties, and will investigate strategies for more efficient usage of recycled fibres through fibre-hybridisation. The overall goal is to fundamentally understand synergetic effects, so that they can be maximally exploited and unprecedented composite performance can be achieved.

In the space industry, a growing demand is to make structures lighter, while optimizing the mass/stiffness/strength ratio.. To do so, the sandwich architecture appears to be the most efficient design. The main objective of Sandwich Material and Structure (SMS) project is then to develop an ultra-stable and low weight structure, based on such architecture. This optimized structure will combine innovative solutions such as cyanate-ester / pitch fiber Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) raw material, cyanate-ester / pitch fiber CFRP honeycomb and advanced joining solutions. To validate the performance of such assembly, SMS will work on a sandwich mirror structure use case.. The development of a groundbreaking joining solution, based on organic, inorganic or hybrid chemistry, will ensure optimal structural cohesion. The implementation of Zerodur® skins to create the mirror will allow to measure optical performances and to characterize the stability of the structure. SMS work plan includes the identification of requirements at system and building blocks level, the development of European sourced cyanate-ester CFRP and CFRP honeycomb, the tuning of an efficient joining method and a Breadboard prototyping and tests. SMS project will ensure the compatibility of its developments with the European legislation and regulation, as well as foresee their up-scaling at industrial level and their dissemination towards research groups and SMEs. All the achievements will focus on developing a range of new space products from non-space low TRL technologies. At project end, SMS will achieve a Technological Readiness Level (TRL) 4-5, with the identification of the way forward to qualify and industrialize very large scale structures. SMS will be supported by a well-balanced and transdisciplinary consortium, with previous common experience in carrying out successful material and processes development projects.

In order to maintain the leadership of the European aeronautics, the SuCoHS project will investigate potential weight and cost savings in expanding the use of composite materials in areas of demanding high thermal conditions (high temperature and fire). In particular, this project envisages new structural concepts with novel multi-material composites to provide high resistivity against thermal, mechanical and fire loading. These developments also cater for high production rates, providing a cost competitive manufacturing process at minimum material and energy consumption, while reducing the requirement for visual inspection or rework. New solutions for structural health monitoring are considered within the structures to enable condition-based maintenance taking into account actual loading and structural conditions. Instead of an isolated investigation of innovative technologies the project will develop an integrated framework for the adaption of these promising technologies to different aeronautic components