The Newsletter of the SAMPE UK & Eire Club
Volume 4,
Issue 2
October 2000
UK
Chapter Provides Technical Input for 2001 Paris Conference
As part of the new organisation of the SAMPE Europe International
Conference, the UK & Ireland Chapter has taken on the
responsibility for the technical content of the event. Chairman Roy
McCarthy explains:
" For some years the conference has been organised and co-ordinated by
a
small group within SAMPE Europe. Mark Erath and Jean-Claude Mezzadri,
in particular,
have done a superb job. At European board level we decided the load
needed to
be shared and so individual chapters and clubs were asked to volunteer
for specific
roles and responsibilities. Basically the UK & Ireland Chapter has
taken
on the responsibility for technical and scientific aspects (i.e. the
programme
structure and contents etc.) whilst the French chapter will be
responsible for
the venue, facilities management and logistics.
" We have formed a small
technical team (Carlton, Griffiths, McCarthy, Mills and Trewin) and we
shall be calling on others for help as needs arise. The 'call for
papers' has gone out and it's vital we get a good response to provide
scope for a strong innovative programme.
"It's a great opportunity to work together with the French team and,
with
the tremendous pool of expertise available from both chapters, we are
confident
of an outstanding event."
Anyone wishing to submit a paper should send a brief abstract to Bob
Griffiths, GKN Aerospace, Lysander Road, Yeovil, BA20 2YB. E-mail:
bob.griffiths@gknwaea.co.uk Fax: 01935 703757.
McCarthy’s Lore
UK and Eire Club Chairman, Roy McCarthy writes:
" So far 2000 has been an extremely busy year for the UK & Ireland
Chapter.
With the Conference at Cranfield successfully completed we now have our
hands
full organising the technical side of the SAMPE Europe International
Conference
2001 in Paris in April next year. There is a lot to do to put together
a well-balanced,
high quality programme and we urgently need your contributions in
response to
the 'Call for Papers'. We are also breaking new ground in international
collaboration
by working closely with the French chapter on the Conference
organisation.
"This year's Students Seminar, in November, is also a joint effort -
with
the Institute of Materials - and we hope it's just the start of a very
positive
collaboration with the IOM.
"Membership continues to grow and our UK web site is playing an
increasingly
important part in promoting the chapter. We have a strong committee but
I am
keen to see more active participation throughout the membership.
"Best regards to you all."
- Roy McCarthy -
Future Events
Exciting Programme of Meetings and Visits
Autumn brings an interesting and varied range events and activities for
the Chapter. Secretary David Carlton reports:
"We had an excellent response to the visit to DML and another good turnout at the Cranfield Conference, so our future programme is designed to keep the momentum going. There is a joint meeting with NUCC at Nottingham Univ. on 14 December 'Cost Effective Tooling & Rapid Prototyping'. Then on 17 January 2001 we have the AGM and Industry Visit at the Warwick Manufacturing Group of Warwick University's Advanced Technology Centre. The Cranfield Conference next year will be over two days and is scheduled for 6/7 June 2001. We are also planning a number of other events including a joint meeting with the CPA (Composite Processors Association) and more interesting industry visits so look out for details by post and on the web site"
Paris 2001
Conference Call
The SAMPE International Conference 2001 is being held, as usual in
conjunction with JEC, at CNIT, La Défense, Paris on 27-29 March
2001. Further details from Heidi Müller, SAMPE Europe:
jmhm@compuserve.com or fax +41 52 319 26 25.
Manufacturing Conference' Success
Third SAMPE Technology Conference at Cranfield
The UK & Ireland Chapter's Third Technology Conference
'Opportunities for Large Scale Composites Manufacturing Through
Developments in Materials, Tooling and Processing' held at Cranfield
University on 17 May 2000 was an outstanding success. Almost 60 people
attended and witnessed five excellent presentations on tooling,
infrastructure and materials for large scale applications. Derek Ness,
SP Systems, opened proceedings with a fascinating overview of a new
carbon based prepreg material for thick laminates used in large scale
applications such as wind energy blades and marine structures.
Adrian Potts, Advanced Composites, reviewed the key technical and cost issues of Invar tooling with some impressive case study data.
John Drewett of Concrete Repairs Limited demonstrated the effectiveness of repair techniques with carbon pultruded profiles on bridge structures. Sue Halliwell, Building Research Establishment, set out the case for materials characterisation and testing standardisation. And Jim Moriarty of London Underground Limited amply demonstrated the cost and time saving potential for composites in upgrading and re-lifing rail infrastructure .
Organising team leader, Andrew Mills, was delighted with the outcome. "It all went very well and the level of participation exceeded our expectations."
A two day conference is planned for June 2001.
Membership Up Again
Membership of the UK & Ireland chapter continues to grow with
another 28 new members this year taking us up to a total strength of
156. A warm welcome to all new first time members plus some 'old
hands', such as Charles Allbones (Fiberforce), Prof. Chris Rudd
(Nottingham Univ) and Eric Taylor (Carr Reinforcements) returning to
the fold.
'Desperately Seeking Students'
Research Student Seminar in London at IOM
SAMPE continues to encourage and support student activity through
sponsorship of two research students to attend the SAMPE International
Students Conference in Paris each year. This year the UK Student
Seminar, on 21 November 2000, to select the students is being held in
conjunction with the Institute of Materials. UK Student Co-ordinator,
Geoff Gould explains:
"We are working closely
with the IOM, using their research student data base, to stimulate
broader interest and generate greater participation. They have also
generously provided the venue at IOM headquarters, London. "
Last year's students, Sergio Diaz (Imperial College) and Martin Wilson
(Nottingham Univ) did very well at the 2000 competition in Paris in
April. SAMPE Europe VP, Bob Griffiths, reports: "Although they didn't
win it was very close and we congratulate both on excellent
performances. In 1999, Ben Souter (Nottingham Univ) was the best
student in Paris and won a trip to the Long Beach Conference in May
2000. " Details of the student seminar and how to take part are
available from Dr Geoff Gould, Honeywell Aerospace
geoff.gould@honeywell.com Tel: 01926 336555 Fax: 01926 337888
Members 'On the Move'
Former European President and UK Club Chairman Trevor Cook has been
appointed Managing Director of Chelton Radomes Ltd, following the
acquisition of the British Aerospace Systems radomes business by the
Cobham Group.
David Abrahams, recently of Dowty Aerospace Propellers, has joined Honda R&D Europe. Dave reports that as part of his induction he spent some time working on the production assembly line at Swindon. Look out for the special edition Civics with the large six-bladed composite propellers!
Bob Wakefield has swapped ballistics for microballoons and is now Technical Manager, Röhm Performance Plastics. Simon Delpech is the new Director of Technology at Cytec Fiberite Ltd, Wrexham, taking over from Phil Tattersall, who has recently retired.
David Bray, formerly Head of Composite Manufacturing at DERA, Farnborough, is now at RAF Cranwell, Dept of Special Ground Training.
Roy McCarthy has taken early retirement from Dowty Aero-space Propellers and is now operating as a specialist RTM consultant for a number of clients.
www.WebSiteNews.com
The Chapter web site is up and running at www.sampe.org.uk. It is
already generating new interest but we are always looking for ways to
expand it's usefulness with additional features, such as job
opportunities and student information exchange. Any ideas please
through David Carlton (sndcarlton@SEDACE.co.uk) or directly to Pete
Ives (pjives@compuserve.com).
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The UK SAMPE Diary
Students Seminar, Institute of Materials, London - 21 November 2000
European International Conference/JEC, CNIT, Paris 18-20 April 2000
'Cost Effective Tooling & rapid Prototyping', Nottingham Univ., (with NUCC) - 14 December 2000
AGM & Industry Visit to Warwick manufacturing Group, Warwick University - 17 January 2001
SAMPE Europe International Conference 2001 - 27-29 March 2001
UK SAMPE News is produced around twice a year to provide information for UK and Eire members, mainly but not exclusively, about SAMPE happenings and events in the UK and Europe. Comments and contributions are most welcome to:
Ed Trewin,
4 Rushton Close,
Balsall Common,
Coventry, CV7 7PA
Tel/Fax: 01676 534045