During this project, with the cooperation of Concordia University which has extensive knowledge in surface coatings and NanoXplore which produces Graphene, the intern will try to apply the graphene coatings on copper substrate in order to improve heat exchange in various applications. Graphene is a type of carbon material with outstanding properties. This novel material has many potential applications that can be beneficial to various industries who seek to improve the surface properties using scalable coatings.

Aluminium smelters are energy intensive and not particularly energy efficient, as most of the energy required to produce aluminium is lost along the production line. This is the reason why it is mandatory to perform a detailed analysis of the thermal wastes produced in these factories. The main objective of this project is to investigate the solutions to recover the thermal wastes and to convert them into useful power.

In a prior project, promising results were obtained showing the possibility of using graphene/polymer composites as advanced materials having superior properties than the conventional carbon black loaded polymers. The composites obtained presented electrical conductivities with values of about 10-2 S/m when the percolation threshold was exceeded, an increase of more than 12 orders of magnitude with respect to the unloaded polymer.

Nowadays, automotive companies are seeking to use prospective robust, light-weight, anti-corrosive and cost-effective composites such as fibre reinforced polymer (FRP), instead of traditional materials like steel or aluminum alloy, to make their products more competitive in the market. The sponsor company in this project, Litens Automotive Group, is investigating the feasibility of adopting FRP to manufacture high torque capacity drive pulleys.

The joint objective of the consortium is to undertake R&D necessary to produce a scalable, cost-effective combined hydrogen storage and fuel cell solution for UAV’s that addresses weight and volume and improves refueling logistics. The novel hydrogen storage system will be combined with a high-power density optimized fuel cell stack for UAV’s that integrates with the low pressure, volumetrically efficient, hydrogen storage solution.

Aero-engines are lightweight structures which are assembled of several thin walled cylindrical components (casings). Casings are joined by bolted flanges, and must withstand high forces. To accurately predict the response of casings assembly, the non-linear behavior of the casing joints must be considered. Currently, aero-engine manufacturers (i.e PWC) are facing serious limitations in matching the experimental results with FE models prediction tools of the aero-engine.

Structural and vibration analysis is performed on a proposed design change on electronic assembly to ensure that it meets customer requirements and is a more cost-effective design. Such design change should be cost efficient. The important aspect, in addition to the design, is interacting with different engineers at different positions in the company. Working with mechanical engineers and suppliers in achieving such targets and ensuring the work done is viable and on track.

Electronic assemblies are used to control various systems in an aircraft. Under normal operating conditions, these assemblies undergo vibration, and therefore have an expected life span. Different designs are analyzed to reduce production cost, and these designs have to ensure that the electronic components contained within the hardware can tolerate the same operating conditions without failure. With time continuous research projects are being conducted to produce products with the same quality and lower costs, and this is one of them.

This research project studies a specific component in the commercial aircraft engine called the squeezed film damper, or SFD. The SFD is applied to reduce the vibration of the engine rotor, which in turn reduces the noise and brings comfort to the passengers. The expected delivery from this project includes an advanced SFD model which will be used by P&WC for the simulation of engine vibration. The developed model can also be studied as the guideline for an upgraded level of SFD design.