NetComposites has announced the final programme for its latest conference, which will look at the methods for joining fibre-reinforced polymer composite components.

The conference, which is due to take place on 8th May at Warwick Manufacturing Group, Warwickshire, UK, has been split into two half day sessions. The morning session will focus on joining composites in the aerospace and automotive sectors, and the afternoon session will focus on joining composites in the construction sector. 

Fibre-reinforced polymer composites are being used by designers and specifiers alike for their light weighting properties. Inevitably, this leads to the need to join FRPs, not only onto steel or timber, but also onto other FRP components. A joint can be a structure’s weakest link and therefore is not only a potential area of failure but is essentially a source of extra weight which can lessen the initial light weighting benefits of using FRP.

The speakers and their topics are as follows:
• Multi-Material Joining: Addressing the Challenges of High Volume Manufacturing - Darren Hughes, WMG;
• Advances in Structural Adhesives - Gavin Creech, Scott Bader Company;
• Novel Lightweight Polypropylene and Hybrid Composite Structures for Automotive Applications Made Possible Using a New Thermoplastic Adhesive - Keith Fawdington, Gluco Technology;
• Electric Curing of Nanocarbon/Epoxy Adhesives for Composite Repair - Juan José Vilatela, IMDEA Materials;
• Surface Structured Bonded Composite-Metal Joints - Vincenzo Di Giandomenico, Cranfield University;
• Reformed Carbon Fibre Materials for Energy Absorbing Joints - Jamie Snudden, ACCIS, University of Bristol;
• Carbon Fibre SMC with Embedded Metal Insert for Automotive Application - Corentin Pasco, Cranfield University;
• Smart-Automotive Advanced Composite Production Technologies - Lambert E. Feher, TWI;
• Single- and Double-Lap Bolted Joints in Pultruded (GFRP) Composite Plate - Geoffrey Turvey, Lancaster University;
• Partial Factor for Bearing Failure in Bolted Connections for Pultruded Shapes - Navroop Matharu, University of Warwick;
• Minimising use of Steel Bolts in Joints of Trusses made from Pultruded GRP - Nick Maclean, Ecos Maclean;
• Analysis of the Interfacial Stresses in an FRP to Metallic Subtract Adhesive Joint Subjected to Warm Temperatures - Daryan Othman, University of Edinburgh;
• The Development of Parametric Model for Strength Prediction in Adhesively Bonded FRP Joints - Matthew Clarke, Oxford Brookes University

Registration for this event is now open with full details available on the NetComposites website.