TOSCA

Manufacturing Processes and Digital Tools for more Sustainable Composite Aerostructures.

As aerospace manufacturing faces a growing pressure to reduce emissions, carbon and glass fibre composites are being increasingly incorporated for their superior fuel efficiency and mechanical performance. However, these materials face persistent economic and technical challenges relating to recycling and manufacturing. The TOSCA project aims to address these issues by enhancing manufacturing processes and digital tools for more sustainable composite aircraft components. Winning funding worth €639k under the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, TOSCA unites a consortium of 8 European partners to achieve these ambitious goals.

The project will focus on the following key areas:

1. Epoxy Vitrimer Resins

Advantages: Epoxy vitrimer resins offer significant benefits in terms of repairability and recyclability while maintaining the strengths of conventional thermoset resins.

Development Needs: To increase the glass transition temperature (Tg) above 170°C and develop economically competitive out-of-autoclave processes for processing these new materials.

2. Inspection Systems and Health Monitoring

Automation: There is a growing need for automated documentation of parts both “as manufactured” and “as used”.

Integrated Systems: Developing integrated inspection systems and health monitoring methods to populate data structures for the digitalization of parts.

3. New Processes

Advanced Techniques: Development of lay-up techniques, particularly automated fibre placement (AFP), along with welding, repair, and re-work processes tailored for new materials.

Digital Integration: These processes must incorporate digital information from inspection systems to achieve a zero-defect manufacturing approach.

These developments will advance the use of new, sustainable materials, by providing not only the material, but also a set of zero-defect manufacturing technologies that can be used at scale for aerospace composite manufacturing. This holistic approach will mitigate some of the current challenges in processing composite structures throughout their lifecycle.

TOSCA will better the sustainability of aviation by cutting down on a range of pollutants related to CO2, manufacturing and noise. Increasing the use of carbon fibre composites will have a positive impact on aircraft fuel consumption. Simultaneously, novel resins will permit the repair, re-use or recycle of carbon fibre composite components. TOSCA aligns with targets for a 30% reduction in fuel burn and CO2 by 2035 via novel technologies.

CIDETEC’S role in the project:

CIDETEC will formulate and develop a vitrimer with Tg>>170ºC, tapes based on said vitrimer for the AFP process, and the recycling process of the composites produced by AFP, based on the swelling and reduction of the vitrimer using specific chemical agents. Also repair process will be explored together with GMI.