Abstract
The electrification of aircraft design is a key industry aspiration to reduce Aviation’s environmental impact. However, this emerging design area has a slow pace of battery development which is extending possible timescales for suitable electric aircraft to be produced.
Addressed in this seminar, an alternative strategy would be to reduce the energy demands of future vehicles through an adoption of multifunctional materials. In particular, giving materials electro-chemical functions would offer tremendous opportunities for light weighting and innovative design for an aircraft’s energy storage needs.
Professor Emile S Greenhalgh’s presentation will introduce structural power composites, discussing the motivations for their development and some of the hurdles faced introducing this technology to the industry. The presentation will conclude by outlining potential adoption routes for this exciting technological advancement.
About the speaker
Having worked in polymeric composites for over thirty-five years, Professor Emile S Greenhalgh current research focuses on the development of multifunctional composites. He is the co-Head of The Composite Centre at Imperial College London and he has held the prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies since 2020.
About the Brahmal Institute Seminar Series
The Brahmal Vasudevan Institute for Sustainable Aviation Seminar Series hosted by the Department of Aeronautics, is a series of talks by internationally renowned individuals covering a broad range of areas including aeronautics, technology development and policymaking.