Lightweight Composite Structures in Transport

Prof. James Njuguna is the Academic Strategic Lead (Research) in Composite Materials at Robert Gordon University. He holds both PhD and MSc in Aeronautical Engineering from City, University of University. Dr. Njuguna is a Fellow of The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. He is a former Marie Curie Fellow and Research Councils United Kingdom (RCUK) Fellow. He has held various academic positions at Cracow University of Technology (Poland) and Cranfield University (UK). His research interests are focused on polymer (nano)composites - their fabrication, characterisation of thermal and mechanical properties, and safe disposal.

Part One The Lightweight Philosophy: Materials Selection, Principles and Design Solutions 1 An Introduction to Lightweight Composite Materials and Their Use in Transport Structures 2 Challenges, Opportunities and Perspectives on Lightweight Composite Structures: Aerospace vs. Automotive 3 The Automotive Body Lightweighting Design Philosophy Donald Baskin, Exponent 4 Weight Opportunities on Design Stage of Composite Components To Reduce Weight During Assembly Operations Part Two Current Developments in Manufacturing Techniques for Lightweight Composite Structures in the Transport Industry 5 Cost Effective Composites Manufacturing Processes for Automotive Applications 6 Hybrid Polymer Composites for High Strain Rate Applications 7 Thermoset Resin Sandwich Structures Part Three Structural Optimization and Structural Analysis: Modelling and Simulation 8 Weight Reduction by Optimized Reinforcement Structures Part Four Durability, Damage Tolerance and Structural Integrity of Lightweight Composite Structures in Transport 9 Influence of Temperature on Mechanical Properties of Short Glass Fibre Reinforced Polyamide 6 and 66 Composites for Automotive Oil Pan Application 10 The Fatigue Behaviour of Composite Materials for High-temperature Applications 11 Flammability of Composites Part Five Case studies on lightweight composite design for transport structures 12 Composite Materials for Aerospace Propulsion Related to Air and Space Transportation 13 Sustainable Lightweight Vehicle Design: A Case Study on Eco-Material Selection for Body-In-White 14 Lightweight Design and Crash Analysis of Composites 15 Re-Manufacturing and Whole-Life Costing of Lightweight Components 16 Polymer Nanocomposite Components: A Case Study on Gears 17 Manufacture and Testing of Lightweight Tubes for Rocketry and Centrifuges