Advanced Polymers and Composites Research Group (APC)

male hands hold small solid square panel which is made from materials including plant waste

Research and development of sustainable composites and their applications

We develop, test and characterise polymers and composites for use in product development and manufacturing

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Our activities include research and development into design, creation and testing of polymers and composite materials, and analysing their effectiveness. We also investigate modelling, 3-D printing and structural integrity of sustainable biocomposites.

Our research informs teaching and knowledge transfer activities in the School of Mechanical and Design Engineering and Faculty of Technology. We contribute to the international research profile of the University of Portsmouth through high-quality publications and participations.

Our mission is to build modern work in advanced materials and manufacturing, through collaborative partnerships with industry and other partners.

Research

Advanced composites application driven areas

Composite materials (natural fibre composites and biocomposites for light weight applications)
Conventional composites and nanocomposites
Polymers/plastics (thermosets and thermoplastics)
Composite manufacturing (aimed at exploring the link between materials, process and performance)
Additive manufacturing (Design and rapid prototyping, 3D printing of polymers and composites)
Lean manufacturing

The APC research group has well-equipped laboratories with facilities for R&D in advanced polymers and composites. The activities we undertake range from short-term consultancy works to medium-to-long-term research and knowledge transfer projects.

The FLOWER Project

We're working with partner organisations in the UK and France on an innovative research project to develop natural fibre composites that are a viable alternative to the non-recyclable fibreglass products widely used in the automotive and marine industries.

Find out more.

Facilities and capabilities

Nano-testing (indentation, scratching and impact)
Thermal characterisation (MDSC, DSC, TGA, TMA, DMA, laser flash and hot- wire thermal conductivities)
Materials/Mechanical testing (tensile, compression and flexural test at low and elevated temperatures, pendulum, falling weight and ballistic test impact and
hardness)
Durability testing (thermal, chemical, moisture, UV and hygrothermal degradation test)
Surface properties test (contact angle, surface tension and surface topography)
Structural integrity evaluation (electronic shearography, C-scan, ARAMIS and CT-scan)
Manufacturing (vacuum bagging, compression moulding, injection moulding, thermoforming and RTM)
Finite element analysis of engineering and biomedical systems, materials failure, damage and manufacturing processes
Machining of materials, such as conventional and non-conventional drillings, waterjet cutting, among others
Modelling (analytical and numerical) and simulation of artificial hip and knee joints, materials failure, damage and manufacturing processes
Fatigue/fracture, creep and oxidation at elevated temperature

Publications

Economic appraisal of shale gas reservoirs

Mr Michael Kenomore, Dr Mohamed Hassan Sayed, Dr Hom Dhakal & Dr Amjad Shah 12 Jun 2018 SPE Europec featured at 80th EAGE Conference and Exhibition, 11-14 June, Copenhagen, Denmark. Society of Petroleum Engineers, SPE-190824-MS

Shale gas production decline trend over time in the Barnett Shale

Mr Michael Kenomore, Dr Mohamed Hassan Sayed, Dr Reza Malakooti, Dr Hom Dhakal & Dr Amjad Shah Jun 2018 In : Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering. 165, p. 691-710

Investigation of impact damage characteristics in natural fibre composite laminates using novel micro CT imaging techniques

Barouni, A. K. & Dr Hom Dhakal 6 Feb 2018 1st International Conference on Health Monitoring of Civil & Maritime Structures: HeaMES 2018. ASRANet Ltd, p. 62-70

Investigation into Mode II interlaminar fracture toughness characteristics of flax/basalt reinforced vinyl ester hybrid composites

Almansour, F. A., Dr Hom Dhakal & Dr Zhong Yi Zhang 18 Jan 2018 In : Composites Science and Technology. 154, p. 117-127

The post-impact response of flax/ UP composite laminates under low velocity impact loading

Dr Hom Dhakal, Ghasemnejad, H., Dr Zhong Yi Zhang, Ismail, S. O. & Arumugam, V. 8 Jan 2018 17 p.

Philosophical study on composites and their drilling techniques

Dr Hom Dhakal & Ismail, S. O. 2018 Functional biopolymers. Thakur, V. K. & Thakur, M. K. (eds.). Springer, p. 239-280 (Springer Series on Polymer and Composite Materials)