ECOJET Project

ECOJET is a NATEP funded project to develop and further characterise a more sustainable composite material as a possible alternative to titanium in aircraft engine component manufacture. This novel and unique approach uses 100% biobased resin.

The project was set to develop a high-performance aerospace grade unidirectional carbon fibre reinforced composite material from SHD's bio-based flame-retardant resin, PS200. This material would then be optimised for high volume aerospace production in conjunction with AMRC. The industrial partner and end-user was Meggitt PLC and the applications are aero engine internal components, nacelles and electronics protection.

This project built on work from NATEP 1 and 2 calls, which enabled SHD to develop a range of bio-based flame-retardant materials, to extend the product range to the high-performance unidirectional composites required by the aerospace industry. There was no prior work worldwide in this area. This project also explored the high temperature performance of these bio-resins to exploit the possibility of using PS200 in the demanding environment of turbofan engine internal components.

During the project, SHD developed and manufactured PS200 prepreg using high performance carbon fibres. The form and characteristics were be optimised for automated layup techniques to facilitate high volume part manufacture. AMRC developed the techniques needed to manufacture engine component parts at the rate required to support the needs of the engine manufacturers. Meggitt specified the parts required and evaluate their performance against the requirements of the application.