External Events

The development of multifunctional armour in response to a changing need.

Venue: Armourers and Brasiers’ Company, Armourers’ Hall, 81 Coleman Street, London, EC2R 5BJ

Organised by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining

Supported by the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers and the Institute of Mechanical Engineers

This one day conference to be held at the prestigious Armourers’ Hall, home of the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers in London, will look at the use of materials technology applied to the growing and developing field of personal and vehicle armour systems.

Armour developments and requirements have played an important role in the development of materials and their properties over the past few hundred years, but today the challenge is equally to incorporate any new advances in materials technology into increasingly sophisticated and tailored armour systems.

Personal and vehicle armour of today is required to provide the soldier or police officer with a system to protect him from the ballistic threat and from the equally fatal Behind Armour Blunt Trauma (BABT), but also from the threat of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attack. In addition, personal armour needs to provide the ability to communicate vital information to the commander in charge, and ultimately it may be required to autonomously administer pain relief and medication. These sophisticated requirements necessitate the development of integrated, multifunctional and smart armour, which is lightweight and can be used in a variety of temperatures and conditions.

This conference will aim to give a brief overview of the materials developments of the past, and the technologies that are being developed to address these important issues today and in the future.

Welcome to Armourers’ Hall by the Master, Professor William Bonfield

09:45 Chairman’s Welcome and Introduction: Professor Ian Horsfall, University of Cranfield

Session 1: Scene Setter

09:50 KEYNOTE 1: Armour of the Past, from Leather to Steel, Robert Smith, Independent Consultant

10:30 KEYNOTE 2: Armour Systems of the Present and Challenges for the Future, Dr Bryn James, DSTL Porton Down

11:10 Refreshments

Session 2: Conventional Materials Developments for Armour

11.30 Composite Developments in Armour, Roger Medwell, CEO NP Aerospace

11:50 Magnesium Armour Plate Development, Dr Tim Wilks, Magnesium Elektron

12:10 Testing the Ballistic Performance of Titanium, Professor Malcolm Ward Close, QinetiQ

12:30 Use of Ceramics in Armour, Colin Roberson, Advanced Defence Materials

12:50 Questions to speakers

13:10 Lunch

Session 3: New Materials and Technologies

14:00 Police Body Armour, the Problem and the Solution, Paul Fenne, Metropolitan Police Technology Group

14:30 Use of Carbon Nanotubes in Armour Applications, Alan Windle, University of Cambridge

15:00 Multifunctional Uses of Auxetic Materials in Armour Systems, Professor Andrew Alderson, Centre for Materials Research and Innovation, University of Bolton

15:30 Refreshments

Session 4: The Future

15:50 The EPIDARM Project (The European Defence Agency’s European Protective Individual Defence ARMour Project), Ludovic Ouvry, Société OUVRY, Lyon, France

16:20 Systematic Approach to Armour Development Using TRIZ, Darrell Mann, Systematic Innovation

16:50 Wrap Up and Close

Online registration for this event is available via the conference website www.iom3.org/events/armour. Poster contributions are also welcome.

Bursaries will be available for this event.

Member discounts for members of IOM3, IMechE and member of the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers will be available.

For more information please contact Dawn Bonfield on dawn.bonfield@iom3.org

This one day workshop aimed at the younger scientist and engineer will concentrate on communication skills, career development, proposal writing, how to gain professional qualifications, dealing with the media, mentoring, and becoming a scientific ambassador. A great day for meeting and networking with fellow professionals, learning how to make the IOM3 work for you, and visiting the IOM3/MADE Materials Resource Centre.

Vehicle manufacturers are facing many challenges in achieving environmental requirements as determined by legislators whilst at the same time meeting the aspirations of their customers. The legislators have targets for fuel economy, exhaust emissions, the use of biofuels and vehicle recyclability that have to be met. Consumers, meanwhile, wish to benefit from increased engine durability, improved vehicle performance, reduced cost of ownership and higher levels of vehicle refinement. These sometimes conflicting requirements have led to improved engine efficiencies, the development of hybrid vehicles, the use of novel materials and surface treatments, the need for compatibility with changing fuel specifications and biofuels, extended lubricant drain intervals and new developments in exhaust after-treatment systems. The continued development of underpinning technologies that encompass surface engineering, tribology, materials science and lubricant chemistry will be essential for vehicle manufacturers to make further progress in these areas.

• Materials for engine and driveline components, including surface coatings and treatments for reduced emissions and increased durability
• Lubricant formulation technology for extended drain intervals, environmental acceptability and compatibility with novel materials and fuels
• Technology requirements for engines and drivelines in hybrid vehicles
• Grease technology to meet legislative requirements and increasing operational stress
• The compatibility of exhaust after-treatment systems with lubricant formulation chemistries
• The optimisation of the performance of surface coatings and treatments through the development of novel lubrication chemistries

This conference will bring together those from industry, government and academia who are concerned with research, development and design in automotive powertrains and associated technologies. It will provide a multidisciplinary forum with significant networking opportunities for automotive engineers, materials technologists, lubricant scientists, surface chemists, system designers and modellers.

For more information contact Lisa Rist:
t: +44 (0)20 7973 1242

Thermal spraying and surface engineering requires the management of a wide range of factors with potential for impact on the environment. For example, thermal spraying may produce particulate emissions from abrasive blast substrate preparation and molten metal deposition, solvent emissions from degreasing and painting and gas evolution from spraying processes.

In this conference, several aspects of managing particulate emissions in the thermal spray industry will be considered including developments in filtration, real time monitoring of particulate emissions and reducing particulate emissions. The environmental impact of thermal spray gases will also be discussed.

An important development with potential consequences throughout surface engineering came into force in June 2007. REACH, the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals Regulations will start to bite June 2008 and may result in some substances being withdrawn from the European market. The withdrawal of chemicals or alloys will arise either due to regulatory action or commercial considerations, as the cost of substances rise.

REACH has the potential to impact downstream users of substances whether they are used on their own (like acids or solvents) in preparations (like paints, NDT developers, or alloys) or in articles (such as components, assemblies or whole products). A presentation from Rolls Royce will clarify the business risks, and pinpoint the actions you need to take now for business continuity.

The old criteria of formulating a paint to give optimum balance of performance and cost must now be closely matched with the impact that the paint will have on the environment. A presentation will highlight factors that must be now considered including sustainability of raw materials, toxicology profiles of the raw materials and finished products, together with the health and safety implications of manufacture, application, waste disposal and removal of coatings at the end of their lifetime.

A review of recent progress in relevant waste management legislation including the Landfill Directive and Hazardous Waste Regulations will also be presented.