Internship position – Control of the dismantling process of laminated composites by laser shock forreuse with Structural Health Monitoring

Composite materials play a crucial role today due to their favorable strength-to-density ratio, with wide-ranging applications, notably in the aeronautic industry. Over the coming years, the European composite market is projected to grow by 7.5% annually. Additionally, within the next decade, approximately 6600 airplanes will reach their End of Life (EoL), leading to a surge in composite production and waste, posing environmental challenges.
To address these challenges, various recycling, reuse, and dismantling techniques, such as mechanical dismantling, mechanical thermal, and chemical recycling, are commonly employed. However, these traditional methods often struggle to meet quality standards, are slow, and generate environmentally harmful dust. In response, laser shock technology has emerged as a novel disassembly process that efficiently dismantles materials without causing damage, thereby facilitating component reuse.
This internship is part of a project aiming to develop an innovative and efficient composite dismantling process using laser shock technology with double and symmetrical impact configurations. After dismantling, the material will be characterized to ensure maximum preservation. Subsequently, the disassembled composite plies will be characterized to explore their effectiveness for further reuse. Additionally, to simulate the effects of end-of-life waste ageing, oxide layers will be eliminated using laser shock, followed by disassembly and analysis of undamaged
materials. By incorporating these studies into smaller-scale materials, parameters for the dismantling process on larger plates will be determined, all while utilizing an online SHM (Structural Health Monitoring).

More information on the link below.