The Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers received the Innovation Award from the French National Center for Space Studies (CNES) for the quality of its work on biocomposites in space. It also received a special mention as a new entrant to the project. Focus on the research work carried out by six students as part of an educational project, PERSEUS, supervised by Laurent Guillaumat, university professor at LAMPA.
What is the PERSEUS project?
The PERSEUS project (European University and Scientific Space Research Student Project) is an initiative of the Launchers Directorate of the French National Center for Space Studies (CNES) aimed at young people in higher education. Its objective is to promote the emergence of innovative technical solutions through industrial and educational space projects.
It's a win-win project that gives CNES an outside perspective and innovative ideas that can be implemented in their research program.
For students, this project is a challenge to come up with new ideas for the space industry.
This year, for its first participation, the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers proposed a project based on a rocket "nose cone" made of biocomposite materials.
The challenges of biocomposites in the aerospace industry
Six students designed a structure for the headdress. of Astreos micro-launcher, i.e., the tip of the rocket, which addresses sustainable development issues. "We wanted to offer a more environmentally friendly solution by using bio-based composite materials rather than synthetic fibers, which are more polluting and non-renewable." explains Simon Leduc, one of the students involved in the project. This topic of renewable structures is of great interest to CNES, which wants to use more recyclable materials in the design of its rockets.
There are many natural materials such as flax fiber, bamboo fiber, kenaf, and hemp. The challenge lies in using them in extreme conditions such as space.
"The students conducted a state-of-the-art review of existing fibers and resins in biomass (plants) by combing through the scientific literature on the subject. Their mission was to identify the right resin and fibers to use, as well as the processes for manufacturing the part, based on digital simulations. They also developed a digital model to identify the influential mechanical parameters in order to propose a viable structure," explains Laurent Guillaumat, the teacher-researcher who supervised the students.
The difficulty lies in manufacturing the biocomposite fairing so that it can withstand the stresses experienced during rocket launch.
The idea was to lay the foundation stone. There are still technological hurdles to overcome and a prototype to create, but we are proud that our initiative has received the CNES innovation award. This means that our work has convinced them and that we will continue this collaboration!
This cross-disciplinary educational project enabled students to develop a wide range of skills: mechanical engineering, digital simulation, information research and analysis, specification definition, project management, and teamwork, combining engineering work and scientific experimentation!
A project with a promising future
Other educational projects will enable students to continue their work.
Next steps: refine the digital model, refine research, and create a prototype to test the structure.
Since 2005, the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Bordeaux, followed by the campuses in Lille, Aix-en-Provence, and Angers, have been participating in the PERSEUS project. To take this further, a national agreement is currently being drawn up to continue the collaboration between Arts et Métiers CNES in order to develop research projects and thesis topics.
We rely on educational projects to advance the laboratory's research work, which is a win-win situation. At the same time, we would like to submit a research project. If we are selected, the launch could begin at the end of 2022, in which case we could hire interns in research-oriented Master's programs, or even launch a thesis! Laurent Guillaumat
Students are also interested in space through their national association, Gadz'Space. The students aim to work together on space projects in collaboration with CNES.
This first participation by the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers is therefore a first step towards new collaborations!
