Design and Manufacture of Structural Composites

Dr Lee Harper has worked in the field of composite manufacturing for 15 years. He has established credible expertise in process development and numerical modelling for fibre reinforced polymer composites. His principal research interests focus on developing and modelling automated manufacturing processes for the automotive industry. He developed the Directed Carbon Fibre Pre-forming (DCFP) process, an automated technology for producing net-shaped non-woven materials. He has authored 40 peer-reviewed publications, co-supervised 12 PhD students and been PI on projects totalling £3.1m. He currently sits on the UK's Composite Leadership Forum, as part of the Technology Working Group and is a committee member for the Society for the Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering (SAMPE). Harper is also the Manager of the EPSRC Future Composites Manufacturing Research Hub, a £10.3m investment by EPSRC to develop fundamental research in composites manufacturing.

Dr Mike Clifford has worked in the field of composite materials for 20 years. His interests lie in deformation of pre-impregnated material (thermosetting and thermoplastic) during forming components, natural fibre composites and nanocomposite applications. He has authored 80 peer-reviewed publications, co-supervised 22 PhD students and been PI on projects totalling £1.2m.