Saertex is supporting the BMWi-funded research project HyFiVE – Hybrid joining technologies for connections in maritime use – in which five companies and three scientific institutions have come together to develop new technologies for maritime use. These will evaluate new and efficient adhesive-free joining technologies for applications in shipbuilding.
Lightweight construction, as a key technology for sustainable transportation solutions, is difficult to establish in shipbuilding due to inadequate joining technologies between fibre composite materials and steel. Other complicating factors are the high fire protection requirements and the lack of standards for the use of fibre composite materials for ships at sea.
Therefore, companies and institutes have joined hands in the research project HyFiVE to evaluate new and efficient adhesive-free joining technologies for different applications in shipbuilding and to develop new processes and methods. These will be verified by using demonstrators and fire tests. The aim is to meet the time and cost requirements of shipbuilding production and to strengthen the competitiveness of the industry.
In addition to administrative management, Saertex is supporting the project by providing material and engineering in the field of fire protection. The three Saertex products Leo Coated Fabric and Leo System as well as the 3D-reinforced foam SAERfoam will play a major role in this research project. All products meet the highest fire protection standards and will be used depending on the application.
Leo Coated Fabric, a Saertex fabric equipped with an active fire retardant covering layer, pyrolysis in case of fire and protects the component. The Leo system is based on a specially equipped fabric, a suitable resin system in combination with a fire protection gel coat. SAERfoam, which can be adapted on the load cases, will be used as reinforcing core material, where the mechanical strength properties can be adjusted by selecting the amount and direction of glass bridges in thickness direction.
