神马福利影片

Research led by Professor Ton Peijs of WMG at the 神马福利影片 and Professor Cees Bastiaansen at Queen Mary University of London, has devised a processing technique that can create transparent polythene film that can be stronger as aluminium but at a fraction of the weight, and which could be used use in glazing, windscreens, visors and displays in ways that add strength and resilience while reducing weight.

In a new research paper entitled Published online today - 1^st April 2019 - in the Journal Polymer, the authors show that after carefully selecting the type polythene and by tuning the temperature during the creation of oriented polythene films a balance can be created that produces a highly useful and lightweight transparent material with a significant strength and resilience approaching, and in some ways, exceeding that of metals.

Previously anyone looking to replace heavy and often brittle glasses with a transparent plastic have looked at conventional transparent plastics like polycarbonate (PC) and poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) both of which possess relatively unsatisfactory mechanical performance compared to an engineering material like aluminium.

Current methods of creating high strength plastic films such as hot-drawing of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) can lead to materials that can compete or even out-perform traditional engineering materials like metals.

鈥淭he microstructure of polymers before drawing very much resembles that of a bowl of cooked spaghetti or noodles, while after stretching or drawing the molecules become aligned in a way similar to that of uncooked spaghetti, meaning that they can carry more load鈥� explains Yunyin Lin, a PhD student in Professors Peijs and Bastiaansen鈥檚 team.

However, drawn polythene materials normally have an opaque appearance due to defects and voids introduced by the drawing process, limiting applications where both mechanical properties and optical transparency are required.

Some success has recently been achieved by using highly specific additives in hot-drawn HDPE materials that can then produce 90% transparency while giving high strength. However, the research team led by Professors Peijs and Bastiaansen have now developed a new post-manufacturing technique for HDPE that endows strength and resilience while preserving transparency without using additives.

The researchers took HDPE polythene sheets and drew out these sheets at a range of temperatures below the melting temperature of HDPE. By tuning the drawing temperature they could achieve a transparency of 90% in the visible range. However, the best balance between strength and transparency was achieved at drawing temperatures between 90 and 110 degrees centigrade.

Professor Ton Peijs of WMG at the 神马福利影片 said:

鈥淲e expect greater polymer chain mobility at these high drawing temperatures to be responsible for creating fewer defects in the drawn films, resulting in less light scattering by defects and therefore a higher clarity鈥�

The highly transparent films possess a maximum resilience or Young鈥檚 Modulus of 27 GPa and a maximum tensile strength of 800 MPa along the drawing direction, both of which are more than 10 times higher than those of PC and PMMA plastics. For comparison, aluminium has a Young鈥檚 Modulus of 69 GPa and aerospace grade aluminium alloy can have tensile strengths up to around 500 MPa. However, polythene has a density of less than 1000 kg/m³ while aluminium has a density of around 2700 kg/m³, meaning that on weight basis these high strength transparent polymer films can outperform such metals.

Professor Ton Peijs in WMG at the 神马福利影片 concludes that:

鈥淥ur results showed that a wide processing window ranging from 90 掳C to 110 掳C can be used to tailor the required balance between optical and mechanical performance. It is anticipated that these lightweight, low-cost, highly transparent, high strength and high stiffness HDPE films can be used in laminates and laminated composites, replacing or strengthening traditional inorganic or polymeric glass for applications in automotive glazing, buildings, windshields, visors, displays etc.鈥�

At 11am on Saturday 30th of March 2019, Coventry Cathedral enabled hundreds of people to gather for a special service of thanksgiving for the life of Freeman of the City of Coventry and Founding Chairman of WMG, at the 神马福利影片, Professor Lord Bhattacharyya CBE FRS FREng (Born 6th June 1940 – Died 1st March 2019).

The Right Reverend Dr Christopher Cocksworth, the Bishop of Coventry, and Coventry Cathedral Precentor and Sub-Dean the Reverend Canon David Stone welcomed Lady Bridie Bhattacharyya, Lord and Lady Bhattacharyya鈥檚 three daughters Anita, Tina and Malini, and the Lord-Lieutenant for the West Midlands and his wife Mrs Diana Crabtree, and Lord and Lady Mayoress of Coventry, as well as the rest of the congregation to the Cathedral.

The Bishop gave the address from the pulpit and the service included a number of touching tributes to the life of Professor Lord Bhattacharyya. These were led by a tribute by Miss Tina Bhattacharyya, on behalf of the family.

Other tributes were given by:

• Former Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Gordon Brown
• Councillor Abdul Khan, Deputy Leader of Coventry City Council
• Mr Ratan Tata GBE, Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, and Chairman of Tata Trusts. (Ratan Tata and Professor Lord Bhattacharyya were both made Honorary Freemen of the City of Coventry at the same ceremony in 2015).
• Mr Venu Srinivasan, Chairman and Managing Director, TVS Motor Company
• The Right Honourable the Lord Baker of Dorking CH PC, Chairman of the Baker Dearing Educational Trust, and former Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Education
• Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General of the Confederation of Indian Industry
• Dr John Ferrie CBE FREng, Member of the Council of the 神马福利影片

Later, that same day, the 神马福利影片 formally unveiled a plinth outside the new 拢150 million building on the University campus hosting the National Automotive Innovation Centre, which now proudly bears the name 鈥淭he Prof. Lord Bhattacharyya Building鈥�.

Further information:

• Lord Bhattacharyya鈥檚 family and the 神马福利影片 would like to thank the Bishop of Coventry, Coventry Cathedral, Coventry City Council, the West Midlands Combined Authority, and National Express West Midlands for their help in arranging the service of thanksgiving.
  
• There have been a great many tributes made by a wide range of leading figures to the life of Professor Lord Bhattacharyya since his passing on 1^st March 2019.
  You can see many of those tributes here: /fac/sci/wmg/about/chairman/obituary/tributes/ and you can find an obituary published by WMG and the University here /fac/sci/wmg/about/chairman/obituary/
• The following charity donation page for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has been set up for those who would like to make a contribution in memory of Lord Bhattacharyya:
  
• Lord Bhattacharyya served for four decades at Warwick, founding and leading the WMG. To commemorate his life's work, The Professor Lord Bhattacharyya Memorial Fund will create opportunities for young people to thrive, by supporting projects he was passionate about. It will provide funds to enrich the experiences of students at the 神马福利影片 and the two WMG Academies he was so proud of. In this way, he will continue to play a role in shaping how young people develop the practical and problem solving skills that transform their lives and have a lasting impact on the local and global economy. To contribute to the fund please visit

Guinness World Records have independently certified an astrolabe excavated from the wreck site of a Portuguese Armada Ship that was part of Vasco da Gama鈥檚 second voyage to India in 1502-1503 as the oldest in the world, and have separately certified a ship鈥檚 bell (dated 1498) recovered from the same wreck site also as the oldest in the world.

A gunmetal disc excavated from the wreck site of a Portuguese Armada Ship and identified as a mariner鈥檚 astrolabe – and the earliest known example - by engineers at WMG, 神马福利影片 is to be published in the

The astrolabe was discovered by David L. Mearns of Blue Water Recoveries Ltd, who directed the three-year archaeological project in collaboration with Oman鈥檚 Ministry of Heritage and Culture

It has been named the Sodr茅 astrolabe after the commander of the ship in which it was found: Vicente Sodr茅 was the maternal uncle of Vasco da Gama and died when his ship, the Esmeralda, wrecked on the remote Omani Island of Al Hallaniyah in 1503.

It will be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest mariner鈥檚 astrolabe from as early as 1496

The scientific process of verifying the disc as an astrolabe by laser imaging is described in a paper published today by Mearns and Jason Warnett and Mark Williams of WMG at the 神马福利影片 in

The Sodr茅 astrolabe which has made it into the Guinness Book of World Records is believed to have been made between 1496 and 1501 and is unique in comparison to all other mariner鈥檚 astrolabes.

Mariner鈥檚 Astrolabes were used for navigating at sea by early explorers, most notably the Portuguese and Spanish.

They are considered to be the rarest and most prized of artefacts to be found on ancient shipwrecks and only 104 examples are known to exist in the world.

They were first used at sea on a Portuguese voyage down the west coast of Africa in 1481. Thereafter, astrolabes were relied on for navigation during the most important explorations of the late 15^th century, including those led by Bartolomeu Dias, Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama.

It is the only solid disk type astrolabe with a verifiable provenance and the only specimen decorated with a national symbol: the royal coat of arms of Portugal.

As the earliest verifiable mariner鈥檚 astrolabe it fills a chronological gap in the development of these iconic instruments and is believed to be a transitional instrument between the classic planispheric astrolabe and the open-wheel type astrolabe that came into use sometime before 1517.

The thin 175 mm diameter disk weighing 344 grams was analysed by a team from WMG who travelled to Muscat, Oman in November 2016 to collect laser scans of a selection of the most important artefacts recovered from  

Using a portable 7-axis Nikon laser scanner, capable of collecting over 50,000 points per second at an accuracy of 60 microns, a 3D virtual model of the artefact was created. Analysis of the results revealed a series of 18 scale marks spaced at uniform intervals along the limb of the disk.

Further analysis by WMG engineers showed that the spacing of the scale marks was equivalent to 5-degree intervals. This was critical evidence that allowed independent experts at Texas A&M University to include the disk in their global inventory as the earliest known mariner鈥檚 astrolabe discovered to date.

Prof Mark Williams from WMG, 神马福利影片 comments:

鈥淯sing this 3D scanning technology has enabled us to confirm the identity of the earliest known astrolabe, from this historians and scientists can determine more about history and how ships navigated.

Technology like this betters our understanding of how the disc would have worked back in the 15^th century. Using technology normally applied within engineering projects to help shed insight into such a valuable artefact was a real privilege鈥�

David Mearns of Blue Water Recoveries Ltd comments:

鈥淲ithout the laser scanning work performed by WMG we would never have known that the scale marks, which were invisible to the naked eye, existed. Their analysis proved beyond doubt that the disk was a mariner鈥檚 astrolabe. This has allowed us to confidently place the Sodr茅 astrolabe in its correct chronological position and propose it to be an important transitional instrument.鈥�

Engineers and researchers at WMG, 神马福利影片, are working alongside Transport Design International (TDI), based in Stratford, to develop a battery-powered, lightweight, rail-based vehicle to operate in Coventry.

The WMG team, including engineers Darren Hughes and Andrew McGordon, are using their automotive engineering and battery expertise to assist TDI with the design of the vehicle for Coventry City Council, and now have a 3D simulation of the vehicle.

The vehicle will be battery-powered with the long term objective that it will become an autonomous vehicle, allowing more vehicles to operate intelligently and efficiently to meet passenger demand.

It will hold 50 passengers, and the longer term aim is that it will work like the London Underground system, where there is no timetable and people can hop on and off.

The vehicle will be a lightweight design using multiple materials including aluminium, steel and composites.

Due to being battery-powered there will be no overhead power supply which is both costly and has a negative impact to the city-scape. This feature provides future flexibility for operating on other non-electrified routes.

The first-of-a-kind design is available to view in 3D via WMG鈥檚 visualisation suite and the first test vehicle will be manufactured by mid-2020. TDI have partnered with Coventry-based Company RDM who will manufacture the vehicle once the design is complete.

A team of experts are also working to develop a new track system.

The Government鈥檚 Local Growth Fund through the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) has contributed 拢2.46 million towards phase one of the research and design of the prototype and 拢12.2 million has been secured from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Devolution Deal to undertake the research and development required to prove the VLR concept.

The WMCA has also allocated specialist resource from Transport for West Midlands to provide technical support, advice and guidance to the project team as the scheme develops.

Dr Darren Hughes, WMG, 神马福利影片 comments:

鈥淭he Coventry light-rail system will be innovative in bringing together technologies from a number of sectors to deliver a low-cost environmentally-sustainable public transport solution for the City of Coventry. Seeing the 3D simulation and envisaging how it will look within Coventry makes us look forward to building the first vehicle that will be ready for testing at a test track facility during 2020.鈥�

Councillor Jim O鈥橞oyle, cabinet member for jobs and regeneration, comments:

鈥淰ery Light rail is a fantastic innovation and it has the potential to transform the way people travel. It will be much more affordable to install than traditional trams, take up far less road space, be able to run alongside traffic and our ultimate aim is that it doesn鈥檛 require a driver so it can be a frequent service.

鈥淐oventry has a rich traditional of vehicle manufacturing and now we are leading the way in future transport too. This Very Light Rail work, combined with our work on driverless and connected cars puts us right at the forefront of creating new, ground breaking solutions for future transport needs. They will be safer and more environmentally friendly and I hope go on to provide good job opportunities for local people too.鈥�

Jonathan Browning, chair of the CWLEP, comments:

鈥淐oventry and Warwickshire is at the forefront of battery technology and this exciting scheme emphasises our skills at leading the way in innovation.

鈥淭his new technology will bring more jobs and investment to Coventry and Warwickshire and it underlines the value of partnership working to boost the area鈥檚 economy.

鈥淚t is great news that the prototype of the Very Light Rail vehicle will be built ahead of Coventry being UK City of Culture in 2021 when the area鈥檚 profile will be boosted on a global stage.鈥�

WMG Research Fellow, Sid-Ali Amamra, has been selected to present his work at the prestigious event on Wednesday 13^th March.

The event takes place at Westminster with around 100 MPs in attendance to hear more about the current science, engineering and mathematics research by early-stage and early-career researchers in the UK.

Sid-Ali works within WMG鈥檚 Intelligent Vehicles research team focusing on the advanced energy management systems for electrical networks and power systems integrating plug-in electric vehicle with Li-ion battery technologies.

Sid-Ali鈥檚 poster on research about the Vehicle-To-Grid (V2G) technology supervision using internet of things (IoT) will be judged against dozens of other scientists鈥� research in the only national competition of its kind. He was shortlisted from hundreds of applicants to appear in Parliament.

Sid-Ali explains: 鈥淚 feel happy to present WMG at this event. It is a fantastic opportunity for me to communicate my research to an interesting audience and to present the high impact of my project for helping government to reach the net-zero emissions UK鈥檚 target in near future.

鈥淚t gives me a chance to go to Parliament and be in the company of MPs, policymakers and key figures, as well as others researchers from around the country. At STEM for BRITAIN, I want to explain the promising results of using V2G technology to help achieve the UK鈥檚 zero emission target.鈥�

, Chairman of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, said:

鈥淭his annual competition is an important date in the parliamentary calendar because it gives MPs an opportunity to speak to a wide range of the country鈥檚 best young researchers.

鈥淭hese early career engineers, mathematicians and scientists are the architects of our future and STEM for BRITAIN is politicians鈥� best opportunity to meet them and understand their work.鈥�

Sid-Ali鈥檚 research has been entered into the engineering session of the competition, which will end in a gold, silver and bronze prize-giving ceremony.

Judged by leading academics, the gold medalist receives 拢2,000, while silver and bronze receive 拢1,250 and 拢750 respectively.

The Parliamentary and Scientific Committee runs the event in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Institute of Physics, the Royal Society of Biology, The Physiological Society and the Council for the Mathematical Sciences, with financial support from the Clay Mathematics Institute, United Kingdom Research and Innovation, WMG, Society of Chemical Industry, the Nutrition Society, Institute of Biomedical Science, the Heilbronn Institute for Mathematical Research and the Comino Foundation.

WMG is proud to be sponsoring the Engineering section for the third year.

Find out more about STEM for Britain .

PROFESSOR LORD KUMAR BHATTACHARYYA Kt, CBE, FRS, FREng, Regius Professor of Manufacturing

6^th JUNE 1940 – 1^st MARCH 2019

Early Years
Professor Lord Bhattacharyya鈥檚 long and highly accomplished career in engineering and manufacturing began with his studies in Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur. He was awarded his Bachelor of Technology (BTech) degree by Kharagpur in 1960.

In 1961 he came to the UK to serve a six year graduate apprenticeship at Lucas Industries. This was followed by further studies and research at the University of Birmingham earning him a Master of Science (MSc) degree in engineering production and management, followed by a PhD in engineering production in 1970.

Lucas and the University of Birmingham clearly saw something special as he was quickly awarded a Lucas Fellowship at Birmingham. However, his acumen and ability soon became known to a great many other people. This included Lord (then just plain Jack) Butterworth who in 1980 persuaded him to move to the 神马福利影片 to found and lead what was to become WMG (formerly Warwick Manufacturing Group).

The range of people seeing something special in Kumar was not confined to his professional life, in 1981 he married Brigid Carmel Rabbitt, known to all as Bridie and together they set about restoring their home.

Just a few short years after WMG鈥檚 foundation the leadership of the embattled Austin Rover group, at British Leyland, turned to Lord Bhattacharyya and his new team for advice on adapting and innovating automotive design and professional development.

Read more here.

It is with the deepest regret that we report that Professor Lord Bhattacharyya, Chairman of WMG at the 神马福利影片, passed away on Friday 1^st March after a short illness. His passing was peaceful and he was with his family, who are in our thoughts and prayers.

Sir David Normington, Chair of Council and Pro-Chancellor of 神马福利影片 said:

鈥淟ong before I joined the 神马福利影片 Council, I knew of Professor Lord Bhattacharyya as an adviser to successive Prime Ministers and Secretaries of State and a tireless advocate for UK manufacturing industry. Then, as Chair of Council I had the great good fortune to see close up his extraordinary commitment to 神马福利影片, to Coventry and the West Midlands and to UK plc.

鈥淗e was a force of nature. He pushed at boundaries, he changed lives, he created jobs, and he set the standard for how universities should work with industry. Most of all, for so many of us, he was also a kind and generous friend. We shall miss him terribly but here at Warwick he will remain our inspiration for many years to come.

鈥淲e send our love and deep condolences to Bridie and his family.鈥�

Warwick鈥檚 Vice-Chancellor Professor Stuart Croft said:

鈥淧rofessor Lord Bhattacharyya served for four decades at Warwick founding and leading WMG. However his service goes far beyond this University. The achievements of WMG, particularly his own wisdom, passion, and advocacy of the importance of manufacturing, technology, research teaching, and training has helped guide regional, national and international leaders, business figures and policy makers. He has helped preserve and create jobs and transform companies, economies, and individual lives, above all in our region. We mourn the passing of a unique man but we also celebrate all that he has achieved and are thankful that those achievements will have a massive impact for years to come.鈥�

The University will post a longer tribute to his life and achievements in the coming days. Professor Lord Bhattacharyya's life touched so many people who we know will want to show their respects and commemorate his life and achievements. We therefore envisage that there will be a memorial event in due course and we publish the arrangements when they are available.

It was Professor Lord Bhattacharyya鈥檚 wish that the University ask Professor David Mullins to become the Acting Head of WMG and he has accepted that role. Professor Mullins said:

鈥淚t has been a great honour and privilege to have worked so closely with Professor Lord Bhattacharyya for over 20 years. At this sad time, we are all focused on growing the amazing organisation for research, education and impact that he created for national and international benefit.鈥�

Please find his full obituary here...

Ways to reduce social inequality in the West Midlands and boost productivity will be researched thanks to an 拢800,000 research project, led by Warwick Business School with WMG at the 神马福利影片, and City-REDI at the University of Birmingham.

WMG and Warwick Business School from the 神马福利影片 and City-REDI at the University of Birmingham will examine the factors that constrain firm-level innovation and productivity across the region, with a particular focus on the role of skills shortages, the importance of supply chains and impacts of foreign direct investment.

They will also work in collaboration with regional stakeholders, including the West Midlands Combined Authority, the Midlands Engine, five Local Enterprise Partnerships and private sector firms including Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin. More widely, the project will connect with the CBI - building on their recent productivity work- the Chambers of Commerce, TUC and Unite.

As well as contributing to the local industrial strategy the research team will examine trade-offs between policies and practices which target improvements in productivity against other development goals.

In particular, understanding how productivity improvements and related policies can contribute to inclusive growth which reduces inequalities within and across regions, or heighten such inequalities is a central aim of the research.

Professor Nigel Driffield, the leader of the project from WBS, 神马福利影片 said:

鈥淭his is an exciting project that will look to feed into the region鈥檚 industrial strategy. The West Midlands is known as the manufacturing hub of the UK, but it needs to build on this reputation, attracting more investment and more jobs to the area, particularly with the threat of Brexit looming.

"This project has three stands: researching regional Differences, skills and inclusive growth, plus investigating investment decisions, foreign investment and trade; and finally evaluating analytics enabled supply chains and operational productivity.鈥�

Professor Janet Godsell of WMG, 神马福利影片 comments:

鈥淔or over 25 years it has been recognised that supply chains compete and not individual companies, but the focus has remained on company productivity.

"This project provides an opportunity to create a step change in productivity, by working with end-to-end supply chains supporting the regions automotive and infrastructure sectors, to improve end-to-end supply chain productivity.鈥�

Director of City-REDI and project lead for Birmingham, Professor Simon Collinson, said:

鈥淚 am very pleased to be working with our partners at Warwick University on a project that is so critical to the future economic well-being of the region. The UK lags behind other countries in terms of average productivity and the West Midlands lags behind the UK average.

"But we cannot focus on productivity in isolation of other challenges. By contributing to a reduction in social inequality, alongside promoting economic growth, we are continuing the legacy of the University of Birmingham as a long-standing anchor institution in the Birmingham city-region.鈥�

Professor Anne Green from City-REDI said:

鈥淭he foci of the research at City-REDI on skills and inclusive growth issues is in line with key concerns with regional policy makers.鈥�

Primary school children from three TSSMAT (The Small Schools Multi-Academy Trust) schools from Staffordshire will be building and racing their own Greenpower Formula Goblin electric cars with support from WMG at the 神马福利影片. All three schools will compete at a national Greenpower race-day event in June.

Children in years 5 and 6 at The Howard Primary School in Elford and St Mary鈥檚 CofE Primary in Colton will join pupils at The Richard Crosse School in Kings Bromley in this challenge, building on the successful launch of the initiative at Richard Crosse in 2018.

The children, aged 9-11, began assembling their cars from a kit of parts received back in January. When the kit is complete they will design and construct bespoke bodywork for their cars before moving on to driver training in the school playgrounds to ensure they are fully prepared for race day in the summer term.

The project embodies key practical engineering skills, working together as a team, and writing up their progress in their individual project portfolios to earn Greenpower STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) awards from the AQA examination board.

Each school team also produces regular video diary updates to share their progress online with peers, siblings, parents and the wider community. Their Twitter handles are @StMarysRacing, @TheHowardRacing and @RCrosseRacing.

Formula Goblin is one of a series of age-graded motor-racing challenges set up by the to address the skills gap that is growing in the UK automotive industry. It is designed to engage students with maths, science and design technology, at early age and promoting equality and team working regardless of economic background or gender. The project aims to raise pupils鈥� awareness and enjoyment of STEM subjects and inspire them to consider STEM careers in their future.

This year TSSMAT wanted to expand the project across more of their schools to create a larger local community of budding young engineers. The project is funded by the UK Advanced Propulsion Centre, a government body established to support and promote the development of next generation automotive technology here in the UK. Direct support for the schools is delivered by WMG at The 神马福利影片 who are a member of the APC鈥檚 higher-education spoke community.

Dr Antony Allen from WMG who will be working closely with the schools comments:

鈥淚t鈥檚 fantastic to expand this project to two more schools within TSSMAT. One of the best aspects of my role here at WMG is the wonderful experience of working with future engineers of all ages, from my post-graduate Warwick automotive students through to excited year 5 and 6 pupils at our local primary schools. It鈥檚 a very rewarding experience for everyone involved鈥�

Executive head teacher of the trust, Mr Paul Lovern, comments:

鈥淚 am thrilled that once again, The Small Schools Multi Academy Trust is involved in the Greenpower initiative.

鈥淭he children at all three schools have been inspired to take part and develop their engineering skills. This project embraces so many areas of the curriculum and demonstrates a curriculum that is enriching, at its best! I hope that from the 鈥榞reen shoots鈥� that are emerging, the children are inspired to become engineers of the future.

鈥淚 look forward to Race Day, however I will have to remain very neutral with regards to who becomes the overall winning school!鈥�

A smart, green and clean steel industry will come a giant step closer thanks to a new 拢35 million research network, announced today, which will see steelmakers and University experts work together on a seven-year research programme to transform the UK steel sector.

The network, called SUSTAIN, is to transform the whole steel supply chain, making it cleaner, greener and smarter, and more responsive to the fast-changing needs of customers. Its work will be concentrated on two areas:

路 Zero waste iron and steelmaking, with the aim of making the industry carbon-neutral by 2040: Steel is already the world鈥檚 most recycled material, but the network will investigate new ways of making the industry鈥檚 processes and products even greener, such as harvesting untapped energy sources, capturing carbon emissions and re-processing societal and industrial waste streams.

路 Smart steel processing: like any 21^st century industry, steelmaking involves masses of data. SUSTAIN will develop new ways of acquiring and using this data to improve the steels produced as well as in new metallurgical processes, which can deliver bespoke high tech products.

Steel is the most widely-used structural material in the world. If a product isn鈥檛 made of steel it鈥檚 made using steel. Steel is at the heart of UK manufacturing sectors such as the car industry, construction, packaging and defence. It is an indispensable component of the UK鈥檚 future national infrastructure such as transport, communications and energy, and for high-tech 21st century industries, from energy-positive buildings to wind turbines and electric vehicles.

The work of SUSTAIN is projected to:

- Double UK steel manufacturers鈥� gross value added (GVA) by 2030

- Boost jobs in the industry to 35,000

- Increase productivity by 15%

SUSTAIN involves more than twenty partners across the UK steel industry: companies, trade bodies, research organisations and academic experts including WMG, 神马福利影片. The network is being supported by 拢12.5M investment from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, as one of their Future Manufacturing Research Hubs, along with significant investment from the steel companies within the UK.

The announcement is a landmark as it is the first time that UK steel producers and representatives from the manufacturing sector have lined up behind a co-ordinated programme of research. It is also the largest ever single investment in steel research by a UK research council.

The plan is that SUSTAIN will be a seed from which much wider research and innovation will grow, drawing on expertise across UK academia and beyond.

Professor Claire Davis, from WMG, 神马福利影片 comments: 鈥淭he UK has a rich tradition of research excellence and innovation in steel metallurgy. SUSTAIN will bring together leading research groups in this area, as well as introducing new expertise in big data and supply chain innovation, to work collaboratively with the UK industry.

The network will be able to tackle the large issues facing the steel industry, particularly in becoming low energy, carbon neutral, dynamic and responsive to customer needs. It is an exciting time to be working on steel as there are opportunities to contribute to making the planet a greener place.鈥�

Dr Cameron Pleydell-Pearce, steel expert at Swansea University and SUSTAIN鈥檚 deputy director, said: 鈥淭his news is a massive vote of confidence in the steel industry. It will support the industry鈥檚 vision for a responsible, innovative and creative future. We are already on the road to clean, green and smart steelmaking, but this is another giant step forward.

Research and innovation are the bedrock of a modern steel industry. This network represents almost the whole UK steel sector, with researchers and companies working together on an unprecedented scale. Here in Swansea we鈥檙e proud to lead it.鈥�

Gareth Stace, UK Steel Director General, said: "This new boost of innovation funding into the sector is a vital piece of the puzzle to help deliver our vision of a cutting-edge, vibrant, and sustainable steel industry in the UK.

The future success of our sector rests on our ability to remain at the forefront of product and process innovation, delivering the new steel products demanded by our customers and society. This new hub will enable us to do just that.鈥�