EuCIA: Design and fly an UFO and win a VIP tour to the Composites facilities of Airbus

EuCIA, the European Composites Industry Association, invites student teams all over the world to participate in a contest to build a light weight flying object. The competition will be held during the Composites Europe show, in Essen (Germany) from 23 -25 September 2008.

Composite materials are known for their high strength-to-weight ratio. Many industrial applications have been successful because of the weight reduction that can be achieved when composite materials are used. In the aerospace industry light weight is the most important criterion when selecting construction materials. Modern aircraft cannot be built anymore without the extensive use of composite materials. Designing in composites challenges engineers to find creative solutions in maximising effect at the lowest possible weight. Objects that can resist gravity give several engineering challenges within the fields of mechanics, statics, aerodynamics and material science.

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The student teams will design, build and demonstrate the flying capacities of a flying object of any shape, called the UFO. The UFO must be constructed by using composite materials as much as possible, it may not have any propulsion device and its weight is limited to a maximum of 500 grams. For steering R/C steering equipment may be built in.

There are two competition categories:

Conventional composite materials
In this category, the reinforcing fibres must be made of glass fibre, carbon fibre, aramid fibre or basalt fibre. The matrix resin may consist of unsaturated polyester or vinyl ester resins or epoxy resins.

Composite materials based on natural (CO2-neutral) raw materials
The reinforcing fibres must have a biological origin, such as flax, hemp, kenaf, jute or similar fibres. The matrix resin must be based on renewable raw materials.

The deadline for subscription to the contest is May 1st. Participation forms can be found on the website. Full details for the construction of the UFO and participation forms are available at the EuCIA website www.eucia.org/publications/news

The winning teams will be invited for a guided VIP tour in the Airbus composite production facilities in Stade (Germany).

More information under:
www.eucia.org
ab.kasper@eucia.org

European Composites Industry Association, Brussels, Belgium

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