ANTARES · Advanced Training and Research in Energy Efficient Smart Structures

Advanced Training and Research in Energy Efficient Smart Structures

Smart mechatronic structures of the future will have to be extremely energy efficient and self-powering in as many situations as possible. In addition to capabilities such as sensing and reacting to their environment in a predictable and desired manner, the next generation of smart structures will have to exhibit top class energy efficiency. In the context of the FP7 Marie Sklodowska Curie ANTARES project (Advanced Training and Research in Energy Efficient Smart Structures) a new holistic approach to the design and implementation of smart structures includes developed top notch methods for extracting and reusing as much energy available from ambient vibrations as physically possible; novel energy efficient transducers for both control and energy harvesting; and novel self-powered active control systems to reduce vibrations and noise emissions with maximum reductions in structural weight to further reduce the energy consumption. Special care was taken that the weight reductions do not impair safety and structural integrity through development of appropriate structural health monitoring methods. The ANTARES project brought together early stage researchers and experienced specialists from key players in academia and industry across Europe. The fellows were trained and supported in their phase of doctoral thesis to work innovative PhD topics as well as to receive specific education in theoretical and practical trainings. ANTARES was funded by the EC as a Marie Curie Industrial Training Network under Grant Agreement 606817 in the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) and ran over a period of 4 years (October 2014 – September 2018). The project brought together a total of 8 beneficiaries among academic institutions, industries and research centres. ANTARES academic partners are the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven), the Università di Udine (UniUD), the University of Southampton (UoS - ISVR), Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universtaet Hannover (LUH) and Universiteit Twente (UT). Industry is represented by 2 partner industries: IK4-IKERLAN and Siemens Industry Software NV (SISW, formerly known as LMS). The consortium is completed by a European Research centre: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (FhG). The project also involved 4 associated partner organisations including the Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (TUD), Electrolux Italia S.P.A., Leuven.Inc vzw and the Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk onderzoek (TNO). Together the consortium, which hosted a total of 14 fellows, promoted research, knowledge and application of innovative and advanced energy efficient smart structures. The project led to cross-fertilisation of the ideas behind various approaches for energy analysis and steered them towards the development of novel technologies, cutting - edge solutions and their application in real-life engineering cases through a close cooperation with industrial partners. Near the end of the 4-year ANTARES project, a summary report has been written on each of the ANTARES research tracks. This book collects these public domain reports, providing an insight in the theoretical development of each of the approaches studied within ANTARES and giving an assessment on their industrial applicability, on open research questions and future challenges. The authors hope that these reports may help others in tackling the substantial challenges still existing in reducing the ecological footprint of mechanical and mechatronical systems. The book is freely downloadable at https://www.fp7-antares.eu/antares-book Contact Persons: Wim Desmet – wim.desmet@kuleuven.be Bert Pluymers – bert.pluymers@kuleuven.be Project website: https://www.fp7-antares.eu/

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