UU Designer To Develop New Sustainable Materials

A University of Ulster designer is creating super strong materials that could help revolutionise the construction industry and has succeeded in a national competition funding to support her work.

Dr Julie Soden, a lecturer in constructed textile design and a member of the University's Art and Design Research Institute, is using 3D weaving techniques to develop load-bearing materials for the transport and construction industries.

Dr Soden has been awarded funding of £391,000 from the prestigious Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) - the highest research award ever made to an individual academic in the School of Art and Design from that source.

"The two-year project exploits cross-discipline research, traditionally associated with the aerospace industry, between technical textiles and engineering," explains Dr Soden. "The research focuses on the development of structural, load-bearing materials using natural yarns and resins from plant-derived renewable resources to create a new class of eco-composite material.


"Using 3D woven fabric as the lynchpin, the research combines the design of complex fabric architectures, with advanced fabric reinforced plastics technology pioneered at the University's Engineering Composites Research Centre.

"These new super strong materials can be designed to fit specific areas and will perform much better than laminated structures used at present. Before long, they could be in the wall, under the road, above your head without even knowing it."

Professor Kerstin Mey, Director of the art and Design Research Institute added: "Dr Soden’s award is a great achievement that recognises her capacity for innovation in sustainable material development and confirms and expands the excellence of research in the area of technical textiles in the Art and Design Research Institute."

She concluded: "In the longer term, this research project has the potential to make a significant contribution to the economy of Northern Ireland. It will also offer new opportunities for collaboration in the region and internationally."

(JM)