Innovation Eco-system to Accelerate the Industrial Uptake
of Advanced Surface Nano-Technologies
Key Enabling Technologies (KET´s) deployment will be the driving force for a significant part of the goods and services that will be available in the market in the next decade. Amongst KET´s, nano-enabled surfaces and membranes must be highlighted due to their huge potential to offer material solutions to address Sustainable Development Goals resulting in positive and sound impacts for the society and key industrial sectors. The NewSkin project aims to create an Open Innovation Test Bed (OITB), a new legal entity which will provide the European Innovation Ecosystem with the necessary technologies, resources and services to uptake a set of game changing, efficient and cost- effective innovative processes to manufacture nano-enabled industrial and consumer products as well as the necessary testing capabilities to demonstrate nano-enhanced goods features.
The Consortium is coordinated by ECCS.
The NewSkin innovative manufacturing up-scaling and testing facilities will provide the Innovation Ecosystem the necessary tools to create and validate to TRL7 and higher(system prototype demonstration in operational environment) new technologies to meet the challenges of key European Industries such as Steel , Ceramics, Transport, Water Treatment and the General industry.
During the first two years of project, the NewSkin Consortium will work in the creation of the OITB structure, the Innovation Ecosystem engagement, the upgrade of the testing and pilot plant facilities and the generation of value proposition for the target industries. Once the OITB structure is created and the value proposition validated by the implementation of 4 Show cases by month 24, the OITB will start the services provision according to the defined value proposition. For two years NewSkin services will be available under payment scheme and on free basis in 4 competitive calls that will be evaluated on six months basis. After the conclusion of the forth call, the OITB will act as a self-sustainable entity that generates revenues open access services and fair pricing conditions.
NewSkin will impact the Steel Construction Industry in four different areas:
- Newskin will transfer the Steel Industry novel nano-technologies that will allow to reach and demonstrate new levels of performance and durability (ice, fouling, corrosion, wear and fire resistance) under combined stresses in harsh environments and extreme industrial conditions.
- Advanced continuous processes will be also transferred to the Steel Industry for the production of functional surfaces on steel cladding, envelopes, structures and components.
- NewSkin will transfer the Innovation Ecosystem high performance nano-coatings and structures for steel drilling, machining and cutting machine tooling and components increasing processes efficiency, reducing costs and environmental impacts as well as avoiding the lines shutdowns and major equipment failures.
- Highly efficient water treatment technologies to recycle and reuse of cutting fluids and other steelwork related effluents.
NewSkin nano-enabled surfaces and membranes technological portfolio includes:
- The complete set of processes for the large-scale manufacturing of graphene nano-enabled membranes (from continuous graphene production to nano-pore creation and functionalization as well as testing facilities).
- Continuous laser texturing, roll to roll (R2R) and Texturing During Molding (TDM) nano-textures mass production processes
- Pilot plant semi-industrial facilities for the definition of efficient automated controlled and nano-safe nano-coating processes for large components.
- Continuous PVD and CVD processes.
Moreover, the validation and testing facilities to demonstrate the outstanding performance of the manufactured components in real environments and applications. In addition, NewSkin Consortium will also provide the route to market services during the final commercialization stage including corporate funding, supply chain management and access to market support.
Services to be provided and key target industries:
NEWSKIN is an EU funded project under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
Newskin FACTSHEET
Professor J.M. ROTTER was born in Chesterfield, England and graduated at Cambridge University when he was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship to study in Australia. He got a PhD in civil engineering from the University of Sydney. His main specialty is the Buckling of Shells.
Jouko KOUHI is expert in Connections, welding, stability and fatigue of steel structures. He has been an active member of various ECCS Technical Committees since 1979, working on ENV 1993 part 1.8 from 1999 to 2002.
Frans BIJLAARD, Professor of steel structures at the Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences at Delft University of Technology. His main specialties are on stability of steel structures, structural behaviour of joints in steel structures and design of greenhouses.
The involvement of Professor Jean Pierre MUZEAU in Education and his strong motivation in promoting the use of steel in construction over his career have to be underlined. He has been qualified as “Passeur de Connaissances” (Ndt : conveyor of knowledge) by the Members of the Jury who have underlined his prominent role among the young generations of civil engineers.
Prof. Joachim LINDNER got a 40-year academic career and extensive experience in civil engineering from lateral torsional buckling through contact splices, historical grey cast iron columns, fatigue behaviour, stability design of glass-beams, scaffolding design, crane girders, plate buckling problems, composite beams and columns, corrugated webs, connection problems and imperfection regulations. He signed around 220 publications.
Professor Reidar BJORHOVDE has an impressive academic background, including two Ph.D. in the area of Civil Engineering, and a remarkable professional career which includes several years as a Professor in various universities in North America. He also been the Director of Bjorhovde Group since 1998.
Professor Carlo URBANO has been active on ECCS committee “Stability of steel structures” since 1975. He has been also present on CEN, IABSE, SSRC committees. Graduated at the Politecnico di Milano in 1963, he dedicated his career to the “Strength of Materials”. He developed scientific research mainly on the general theory of elasticity, stability of elastic equilibrium, response to dynamics and elastoplastic vibrations, shell structures, solutions for steel and reinforced structures. Lately, he has focused his works on the elastic and elastoplastic stability of compressed simple or composed steel members in the presence of mechanical and geometrical imperfections and damages due to cyclic actions. He is the author of an incredible number of papers and publications.
Prof. Ing. Jean-Baptiste SCHLEICH will always be recognised as "Mr Fire” of Europe. He was the leading professor in the development of the "Natural Fire Safety Concept". Under his leadership, the relationship of the fire load to the risk to a structure and its occupants was researched and tested. It is due to his work that structures can now be fire engineered with a significant benefit to the industry, building owners and users.
Professor Manfred HIRT had been member of the various ECCS Technical Committees. He wrote more than 130 publications as author or co-author. Director of the Steel Structures Laboratory (ICOM) of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne (EPFL), Prof. Hirt was known on the international scene for his expertise in the field of fatigue and fracture mechanics of steel structures, loads and action on structures, structural safety and serviceability and steel-concrete composite construction. In August 2003, he had been elected President of the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE).
Professor Giulio BALLIO was born in Rome, on 4 March 1940, and graduated in Aeronautical Engineering at the “Politecnico of Milan”, in 1963. He was Ordinario of the Science of Construction at Pavia University and, subsequently, of Construction in Steel at the Politecnico of Milan, where he has also been responsible, since 1985, for the Material Tests Laboratory.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gerhard SEDLACEK, was a leading and opinion-forming person in various ECCS technical committees and subcommittees. He was one of the most active person in the European steel research sector as well as in the European codification field. His various activities covered a huge range beginning from intelligent design of steel and composite structures to researching, applying of research results, safety requirements, teaching and training of students and engineers, promotion and developing of steel structures and design tools for a better market share.
Professor Patrick DOWLING started his working life as an employee of BCSA and subsequently worked both in industry and academia. He was extensively involved with ECCS in plate buckling research and was Chairman of the CEN Eurocode 3 Committee.
When awarded, Professor Federico MAZZOLANI was Director of the “Institute of Technique of Construction” at the Engineering Faculty of Naples, Italy. Born in Milan, in 1938, and graduated in Civil Engineering at the University of Naples, Prof. Federico M. Mazzolani co-operated since 1970 with ECCS, assuming the responsibility of Committee chairmanship. His activity has been characterised by the issue of several fundamental documents, which played a leader role in the development of the European codification at the level of both national codes and Eurocodes.
Scientific Manager and Deputy General Manager of the French Technical and Industrial Centre of Steel Construction (CTICM), Professor Jacques BROZZETTI contributed highly to the development of the European Steel Construction. He had a long involvement with various research projects including stability problems, composite construction, fatigue and fire behaviour of steel structures. As a result, he had been involved with many Codes and design guides comprising writing activities. He worked with the profession to promote the steel construction on its various aspects.
Prof. Jan W.B. STARK, from the University of Delft, The Netherlands, had made substantial contributions to the construction industry in general, and more specifically with regard to steel and composite structures. For many years, he had been an active member of CEN and served ECCS in various committees. The Charles Massonnet Award was presented to him to express our gratitude for his high standard and valuable contribution to the steel construction industry.
Close collaborator of Professor Charles Massonnet, Professor René MAQUOI, was awarded in recognition of his efforts for the development of steel and composite construction. Indeed, Professor Massonnet was his “master” and conducted his first step in the ECCS activities.
Frantisek Wald concentrates on the connection and fire design of steel structures. He prepared the component model for column bases and the component based finite element model of joints. He works in ECCS Technical Committee 10 - Structural joints and in Project team for preparation of standard - EN 1993-1-8:2020.
