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Archived Marine Sector News - 2008
Editors - please refer to the Notes to Editors for background information on Umeco plc and its operating divisions.
Repeating Leg 1 Results, Ericsson 4 Wins 2nd Leg while Ericsson 3 takes 3rd Place - 2008/9 VOR
Ericsson 4 - Unveiled for 2008-9 Volvo Ocean Race
Using Weight Saving Advanced Composite Material
ACG’s VTM264 Helping to “Win Back the Moths” - February 2008
Larger than Life Blades in Ireland's Strangford Lough
Unveiled - 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race Yacht Uses Advanced Composites Group’s Prepregs
ACG Official Supplier to Ericsson, one of the strongest teams in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09
Alinghi – Another America’s Cup 2007 Success
Trend Marine - Making Light Work
Innovative Prepreg Systems for the Marine Industry - JEC Magazine Article - September 2007
Marine Sector Specialists Visit McLaren Technology Centre
Quiet but Polished - Seahorse Article - July 2007 (large PDF files)
Good Luck to Alinghi in the Defence of the 32nd America's Cup
ACG Alinghi Official Supplier for 2007 Defence Campaign
ABN AMRO One - Male or Female . . . What's the Difference?
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Repeating Leg 1 Results, Ericsson 4 Wins 2nd Leg while Ericsson 3 takes 3rd Place - 2008/9 VOR - December 2008
Ericsson 4 and Ericsson 3, the Volvo Ocean Race boats built using advanced prepreg materials supplied by Advanced Composites Group Ltd (ACG), part of the Composites Division of Umeco plc, have just completed the second leg of the seven race legs by arriving in Cochin in 1st and 3rd places respectively, repeating the results of the 1st leg, which took them from Alicante to Cape Town.
For Ericsson 4, the 2nd leg win, which took 14 days, 11 hours, 32 minutes and 30 seconds, earned the crew 12 points on the leg - 8 points for the leg win and 4 points for first at the scoring gate, meaning that Ericsson 4 now has 26 points total and holds the fleet lead. Ericsson 3 collected 9.5 points for the leg, 6 points for third place and 3.5 points for second place at the scoring gate, and have 14.5 points total, currently good for fifth place on the leaderboard.
The first week of Leg 2 was spent in rough conditions, with the weather taking its toll on both crew and gear, but Ericsson 4 only suffered minimal damage through the incessant pounding. Ericsson 4 and 3 are second generation Volvo Open 70 boats built by reputable designer Juan Kouyoumdjian, a man with a preference for ACG’s race-proven VTM®264 materials.
Image: ‘Ericsson 4 – ploughs on through the waves’ - Copyright Oskar Kihlborg/Ericsson Racing Team
Lean, Mean, Sturdy and Swift Monohull Shatters the 24 Hour Record and Wins 1st Leg - 2008/9 Volvo Ocean Race - November 2008
ACG, part of the Composites Division of Umeco plc, was recently notified that Ericsson Racing Team’s second race boat ‘Ericsson 4’, built using a range of ACG’s advanced carbon fibre products, succeeded in sailing 602 nautical miles in 24 hours, thereby breaking the previous record of 542 for a monohull. This event, which is subject to ratification from the World Sailing Speed Record Council, beats the previous record set by another boat ’ABN AMRO TWO’, which was also built from ACG’s materials.
Presently, no other boats in the fleet have surpassed the old ABM AMRO TWO record so, subject to ratification, Torben Grael and the Ericsson 4 crew are claiming to have shattered the 24-hour record.
‘Fluid’ as events of this nature often are, on the tranquil morning of 2nd November, on Table Bay – South Africa, skipper Torben Grael and Ericsson Racing Team’s International crew on Ericsson 4 became the overall leaders in the Volvo Ocean Race when they won Leg 1 at 0554 GMT. Ericsson 4 earned 8 points for the leg victory, which the team attained with an elapsed time of 21 days, 17 hours and 54 minutes, and currently leads the overall standings with 14 points. Ericsson 4 ghosted across the finish line under Table Mountain whilst flying full sail on a calm sea.
Then, on 3rd November, Swedish skipper Anders Lewander led Ericsson Racing Team’s Nordic crew on Ericsson 3 to third place. The crew finished on the morning of the 3rd at 0408 GMT with an elapsed time of 22 days, 16 hours and 8 minutes. Ericsson 3’s finish completed a solid start to the circumnavigation race for Ericsson Racing Team.
Ericsson 4 and Ericsson 3 were built using ACG’s VTM®264 - the Group’s long out life, intermediate viscosity epoxy resin matrix prepreg, and its associated VTA®260 film adhesive.
Image: ‘Ericsson 4 – greeted by the masses on Table Bay’ - Copyright Oskar Kihlborg/Ericsson Racing Team
ACG Contributes to Medal Haul - 28th October 2008
Advanced Composites Group (ACG), a member of the Composites Division of Umeco plc, provided a flexible composite solution that played a vital role in British sailing’s success and resulting medal haul.
Peter Bentley, Technical Project Manager of Skandia Team GBR - the British sailing team in the Olympic and Paralympic Classes, approached ACG with a list of requirements for materials that would operate within the rules of the Star class. However, he was searching for that veiled element which would a provide that competitive edge over the competition, whilst also guaranteeing a tight delivery timescale to enable the boat builders to complete the project. Peter commented: “We needed a proven supplier and resin system with a track record of 100% reliability.”
In response, ACG recommended its VTM®260 series prepreg as the essential element, given its heritage and success on previous Americas Cup and Volvo Ocean Challenge campaigns, and its use on the up and coming 2008/9 event.
Working with The RYA structural engineer John Lovell, a custom series of formatted prepreg products was developed to ensure the boat was quickly and accurately built within the tolerances of the class rules maximising structural efficiency whilst minimising finishing time.
Bentley said: “ACG was able to provide us with mechanical data for their prepreg systems, thereby enabling Lovell to pre-determine the outcome of the structure without having to go through lengthy test panel procedures. On time delivery was very important and all the original promised delivery dates were met.”
A further key to the success of the project was the 65°C low temperature curing capability of the VTM system. This allowed the builders, Mader of Germany, renowned for its Star Boats, to build quickly and accurately without having to resort to very expensive high temperature capable tooling.
Bentley continued: “Andreas Mallad, ACG’s Technical Sales Representative for Germany, was an invaluable local contact for technical advice during the boat building programme at Mader, including translation and an extra pair of hands when needed. The degree of customisation offered by ACG at the engineering stage was second to none. Being able to provide information about potential prepreg formats, without taking excessive risks, was also very important.”
ACG’s VTM260 series of epoxy resin matrices is a new generation of long out life, flexible cure temperature formulations, which can be applied to a wide range of reinforcements and adapted to a wide range of low cost, vacuum-bag pressure, composite processes. Within the series, formulations are specifically tailored to give excellent handling and processing characteristics for reinforcements ranging from lightweight veils to heavyweight multi-axial fabrics, and unidirectional (UD) tapes up to 600gsm. All products in the VTM260 range are fully compatible and can be co-cured in a single moulding.
Photograph copyright and courtesy of Richard Langdon/Skandia Team GBR.
Ericsson 4 - Unveiled for 2008-9 Volvo Ocean Race - June 2008
Advanced Composites Group Ltd (ACG), part of the Composites Division of Umeco plc, is pleased to report that, on the 27th June, Ericsson Racing Team presented the final piece of the puzzle for the 2008/9 Volvo Ocean Race. Their second race boat, 'Ericsson 4', which uses a range of ACG's advanced carbon fibre products, was officially unveiled to an invited audience of Ericsson employees and guests at the team's boatyard in Kista, Stockholm. The day was doubly significant in that it marked 100 days to the opening event in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008/09, which starts on October 4, 2008.
Ericsson Racing Team created a bespoke boat yard right next to Ericsson's global head office to build the two new boats, Ericsson 3 and Ericsson 4, both of which were built using Advanced Composites Group's (ACG's) VTM®264, - the Group's long out life, intermediate viscosity epoxy resin matrix prepreg, and its associated VTA®260 film adhesive.
The launch event marked the culmination of the build program for Ericsson 4. International crew skipper, Torben Grael and Nordic crew skipper, Anders Lewander, were present to see the final handover of the boat from the build team.
Grael commented: "This marks the true start of race mode for the international crew's campaign for the 2008/9 Volvo Ocean Race and we are really excited about getting out and sailing the boat in early July. We have got a great crew and good team, and we now have the boat. Killian [Bushe] and his team here in Kista have done a fantastic job . . . and for me this will be, I hope, the perfect boat."
The build of the boats, which were designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian, has been managed by Killian Bushe, a man who has been at the forefront of composite boat building since the early 1980's, including, most recently, the ABN AMRO boats. Both Kouyoumdjian and Bushe are familiar with ACG's materials and have had a close association with the Group for many years. ACG's Technology Centre, and its highly skilled and marine enthusiasts, have shown their dedication to providing the best techniques and materials for past and present builds, something that was apparent in the 2006/7 Volvo Ocean Race.
Bushe commented: "Most of the other teams this time around have built their boats at an existing boat yard, so in that respect we are different in that we have created our own bespoke build facility from a blank canvas. At times there has been a team of up to 32 guys working on the boats and when we had the overlap period of some two months, we were able to fit in three 70ft elements in the yard - Ericsson 3 in the oven, the plug for Ericsson 4 and then the deck mould."
For the technophobes, the two boats have been built in just 15 months in the purpose-built 2600 m.sq. facility. For each build, 40,000 man hours have been used to apply 3 tonnes of ACG carbon fibre mix and 250 kilos of Nomex sandwich. Moreover, each hull took 110 hours to cure. It is early days, but with the proven pedigrees of the designer and manager, it is hoped that this is a recipe for success!
"It is incredible that you can find a boatyard right here, in the middle of a capital city and next door to Ericsson's global head office," added Juan Kouyoumdjian, the boat's designer. "This is a state-of-the-art facility and the boats are amongst the most technologically advanced that I have been involved with, which was, of course, one of the initial objectives of the campaign."
Some 17,000 visitors have come to visit the boatyard since the build started, giving both Ericsson colleagues and customers the opportunity to interact with the build team and see, first hand, how a technologically advanced racing yacht is constructed.
Ericsson 4's sea trials commence in early July with boat testing commencing off the coast at Nynäshamn in mid-July, after which Ericsson 3 and 4 will set sail for their training base at Lanzarote.
ACG wishes the teams of Ericsson 3 and 4 'bon voyage' in their preparations for the race.
Image: Copyright Oskar Kihlborg/Ericsson Racing Team
For further details contact ACG Sales Department.
Using Weight Saving Advanced Composite Material - May 2008
Advanced Composites Group (ACG), a member of the Composites Division of Umeco plc, casts a watchful eye over British - and ACG sponsored - sailor Simon Payne as he picked up another First class title in the run-up to the 2008 International Moths World Championships.
Sailing 'Size Zero', the latest 'Prowler' design of International Moth, Simon used the Group's VTM®264 prepreg for the hull, deck, wings, hydrofoils and the rudder to minimise weight and give his craft the necessary strength to withstand constant pounding by the waves.
If Simon's current form is anything to go by he has a very strong chance of regaining the 'International Moth champion' title, which he previously held in 2006. His performance at the recent UK Nationals at the Weymouth & Portsmouth National Sailing Academy (WPNSA), also the venue for the International Moths World Championships in mid-July, was astounding and saw him take the 'UK National Moths' title with four 1st places and two 2nds, one of which he discounted. Now, as European and UK National champion, Simon is fully focused on regaining the title as 'International Moth World Championship'.
The combination of ACG's materials, Simon's vision and sheer determination, and John Ilett's expertise in hydrofoil development, we will see Simon compete at the highest level in his attempt to take the 2008 'Worlds' title and hold the prestigious trophy aloft again.
Playing its part in reducing the weight of the sleek, white painted hull - proudly decorated with the ACG logo - is ACG's VTM264 (proven pedigree with America's Cup/Volvo wins), one of a number of prepregs in the VTM®260 series of epoxy resin matrices. These products, which offer long out life and flexible cure temperature formulations, can be applied to a wide range of reinforcements and adapted to a number of low-cost, vacuum bag pressure, composite processes.
VTM264 offers outstanding vacuum-only processing capability, with intermediate viscosity and a level of tack that makes it suitable for full impregnation of light and medium weight unidirectional and fabric reinforcements.
ACG's marine fraternity congratulates Simon and wishes him the very best for the forthcoming Internationals.
For further details contact ACG Sales Department.
ACG’s VTM264 Helping to “Win Back the Moths” - February 2008
ACG, a member of the Composites Division of Umeco plc, is proud to sponsor British sailor, Simon Payne, in his bid to, as he states, “win back the Moths” at the 2008 International Moth World Championships, which will take place during July in Weymouth, UK.
Simon, a member of the Hayling Island Sailing Club, winner of the 2006 International Moth Worlds series, and runner-up in 2007, sails (or is it ‘flies’?) ‘Size Zero’, the latest ‘Prowler’ design of International Moth, built by John Ilett. Often referred to as the “king”, John is the owner of Fastacraft, a quality carbon fibre products company based in Perth, Australia.
Simon started his ‘come-back’ campaign when it kicked-off in Perth, Australia on the 17th January 2008. We imagine that the name ‘Size Zero’ has been chosen because of the crafts similarity to current catwalk models, who are also referred to as being ‘size zero’ because of their low weight - or lack of it – and their streamlined shape. With ‘Size Zero’ weighing in at less than 9kg, and Simon, who only weighs 67kg, it’s no surprise that it’s not long before the hull is out of the water and skipping across the crests on its hydrofoils.
A combination of ACG’s materials, Simon’s vision and John Ilett’s expertise in hydrofoil development will see Simon compete at the highest level in his attempt to take the 2008 ‘Worlds’ title and trophy. Playing its part in reducing the weight of the sleek, white painted hull is ACG’s VTM®264 (proven pedigree with America’s Cup/Volvo wins), one of a number of prepregs in the VTM®260 series of epoxy resin matrices. These products, which offer long out life and flexible cure temperature formulations, can be applied to a wide range of reinforcements and adapted to a number of low-cost, vacuum bag pressure, composite processes.
VTM264 offers outstanding vacuum-only processing capability, with intermediate viscosity and a level of tack that makes it suitable for full impregnation of light and medium weight unidirectional and fabric reinforcements. John Ilett has expertly applied ACG’s VTM264 to manufacture the hull, deck, wings, hydrofoils and the rudder.
Simon is quoted as saying: “What can I say? The new flapless rudder is great, so much more effective than the old one. Both my old boats ‘hummed’ when they went fast; this one is as silent as the breeze. The new hull is very stiff, and feels very together and solid.”
Moreover, “The new foil sections were sensational, with no ventilation of any sort and, although this boat looks similar to the old Prowler, it’s very different to sail. There's also the new mast and new foil sections. The new rudder mechanism is effective - with no free-play. The wing frames are lighter, the boat is three inches smaller in the bow and this particular sweetie is extremely light - courtesy of Advanced Composites Group.”
For further details contact ACG Sales Department.
Larger than Life Blades in Ireland's Strangford Lough - February 2008
Plans to install the world’s largest commercial scale tidal energy system in Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough were recently published by tidal energy company Marine Current Turbines Ltd. (MCT). Strangford Lough is a large, shallow sea lough situated on the east coast of County Down.
The installation of MCT’s 1.2MW SeaGen tidal system, which is planned for March, will generate clean electricity for a thousand homes.
VTM®266, one in of series of Variable Temperature Moulding prepregs specially formulated by ACG, was selected for the manufacture of the 65mm thick structural spars, the elements that add strength and rigidity to the two 8metre long blades. It goes without saying that, at 8metres long, the spars had to be made using a material that possessed the requisite design and performance qualities and characteristics of high strength and stiffness, but with minimal mass.
As far as processing was concerned, VTM266’s chemistry resulted in a safe, low temperature cure processing route, making it ideally suited for this particular application, where overall composite thickness could, under other circumstances, result in severe exothermic reaction.
While VTM266 permits vacuum-only or autoclave processing cure options, the vacuum-only route was particularly suited for a component of this magnitude.
The scale of the project meant that excellent handling and out life characteristics were significant factors in choosing VTM266, as it provides good handling and processing characteristics on reinforcements ranging from lightweight veils to ultra heavyweight multi-axial fabrics and unidirectional tapes.
Aviation Enterprises Ltd., based in Lambourn, UK, which was responsible for manufacturing the colossal blade assemblies, also designed and installed a fully integrated fibre-optic stress sensing system into the blades to continuously monitor their life-long performance under the demanding environmental conditions that they are likely to endure. Taking stock of the enormity of the task, the entire project was seen as a fresh engineering challenge, one that the industry had not previously experienced, but one that was enthusiastically accepted.
A team of environmental scientists, drawn from Royal Haskoning, Queen’s University Belfast and St. Andrew’s Sea Mammal Research Unit, will closely monitor SeaGen’s operation and its interaction with marine life during the 12 week commissioning phase.
The UK Government’s Department of Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR) has provided valuable support to the SeaGen project. MCT has received grant assistance from BERR for the main part of the project’s development and has received a further £0.98million investment from the government-funded Technology Strategy Board to cover the additional installation costs and independent performance validation.
Martin Wright, Managing Director of MCT is reported to have said: “We have carried out extensive engineering and environmental studies to ensure the very best means of installation and operation. As long as the weather is good and there are no last minute operational issues to contend with, we should have SeaGen deployed by the end of March.”
“There is global interest in SeaGen as it will be the largest commercial tidal stream device to be installed anywhere in the world, and so we can expect its installation to be a springboard for the further development of the marine energy industry in the UK and the island of Ireland. Looking ahead, MCT intends to manufacture and deploy a series of SeaGen devices in projects off Anglesey, UK and on the Canadian seaboard within the next 2 to 4 years.”
ACG looks forward to partnering MCT in future projects and will continue to offer the same full technical support and materials formulation service that it offers to all of its clients.
Photos: Courtesy of Marine Current Turbines Ltd.
For further details contact ACG Sales Department.
ACG Ericsson Official Supplier for one of the strongest teams in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 - February 2008
Photo: copyright of Oskar Kihlborg/Team Ericsson Racing
Ericsson Racing Team’s boat ‘Ericsson 3’, which was unveiled to the yachting press on the 12th February 2008, is the first one-off Volvo Ocean Race (VO70) challenge yacht to come out of the purpose-built Ericsson boatyard in Kista, Sweden. This is the first of two Ericsson yachts to be made using ACG’S carbon prepreg materials; Ericsson 4 is in the boatyard right now.
ACG has a proven track record in this and other challenging races, and is pleased to continue its association in this field, with sights firmly set on providing Ericsson Racing Team with customised materials and technical expertise to support them in this formidable venture. With Juan Kouyoumdjian as the exclusive designer for Ericsson Racing Team, and Killian Bushe as construction manager, Ericsson 3 is unquestionably one of a kind, although embracing the strong heritage of the winning yacht ‘ABN AMRO One’, now ‘Ericsson 2’, a veteran of the 2005-2006 Volvo Ocean Race.
One of the final steps in Ericsson 3’s construction process was to provide it with its true identity - adding colour to the sleek black carbon hull, the product of employing VTM®264, ACG’s long out life, intermediate viscosity, epoxy resin matrix prepreg and its associated VTA®260 film adhesive, which is used to bond the honeycomb and foam core .
With the finishing touches complete, Ericsson 3 is ready to take to the water and start serving the team as their main training boat, and be one of the race boats for the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race.
While ACG’s VTM264 has logged a remarkable record of successes over the years, demands placed on these boats are severe. There is no dropping the anchor at the end of the day. During a leg or an in-port race, the pressure is relentless. The Volvo Ocean Race is life on the extreme edge. Imagine a boat built for this! Well, based on previous experiences and the record tally of wins, ACG’s materials will give Ericsson Racing Team the best possible chance of making it to the finish line, both intact and as the winning team.
The first step in the construction technique adopted by Kouyoumdjian and Bushe was to build a plug, an outline of the hull, from precision-cut frames. Once the plug was made, a carbon fibre mould was built around it. The inside of the finished mould had to reflect the exact dimensions of the boat’s hull, so accuracy was of paramount importance. The hull was then fabricated in two layers, with honeycomb core or foam sandwiched between them to add stiffness to the structure. In areas where extra strength is required, such as around the keel, high density foam or solid carbon fibre was used. Once fully laminated, the hull was slowly cured in an oven.
The Kista yard has two ovens, one at 26 metres long, just big enough to accommodate the entire boat. The second, smaller oven was used to cure the carbon fibre prepreg deck, bulkheads, galley, navigational station, and the toilet.
It has been said that the boat builders are crucial for the success of the project - and there are not that many of them around, but the same also applies to the crews and, of course, to the construction materials.
ACG trusts that they will be part of a winning combination that delivers when it really matters - when the race is on!
For further details contact ACG Sales Department.
Advanced Composites Group had a successful time at the Seatec show this year when its marine prepreg technology was of great interest to the many visitors.
With successful past projects such as the ABN AMRO boats One and Two, plus the two successful Alinghi America's Cup boats, ACG has much to offer to naval architects and boat builders to ensure the highest quality laminates for hulls, decks and structures.
With customers from Italy, the rest of Europe and all around the world attending the show, ACG's stand managers were very busy throughout the whole of the show and were pleased to welcome many new contacts.
If you were unable to visit the show or ACG's stand please contact us on info@acg.co.uk with your enquiry, which will be passed to the relevant sales manager for immediate response.
We look forward to seeing you at Seatec next year.
For further details contact ACG Sales Department.
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