Composite Materials Group (CMG)

Research in polymer matrix composites in the Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering (MTM) of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven was started in 1982 at the beginning of the postdoctoral research of Ignaas Verpoest. During the first, exploratory years, many different research topics were covered, mainly related to the mechanical behaviour of composites. Gradually, emphasis was put on textile reinforced composites, on advanced processing methods for composites and on sandwich materials. More recently, research on natural fibre composites and multilevel composites (containing nano- ànd meso-reinforcements) has become more important.

The Composite Materials Group (CMG) is coordinated by prof. Ignaas Verpoest, full professor at K.U.Leuven since 1991, and by prof. Stepan Lomov, fulltime senior researcher associate (since 1999) and part-time professor (since 2001). Furthermore, the four research lines are being coordinated by two senior research associates, dr.ir. Larissa Gorbatikh and dr.ir. Aart-Willem van Vuure, and by prof. Jan Ivens, professor at the Lessius University College (member of the K.U.Leuven Associatie) and affiliated researcher to the Department MTM.

The Composite Materials Group attracts a very international group of researchers, representing 12 different countries: 15 PhD students, 7 project researchers (of which 3 postdocs) and some 15 master's students. They work enthusiastically in fundamental and applied research projects, funded by the Flemish, Belgian and European governments and by the industry. Skilled technicians develop and optimise sophisticated processing and testing equipment.

The international orientation of CMG is further evidenced by the numerous and intensive collaborations with universities in Europe, America, Asia and Africa, and by the active involvement in international composites societies (ESCM, ICCM, SAMPE…) and conferences (ICCM, ECCM, TexComp, IPCM, FPCM…).

CMG is furthermore involved in innovative educational projects, like the European Master's Programme in Polymer and Composites Engineering (EUPOCO, started in 1990). This initially one-year additional Master’s program has now become part of the two-year Master in Materials Engineering (MME), a fully English program which has an option “Polymers and Composites”.

SLC, the Sirris-Leuven Composites Application Lab, is a joint initiative of Sirris and K.U.Leuven, launched in 2009. It was built upon the research in the Composite Materials Group of K.U.Leuven, and the existing “TAD (Technology Advisory Service) Compolight” of Sirris. SLC provides composites related, application oriented support to the industry (product and process development, testing, pre-design, cost analysis, consulting…). SLC has actually five employees, and will soon extend it’s collaboration towards other composite competence centres in Flanders.

In 2006, the composite materials group was a founding member of the Leuven Materials Research Centre (Leuven MRC). In LeuvenMRC 19 different K.U.Leuven departments join their research, knowhow and equipment on materials science and engineering. More specifically, our Composite materials Group is intensively collaborating with research groups within the departments of Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Chemistry.