Composite materials and adhesives

Composite materials could present a cheaper, more lightweight alternative to steel for shipping – but caution must be taken to ensure they can meet the same safety standards.

At Bureau Veritas, our Research & Development (R&D) team is active in the investigation of new materials and assemblies for the maritime industry. Employing our technical expertise, we are helping to discover new, more efficient ways of building and repairing – while never compromising on structural integrity.

Composite materials and adhesives are relatively unchartered waters in the maritime industry. Currently limited by SOLAS restrictions on ships larger than 500 GTs, composite materials are nonetheless being investigated for ship parts including propellers and rudders. Increasingly, they are being considered for more efficient repairs in the offshore industry – though care must be taken to ensure it shares the same structural properties as the original asset.

Our Projects

	CRS CERTIFY The CRS Certify project encompasses the complete certification steps for a 1-meter composite propeller intended for a diving support vessel. It covers all critical phases: design optimization, small, medium and full-scale testing, manufacturing, sea trials, and final certificate issuance by Bureau Veritas.
	PRINCE #JIP  Bureau Veritas is applying its extensive experience in composite materials and propeller technology to large-scale propellers by leading the PRINCE (PropelleR IN CompositE) joint industry project (JIP) in collaboration with LoireTech. Building on promising results from previous initiatives with small composite propellers (approximately 1 meter in diameter), the project seeks to facilitate the development and certification of large composite propellers for maritime applications. READ MORE
	ECOPROP #OtherCollaborativeProjects #Marine ECOProp’s research is expected to lead to novel insights and concepts for reducing fuel consumption, vibrations in ships and underwater noise emissions. This will contribute towards a healthier marine ecosystem and a prolonged service lifetime for propulsion systems.
	DURABOND #JIP #Offshore The Durabond JIP has been established to to explore environmental impacts on the long-term durability of composite patches used in repairing steel structures. It will assess factors such as temperature, seawater and oils. READ MORE
	COPROPEL #EUproject #Marine The CoPropel project aims to harness the benefits of lightweight composite materials to improve propeller design. We will investigate the impacts of blade orientation on the change of flow, and how deformation under different fluid loads might influence hydrodynamic performance. Read more
	MONOCLE #IRT #Marine Launched by the IRT Jules Verne, the MONOCLE project aims to develop a methodology for digitally monitoring the infusion process for large parts of composite materials in shipping.
	CIRCLE OF LIFE #CompositeMaterials The Circles of Life project ambitions to develop a Shipyard Environmental Performance Index (SEPI) and a Craddle-to-Craddle (C2C) passport applicable to all types and sizes of shipyards. Read more
	Sheathflex #Offshore #JIP #CompositeMaterials With Sheathflex JIP, BV will bring together flexible pipe manufacturers and operators with the objective to develop a guideline defining the requirements to qualify a polymeric sheath, aligned with expectation from the industry for all unbonded flexible pipe applications.   Read more