SAERTEX supports the HyFiVE project – New joining technologies for lightweight maritime construction

SAERTEX supports the BMWi-funded research project "Hybrid Joining Technology for Joints in Maritime Applications" (HyFiVE), in which five industrial companies and three scientific institutions are developing new technologies and evaluating them for maritime applications.

Lightweight construction, a key technology for sustainable transport, is difficult to establish in shipbuilding due to suboptimal joining technologies between fiber composites and steel. The high fire protection requirements and lack of standards for the use of fiber-reinforced composites on ships at sea are also an obstacle.

Relevant companies and institutes have therefore joined forces in the HyFiVE research project to evaluate new and efficient adhesive-free joining technologies for various applications in shipbuilding and to develop new processes and methods for this. These are to be verified using demonstrators and fire tests. The aim is to meet the time and cost requirements of shipbuilding production and to strengthen the competitiveness of the industry.

In addition to administrative management, SAERTEX supports the project by providing materials and engineering in the field of fire protection. The three SAERTEX products LEO COATED FABRIC, LEO System, and 3D-reinforced foam SAERfoam will play a key role in the research project. All products meet the highest fire protection standards and are to be used depending on the application. LEO COATED FABRIC is a SAERTEX fabric with a fire-resistant top layer that foams up in the event of a fire, thus protecting the component. The LEO System is based on a specially equipped fabric, the matching resin system, and a fire-resistant gel coat. The reinforcing core material to be used is SAERfoam, which can be adapted to the load cases and whose mechanical strength properties can be adjusted by the orientation and number of glass bridges in the thickness direction.