1. The Consortium
• ARMINES Mines de Douai
• ECN Ecole Centrale de Nantes
• ENSAIT Ecole Nationale Supérieure des
Arts et Industries Textiles
• ENSIAME, Université de Valenciennes et du
Hainaut-Cambrésis
• ESI Group S.A.
• Fraunhofer IPT Aachen: Institut für Produk-
tionstechnologie
• IVGT Industrieverband Veredlung - Garne -
Gewebe – Technische Textilien e.V.
• JTT Composites
• Kringlan Composites AG
• NTT Next Technology Tecnotessile Societa
Nazionale di Ricerca r.l.
• Railenium Technological Research Institute
• Soliani EMC SRL
• SUPSI Scuola Universitaria Professionale della
Svizzera Italiana
• Technische Universität Dresden - ITM Institute of
Textile Machinery and High Performance Material
Technology
• TexClubTec
• UP-tex Association
DRIVEN BY INNOVATION
The composites market is driven by innovation.
The consortium establishes a technology watch on
composites and on manufacturing processes.
MADMAX will contribute to the development of a
European “Know-How” platform and database for
excellence in high performing fibers and resins,
textile-reinforcing structures and sensor monito-
ring composite structures, fostering the transfer of
scientific results to civil transport markets, and
especially to SME’s.
This project is supported by the European Com-
mission under the 7th Framework Programme for
NMP theme “Nanosciences, nanotechnologies,
materials and new production technologies”
project number 609253.
Project Coordinator
Prof. Daniel Coutellier
ENSIAME
Université de Valenciennes et du Hainaut Cambrésis
Le Mont-Houy
59313 Valenciennes Cedex 9 - France
contact@madmaxcluster.org
Project Website
http://www.madmaxcluster.org
Discover and join
the European network on composites for
transport applications
MADMAX
Advanced Material Textiles for
Reinforced Structures for Complex
Lightweight Applications
www.madmaxcluster.org

2. What is MADMAX?
The objective of the MADMAX project is to
organise a cluster of private and academic
laboratories supported by key manufactu-
rers from the sectors of automotive, aeronau-
tic, railway and marine transport and to
investigate the possibility of benchmarking
specific composites.
The scientific focus of the MADMAX project
is the joint effort of scientific and technical
items regarding all stages of composites
development: from material characterisation,
to composite manufacturing, to numerical
modelling, to assembling, and to structural
health monitoring.
The ultimate goal is to ensure the develop-
ment of highly innovative textile processes
and high-performing flexible materials, with
significant improvements in mechanical
behaviours and integrated functions (e.g.
structural health monitoring and self-healing
for composite structures).
MADMAX partners will also compile their
knowledge into a Handbook for students,
composites designers, manufacturers, and
researchers. This Handbook will be a
best-practice book aiming to summarize the
knowledge of all partners regarding compo-
sites development.
HANDBOOK CONTENT
Introduction
Context of composites development for
transport applications.
Chapter 1: State of the art
Review of main European projects based on
composites: presentation of goals, results
obtained and main breakthroughs.
Chapter 2: Market and priority for the deve-
lopment of composites at the industrial scale
Identify needs for each market (automotive,
railway and aeronautic).
Chapter 3: Raw materials
State of the art in current materials used for
composites (fibres and resin), and their
properties, advantages and limits.
Challenges: Create a database indicating
relevant composites materials depending on
the requested performance, limit the cost of
composites and facilitate its processability.
Chapter 4: Development of new one-step
technologies for manufacturing 3D textiles
State of the art in current preforms,
requested properties, dimensions, cost, and
speed of production.
Challenges: Develop new fabrication tech-
nologies, one-shot preforms to decrease
production time and cost, and self-healing
structures for composites.
Chapter 5: New methods of characterizing
and modelling new structural behaviours
State of the art in current characterization
methods and numerical tools, their limits,
needs of industries standardisations and
norms.
Challenges: Develop numerical tools desi-
gning the necessary composite structures,
predicting their lifetime, and harmonising
standards of qualified structures.
Chapter 6: Optimisation of composites
processes including increasing productivity
rates and quality while decreasing rate of
waste
State of the art in current limits of production
and joining techniques of composites as
well as rate of waste.
Challenges: Increase the productivity rate
of composites and develop an automation
system for composites manufacturing and
joining techniques.
Chapter 7: Development of a monitoring
system for composite structures
State of the art in sensoring, monitoring of
composites and detection of defaults or
mechanical damages.
Challenges: Implement sensors inside
preforms, establish norms for monitoring
systems and ensure reliability of compo-
sites.