The mission of the new industrial chair, jointly financed by General Motors of Canada Ltd. and the National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), is to expand automotive industry applications for structural composites. Research will focus on developing new manufacturing methods that will generate a high volume of production and eventually decrease the cost of composites.

The Chairholder, Professor Trochu, will work to increase scientific knowledge of RTM (Resin Transfer Moulding). Research in this area, begun by Raymond Gauvin some 15 years earlier, has helped seal Polytechnique's reputation as a world-class centre in the high-tech sector.

High-performance composites have numerous industrial applications: among others, they are used in the aeronautics industry to build lighter aircraft, while their corrosion-resistance properties make them invaluable to the leisure industry.

The Chair will respond to automotive industry needs by designing light, ultra-resistant composites that will decrease vehicle weight and ultimately reduce fuel consumption.

One of the Chair's objectives is to replace metal body parts with polymer matrix composites that are reinforced with continuous glass or carbon fibres.

The hiring last March of a new professor, Eduardo Ruiz, a specialist in producing composites by injection processes, will greatly enhance this research area at Polytechnique.