Chongqing University (CQU) team has won first prize at the 6th "Guangwei Cup" Chinese Society For Composite Material Science & Technology Innovation Competition for College Students with its research on the design and mechanical properties of the I-shaped thin-walled structure and its comprehensive self-locking system.

Chongqing University won first prize at the 6th "Guangwei Cup" Chinese Society For Composite Material Science & Technology Innovation Competition. (Photo/Chongqing University)

Guided by Professor Chen Liming from the College of Aerospace Engineering, the team from CQU ranked second out of 31 University teams, including Tsinghua University and Nanjing University, and snatched the first prize, marking the first time CQU had won such an award in this competition.

The competition, launched in 2016, has been held for six consecutive years. It has attracted more than one hundred colleges, becoming a highly influential student-oriented sci-tech innovation competition of engineering-related disciplines in China. Participants can choose their research topics revolving around cutting-edge technologies in the field of composite materials, with topics ranging from manufacturing process and equipment of composite materials to composite structure design and application.

Based on the existing operational state in the application, CQU put forward an i-shaped thin-walled structure that can realize the system's all-around self-locking. This structure has a better performance in energy absorption than the published configurations under the premise that a full range of self-locking functions in the system has already been realized.

Group of students in the lab at Chongqing University. (Photo provided to iChongqing)

The College of Aerospace Engineering of CQU has attached great importance to talent training. This competition enables students to showcase their solid foundation of mechanical knowledge and forward-looking vision, thus facilitating their future development. Furthermore, the College aims to improve the talent training system and promote the development of related disciplines, striving to cultivate more top-notch, innovative mechanical talents in the new era.