Bachelor’s thesis or master’s thesis
© IKVTopic of the work:
The curing of fiber-reinforced plastics is a highly temperature- and reaction-dependent process. Particularly with thick-walled laminates, the exothermic reaction can result in considerable temperature gradients, which significantly influence the degree of curing and therefore the component properties. A simulation model already exists for the pure resin system to describe the temperature history and the curing process. Your task is to extend this model to include the fiber component, to transfer it to fiber composite laminates and to validate it experimentally.
The work is related to this research project:
The work is part of a research project on the model-based design of curing processes in fiber composite structures. The aim is to develop a reliable simulation tool for predicting temperature fields and degrees of hardening in real components.
Objective:
The aim is to develop an extended simulation model for the curing of fiber composite laminates that takes into account both the thermal properties of the fiber component and its influence on the reaction kinetics. The model is validated by experimental studies.
Your task:
| For a Bachelor's thesis you will work on the following tasks | For a Master's thesis you will work on the following tasks |
| Familiarization with the basics of curing simulation of reactive resins | analogous to the bachelor thesis |
| Analysis and understanding of the existing pure resin model | Extended modeling of the fiber component (e.g. anisotropic heat conduction, effective material parameters) |
| Development of a basic approach to consider the fiber component | Implementation and application of the model to thick-walled laminate structures |
| Implementation of initial simulations and qualitative evaluation of the results | Planning, implementation and evaluation of validation experiments |
| Interpretation and classification of the results | Quantitative comparison of simulation and experiment as well as model optimization |
| Derivation of further steps | Systematic investigation of relevant influencing variables |
Your profile:
- Technical or scientific studies (CES, mechanical engineering, computer science, …)
- Interest in simulation and motivation to learn new things (experience with Abaqus is an advantage, but not a requirement)
- Basic knowledge of programming
Your specific research question is derived in a discussion with you based on your interests. In any case, you can expect varied work, a highly motivated team, an exciting topic and a schedule that is precisely defined in consultation with you.