The injection moulding process enables the series production of high-performance components with local reinforcements made of fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP), a previously unattainable lightweight construction potential can be tapped. At the Institute of Plastics Processing, this technology is being researched for broad application in the automotive and logistics sectors.
In order to make targeted use of these advantages of combining injection moulded components with local reinforcements, extensive prior knowledge is required for the structural design, which is based on both experimental investigations and simulation-based optimization approaches. The characterisation of the mechanical properties of the injection moulding compound, the reinforcing tapes and the interface of their bond forms the basis for the development and calibration of material-specific material models for component design. In this work you develop novel test specimens and test methods for the precise characterisation of the bond strength between tape reinforcements and injection molded components with which uncertainties in the design of such components should be reduced to a minimum in the future. This makes a decisive contribution to the establishment of tape technology in injection moulding processes.
© IKVThe work is written in this working group:
In the Fiber Reinforced Plastics/Dimensioning/CAE Methods working group, an algorithm for optimising structures made of fiber-reinforced plastics in injection-moulded components was developed. The focus is on material-specific modelling of the behaviour of composite materials, experimental characterisation and the coupling of process and structural simulations.
Objective:
The aim of this work is to develop a systematic procedure for the material-specific design of high-performance components with carbon or glass fiber reinforcements in injection moulding processes. This includes:
- The experimental characterization of the mechanical properties of reinforced and unreinforced areas.
- The development and calibration of material models that take into account the anisotropic properties and failure behavior of fiber reinforcements.
- The simulation-based optimisation of the component design, taking into account the specific challenges of the injection molding process, such as fiber orientation and bond strength.
| For a Bachelor's thesis you will work on the following task: | For a Master's thesis you will also work on the following task: |
| Production and mechanical testing of test specimens with local carbon or glass fiber reinforcements | development and calibration of material models based on the experimental data |
| Analysis of the bonding strength between the moulding compound and the local reinforcements as well as the analysis of the failure modes that occur | coupling of injection moulding simulations with structural models to map the fiber orientation |
| First simulative investigations of the manufacturing process and the resulting component structure | simulation-driven optimisation of the component geometry taking into account the reinforcement structures |
Your profile:
- Do you want to expand your knowledge of different materials, material testing, material modeling, structural design and process modeling?
- Interest in structural simulation; previous knowledge is an advantage, but not required.
- Interest or previous experience in working with fiber-reinforced plastics is an advantage, but not required.
If you are interested in writing your thesis at IKV and in this or a similar task, please get in touch with me. We agree on the exact scope of content and schedule individually.