Process simulation for overmolding of three-dimensional fiber skeletons to improve the production process of high-performance structural components (Prosim-3DSW)

• Applicants: Professor Dr.-Ing. Frank Henning; Professorin Dr.-Ing. Luise Kärger
• Subject Area: Plastics Engineering
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 516991978

Continuous reinforcement fibers enable new design freedom for structural thermoplastic parts, as they can be placed deliberately in highly loaded areas of a part. Overmolding of 3D fiber skeletons, which are manufactured in a filament winding process, is one option to realize such parts with fiber placements tailored to the load case. This process has been fundamentally developed, but solid knowledge about modelling the process and prediction of part properties as well as permissible process conditions is still missing up to now. Therefore, this project aims at numerically modelling the thermoplastic overmolding process and consolidation of components made from 3D fiber skeletons. This includes the transient modelling of the mold filling process with fluid-structure-interaction between fiber strands and polymer melt as well as the chemical and thermal shrinkage leading to warpage. This will be accompanied by the development of an empirical model to estimate the strength of the strand-matrix interface. An investigation with reference structures of different complexities is used to validate and evaluate the developed methods.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants