FOR 524:  Manufacturing, Characterisation and Simulation of Welded Lightweight Structures of Metal/Fibre-Reinforced Polymer Composites

This Research Unit deals with the manufacturing, the characterisation and the simulation of welded lightweight structures of hybrid metal/fibre reinforced polymer composites.
With the ongoing technological development lightweight structures, in particular hybrid metal/fibre reinforced polymer composites, are increasingly used and allow innovative product developments in various industrial branches. Typical lightweight materials in this context are lightweight metals and fibre reinforced polymers.
In this Research Unit the hybrid lightweight structures consist on the one hand of aluminium, aluminium alloys and steel; on the other hand carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic materials are considered. In this context the Research Unit focuses on joining by induction, heat pulse and ultrasonic welding technologies together with the characterisation and modelling of the interface between the hybrid joining partners.
Concerning the manufacturing by joining of thermoplastic carbon fibre reinforced composites the Research Unit concentrates on innovative welding technologies. Due to existing competences induction, heat pulse and ultrasonic welding technologies were selected.
Another focus of the Research Unit is the characterisation of the hybrid composites structures with particular attention to the interface layer. Here the application of comparable testing methods to the various hybrid composite structures using innovative experimental techniques is in the centre of interest.
Finally the obtained results render the basis for the modelling and the simulation of hybrid lightweight structures of metal/fibre reinforced composites. The reliable numerical simulation of lightweight structures enables to avoid comprehensive destructive testing of prototypes.

DFG Programme Research Units

• Discontinuous induction welding of metal/fiber reinforced polymer composites (Applicant Mitschang, Peter )
• Eigenschaftsanalyse mit berührungslosen optischen und thermischen Messverfahren (Applicant Renz, Rainer )
• Eigenschaftsanalyse von geschweißten Metall/Faser-Kunststoff-Verbunden mit Verfahren der Oberflächen- und Schichtanalytik (Applicant Kopnarski, Michael )
• Experimentelle und simulative Erforschung von CFK-Metall-Hybrid-Punktschweißungen auf Bauteilebene (Applicant Maier, Martin )
• Herstellung, Simulation und Eigenschaftsanalyse geschweißter Leichtbaustrukturen aus Metall/Faser-Kunststoff-Verbunden (Applicant Barth, Franz Josef )
• Herstellung und mechanische / tribologische Charakterisierung von wärmeimpulsgeschweissten Metall / Faser-Kunststoff-Verbunden (Applicant Schlarb, Alois K. )
• Joining the carbon fibre reinforced plastic by ultrasonic metal welding (Applicant Eifler, Dietmar )
• Koordination der Forschungsgruppe 524 (Applicant Eifler, Dietmar )

Spokesperson Professor Dr.-Ing. Dietmar Eifler