Publikationen

Continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastics (CFRT) are composite materials consisting of continuous fibers and a thermoplastic matrix and offer outstanding mechanical properties, low densities, short cycle times and recyclability. CFRT can be classified into unidirectional tapes and sheets utilizing various semi-finished textiles as reinforcement. CFRT sheets are of interest for area measured products or multiaxial loads. Various discontinuous and semi-continuous methods to prepare CFRP sheets are described in the literature. All these methods either feature high cycle times or high investment costs and require double melting of the polymer, e.g., first to produce a polymer film and second to produce the CFRT sheet. An energy efficient alternative to produce CFRT sheets is extrusion, which allows to spare one melting step. A twin-screw extruder melts the polymer, which is then conveyed by a melt pump to the film extrusion dies and applied to both sides of the semi-finished textile, which is wetted and consolidated using a calendar. Due to the high melt viscosity and the line load at the calendar the major challenge is to achieve full void-free impregnation of the semi-finished textile. The mechanical properties of a CFRT sheet are determined by fiber and void volume content. Hence, the influence of the processing conditions on the fiber and void volume content as well as the mechanical properties were examined applying a parametric study of the die temperature, the haul-off speed, and the gap between the calendar rolls. The properties of the extruded CFRT sheets were compared to compression molded sheets. The fiber volume content was directly adjusted by the haul-off speed and the extruder throughput. An increasing die temperature lowers the melt viscosity and results in an increased fiber volume content. Scanning electron microscopy shows complete macro impregnation between the fiber bundles but not completely wetted individual filaments within fiber bundles.

The use of bio-based and biodegradable matrix materials in fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) is an approach to reduce the consumption of fossil resources and the amount of polymer waste. This study aims to assess the influence of the process parameters on the resulting mechanical properties of extruded bio-based and biodegradable continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (CFRTPs) in the form of sheets. Therefore, the impregnation temperature during the production of PLA/flax fiber composites is varied between 220 ˚C and 280 ˚C, and the consolidation pressure, between 50 bar and 90 bar. A design of experiments approach is used. Fiber contents of 28.8% to 34.8% and void contents of 6.8% to 15.5% are determined for the composites by optical measurements. To assess the mechanical properties, tensile tests are performed. Using the evaluation software Minitab, a strong negative influence of the consolidation pressure on the tensile modulus and the tensile strength is observed. Increasing the pressure from 50 bar to 90 bar results in a reduction in the tensile modulus of 50.7% and a reduction in the tensile strength of 54.8%, respectively. It is assumed that this is due to fibers being damaged by the external force exerted onto the materials during the consolidation process in the calender. The influence of the impregnation temperature on the mechanical properties cannot be verified.

Klebstoffsysteme finden zunehmend Anwendung in den verschiedensten Industriesegmenten und substituieren oder ergänzen oftmals konventionell angewandte Verbindungsverfahren wie das Schweißen und Nieten. Gleichzeitig bestehen zahlreiche, genormte Prüfverfahren, um die Aushärtung von Klebstoffen zu charakterisieren. Diese beschränken sich auf die Untersuchung von Probenkleinstmengen im Labor auf Basis von z. B. rheologischen und kalorimetrischen Verfahren. Die dabei erzielten Ergebnisse können aufgrund ungleicher Rahmenbedingungen nicht direkt auf die Gegebenheiten in einem industriellen Produktionsumfeld übertragen werden. Die zu Grunde liegenden Ursachen sind vielfältig. In den meisten Fällen ist etwa ein direkter Messzugang zum Klebstoff bedingt durch die vorhandenen Fügepartner nicht gegeben und Umgebungsbedingungen wie Temperatur und Luftfeuchtigkeit weichen gleichermaßen wie die betrachtete Menge an Klebstoff von den genannten Laborprüfungen ab. Im industriellen Umfeld kaum etabliert, aber im Stand der Technik und Wissenschaft beschrieben, sind hingegen zerstörungsfreie Methoden zur Prüfung von applizierten Klebstoffen. Zu diesen gehören beispielsweise die Terahertz-, berührende Ultraschall- und Kernspinresonanztechnik. Wesentliche Nachteile wie eine nicht berührungslose Arbeitsweise, die die Untersuchung klebriger Oberflächen behindert, eine geringe Eindringtiefe, aus der Informationen gewonnen werden können, einschränkende Anforderungen an die elektrische Leitfähigkeit der untersuchbaren Materialsysteme sowie letztlich hohe Systemkosten sind Gründe für eine geringe Anwenderakzeptanz. Diesen Verfahren steht ein neuer Prüfansatz auf Basis mittels Luftultraschall induzierter, geführter Wellen entgegen. Dieser erlaubt eine verhältnismäßig kostengünstige, wegintegrale Aushärteüberwachung von Klebstoffen über lange Strecken hinweg, ohne einen direkten Zugang zum Klebstoff zu erfordern. Die vorliegende Dissertation erforscht das Messprinzip und die damit verbundenen Vor- und Nachteile, demonstriert unmittelbar die Verfahrenseignung durch Betrachtung unterschiedlicher Klebstoffsysteme, untersucht den Einfluss wesentlicher Prüfrahmenbedingungen, zeigt Anwendungsmöglichkeiten sowie erkannte Limitationen auf und bietet anschließend Umgehungsstrategien zur Überwindung der genannten Limitationen z. B. durch Anwendung von sogenannten Pulskompressionsmethoden an.

During the impregnation of reinforcement fabrics in liquid composite molding processes, the flow within fiber bundles and the channels between the fiber bundles usually advances at different velocities. This so-called “dual-scale flow” results in void formation inside the composite material and has a negative effect on its mechanical properties. Semi-empirical models can be applied to calculate the extent of the dual-scale flow. In this study, a methodology is presented that stops the impregnation of reinforcement fabrics at different filling levels by using a photo-reactive resin system. By means of optical evaluation, the theoretical calculation models of the dual-scale flow are validated metrologically. The results show increasingly distinct dual-scale flow effects with increasing pressure gradients. The methodology enables the measurability of microscopic differences in flow front progression to validate renowned theoretical models and compare simulations to measurements of applied injection processes.

From a fiber composite point of view, an elongated softwood particle is a composite consisting of several thousand tracheids, which can be described as fiber wound hollow profiles. By knowing their deformation behavior, the deformation behavior of the wood particle can be described. Therefore, a numerical approach for RVE- and FEM-based modelling of the radial and tangential compression behavior of pine wood tracheids under room climate environment is presented and validated with optical and laser-optical image analysis as well as tensile and compression tests on pine sapwood veneer strips. According to the findings, at 23 ˚C and 12% moisture content, at least 10 MPa must be applied for maximum compaction of the earlywood tracheids. The latewood tracheids can withstand at least 100 MPa compression pressure and would deform elastically at this load by about 20%. The developed model can be adapted for other wood species and climatic conditions by adjusting the mechanical properties of the base materials of the cell wall single layers (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin), the dimensions and the structure of the vessel elements, respectively.