Key Engineering Materials Vol. 742

Abstract: To investigate the wetting behavior of unsized carbon fibers with a sizing dispersion and the wettability of sized fibers with the liquid polymeric resin, contact angle measurements by capillary rise experiments are performed by tensiometry. First, the sizing behavior of fibers with different degrees of surface activation is analyzed. Increasing activation levels result in increasing oxygen surface concentrations and accordingly increasing polar components of the surface energies. These conditions result in a better wettability of the higher activated fibers. Secondly, the influence of the type of sizing dispersion is addressed by using two water-based epoxy sizing dispersions, i.e. a standard epoxy sizing and an advanced functional epoxy sizing with high reactivity. Using the functional sizing the wettability is further improved. Finally, the influence of the sizing on the wettability of the carbon fibers by the matrix polymer during resin infiltration is investigated using the differently sized fibers and a liquid epoxy resin. Carbon fibers with functional sizing show improved wettability by the resin compared to fibers with standard sizing. The results show that the wetting behavior of carbon fibers with respect to sizing and polymer matrix can be controlled by a suitable choice of surface activation of the fibers and reactivity of the polymeric sizing dispersion.

Abstract: There is a growing demand for Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) in the automotive industry owing to their high specific strength and good formability. The mechanical properties satisfy the demands for improved passenger safety and decreased vehicle weight due to thinner cross sections. Hot-dip galvanizing is a common procedure to prevent corrosion of steel, galvanized steel forms the basis for further processing like organic coating. Industrially, the steel strip is annealed at 840 °C in 5 % H₂ in N₂ at a dew point (DP) of -30 °C. These conditions are reducing for Fe, but oxidizing for oxygen-affine alloying elements as Mn, Si and Cr. These ignoble elements form an external, covering oxide layer on the steel surface, which exhibits poor wettability for the Zn(Al, Fe)-bath. The liquid Zn(Al, Fe) has a temperature of 460 °C and contains 0,2 wt% Al to form a Fe₂Al_5-xZn_x-layer to inhibit the growth of Fe-Zn-intermetallics. Along with the increased amount of alloying elements to improve strength and ductility of AHSS the evolving oxide layer after annealing at the steel surface deteriorates hot-dip galvanizing. The question arises what happens to the surface oxides during immersion in the Zn(Fe, Al)-bath. For this purpose annealed as well as annealed and galvanized 0.8Si-AHSS and 1.5Si-AHSS were compared by glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GD-OES) depth profiles. Galvanized specimens show fewer oxides at the steel-zinc-interface as annealed specimens. A possible explanation is an aluminothermic reduction of oxides by 0.2 wt% dissolved Al in the Zn(Al, Fe)-bath. Al is thermodynamically more affine to oxygen than Mn and Si and may reduce Mn- and Si-oxides. An alternative theory is the dissolution of Fe in Zn during reactive wetting, as a side effect the oxides are rinsed off too. Additionally, the influence of DP was investigated. According to Wagner’s theory of selective oxidation, a higher amount of oxygen in the annealing atmosphere leads to internal oxidation of the alloying elements. Experiments were carried out with 0.8Si-AHSS and 1.5Si-AHSS by altering the DP during annealing from -30 °C (380 ppm H₂O) to 0 °C (6000 ppm H₂O). Oxidation mode changed from external (DP -30 °C) to internal oxidation along grain boundaries (DP 0 °C), as predicted by Wagner. These oxide-free surface provides good reactivity to enhance reactive wetting with the Zn(Fe, Al)-bath and form a dense Fe₂Al_5-xZn_x-layer.

Abstract: Carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRPs) can be classified according to whether the matrix is a thermoset or a thermoplastic. Thermoset-matrix composites are by tradition far more common, but thermoplastic-matrix composites are gaining in importance. There are several techniques for combining carbon fibres with a thermoplastic-matrix system. The composite’s characteristics as well as its manufacturing costs are dependent on the impregnation technique of the carbon fibre and the textile structure respectively. Carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastics (CFRTPs) are suitable for fast and economic production of high-performance components. Despite the higher material costs thermoplastic-matrix systems show cost benefits in comparison to thermoset-matrix due to substantial time savings in the production process. Moreover CFRTPs can be manufactured in large production runs. The commingling of reinforcement fibres with matrix fibres is a well-established process. Another approach is the coating of the carbon fibre with a thermoplastic subsequent to the carbon fibre production (carbonization, activation and deposition of sizing). The latter point is currently subject of research and is a promising method for further increasing the production speed. This paper presents the different possibilities of impregnating carbon fibres with a thermoplastic matrix. Diverse technologies along the process chain of the CFRTP production will be discussed.

Abstract: Additive manufacturing provides the ability to produce structural components featuring complex shapes in one step, compared to traditional methods of production. Therefore, additive manufacturing has recently gained attention for the direct production of parts. Using fibre reinforced filaments offers the opportunity to improve the mechanical properties of FFF printed components. In order to dimension them correctly, the mechanical properties of additive manufactured samples based on glass fibre reinforced filaments were determined. Additionally, the influence of extrusion paths resulting in a distinct fibre orientation were taken into account. Samples were produces by FFF-method (Fused Filament Fabrication) from three materials: Bulk ABS and short glass fibre reinforced ABS featuring 5 wt% and 10 wt% fibre content. Additionally, samples were printed in two different raster orientations of 0° and 90°. Three different sample types were manufactured in order to perform tension, flexural and impact tests. Prior to printing the samples, the slicer parameters were optimized for usage with the fibre reinforced filament. To determine the FOD (Fibre Orientation Distribution) and FLD (Fibre Length Distribution), the samples were scanned using a CT. Results show that fibre reinforced filaments used in this contribution can increase stiffness to 150 % of the bulk material in printing direction with a fibre weight content of 10 %. CT investigations have shown that the orientation of fibres is primary aligned to the printing path.

Abstract: Currently there is a great demand for energy and resource efficient and also function integrating manufacturing processes. Therefore, suitable technologies and corresponding foundational researches are being pursued in the federal cluster of excellence “MERGE Technologies for Multifunctional Lightweight Structures” at the Technische Universität Chemnitz. A part of this project is the development of the continuous orbital winding (COW) technology including the goal of a large-scale process used for special fiber-reinforced thermoplastic semi-finished products. This method is an inverted winding process. The winding core needs to perform only the feed motion. Furthermore, this allows synchronization to upstream and downstream process chains.Due to the modular structure of the machine concept, it is possible to integrate a sensor system during production without interrupting the process. For this purpose, a textile carrier tape with integrated electrically conductive fibers and applied sensors is embedded. Various silicon sensors, e.g. acceleration, pressure or stress sensors are applied by micro-injection molding. A so-called “interposer” is used as an electrically adapter between the microstructures of the sensor system and the mesostructures of the textile.In this article, basic investigations for the continuous processing of semi-finished thermoplastic structures and the integration of sensors are presented. It is intended to determine the bonding properties, possible structural thickening by the sensors and the resistance of the sensor systems and its electronic components to the process conditions.In summary, investigations are carried out to determine the parameters of the machine system as well as to determine the optimum processing conditions for the application of additional elements.

Abstract: There is the need to determine the process capability of available and novel carbon fibre (CF) roving with minimal material and reproducible procedures in the field of research and development of continuous fibre reinforced composites and structural components, as well as to identify the power delivery in thermoplastic laminate constructions. The innovative TFW procedure with the appropriate system technology allows the production of piece size variable unidirectional (UD) prepreg in a continuous sequential process of spiral winding. A flexible surface design, resulting in the partial fixation of a single highly spread CF roving on fine nonwoven fabric. By defined accumulating of composite components, the fibre volume content (FVC) is adjustable and correspond to the level of spreading and to the grammage of nonwoven fabric. Minimum single layer thickness promote compound homogeneity and thereby allow the generation of greatest possible degrees of freedom in load-oriented structural design of CF-reinforced thermoplastic lightweight products in the laboratory staff.

Abstract: The film stacking method is the industrial standard for the manufacturing of fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites (FRTCs). An alternative to this is commingling thermoplastic fibres with reinforcement fibres, e. g. glass fibres, into hybrid yarns. However, the composites produced by the use of film-stacking or hybrid yarns cannot achieve an optimal impregnation of reinforcement fibres with the matrix polymer. This stens from the high melt viscosity of thermoplastics, which prevents a uniform wetting of the reinforcement fibres. Leaving some fibers is unconnected to the matrix. This leads to composite lower strength than theoretically possible. The aim of the research is the coating of a single glass filament in the glass fibre nozzle drawing process to achive a homogenous distribution of glass fibres and matrix in the final composite. The approach uses particles with a diameter from 5 to 25 μm of polyamide 12 (PA 12) which are electrostatically charged and blown at an Eglass filament in the nozzle drawing process as seen in. The particles adhering to the filament are melted by infrared heating and winded afterwards. This development will allow the homogenous distribution of fibres and the matrix in a thermoplastic composite allowing a higher fibre volume content leading to improved mechanical properties. Even though the glass filaments could be coated with PA 12, a homogenous sheath could not be achieved in this investigation. Therefore, further research will focus on an improved homogeneity by reducing the agglomeration of PA 12, using dried PA12 and enhancing the coating setup.

Abstract: Within the scope of the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1153 novel process chains for the production of hybrid solid components by Tailored Forming are developed at the Leibniz Universität Hannover. The combination of e. g. aluminium with steel allows to produce hybrid compounds with wear-resistant functional surfaces and reduced weight. In these process chains, joining takes place as the first step to produce hybrid semi-finished products by friction welding, cladding, ultrasonic assisted laser welding or co-extrusion, which are subsequently subjected to various forming processes such as forging or impact extrusion. The coaxially joined hybrid semi-finished components investigated in this work were produced by means of the lateral angular co-extrusion (LACE) process using the aluminium alloy EN AW-6082 and the case-hardening steel 20MnCr5. These semi-finished products shall be suited to produce hybrid bearing bushings by die forging in a subsequent process step. Initial investigations for the determination of the process parameters and the appropriate tool geometry were made using a steel rod. In future investigations, a steel tube will replace the steel rod in order to produce hybrid semi-finished products, which can be fully integrated into the process chain. The mechanical properties of the profile were determined at different positions along its length. For this purpose, the quality of the joining zone between aluminium and steel as a function of the profile position was examined by means of push-out tests. Moreover, the mechanical properties of the aluminium component’s longitudinal weld seam were determined by micro-tensile-tests.

Abstract: Due to the growing demand for lightweight solutions in a wide range of industries, the selection and combination of various materials is becoming more and more important. As a result, the need for suitable joining technologies is increasing along with it. Within the DFG research group "Schwarz-Silber" ("black-silver"), Fraunhofer IFAM is investigating so-called transitional structures in cooperation with the University of Bremen. In this process, glass fiber structures are integrated into aluminum by a high pressure die casting process. These structures are used for the electrochemical insulation between aluminum and carbon fiber textiles, which are connected by textile processes in a subsequent production step. A solid hybrid structure is finally achieved through a resin-impregnation process. The key challenges are the positioning, pre-tensioning and infiltration of the glass fiber structures within the high pressure die casting process. In order to meet these challenges, a customized die casting tool was developed within the project. With the aid of mold-filling simulations, the die system of the die casting tool was optimized to achieve better infiltration of the fiber bundles and to additionally support the position of the glass fibers in the casting process. After the design of the molding tool, the implementation was carried out in collaboration with a toolmaker. In subsequent, up-to-date investigations, the positioning and infiltration of different variants of glass fiber structures is evaluated. The results are compared with previous attempts to position and infiltrate the glass fiber structures to assess the effect of the optimized newly designed tool.

Abstract: HybridRTM terms a publicly funded project, which aims at the development of a processing technique for manufacturing of light weight structural components from hybrid materials. In particular, components involving metal as well as fibre-reinforced polymer composite materials are manufactured in a single processing step by means of the resin transfer moulding (RTM) technique. Project activities include material development and characterization, modelling of thermally induced residual stresses, process simulation, mould development as well as model-based process control in order to ensure consistently high component quality. This paper outlines the fundamental idea of the project and summarizes the most important results gained during the first two years of project activities.