At its branch office in Stade, the IFW conducts research into a wide range of topics aimed at making the mobility of the future sustainable through the use of lightweight composite materials. A major research focus is on the use and processing of thermoplastic materials, as these offer major advantages over conventional thermoset materials in terms of their recyclability and weldability of structures. In-situ consolidation can also save the energy and time-consuming downstream autoclave process.
In the project “TheSaLab - Fundamentals for the production of thermoplastic sandwich structures using laser-based in-situ thermoplastic automated fiber placement” funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), the IFW is investigating, among other things, the optical properties of the joining partners and their interaction with the laser.
At CAMX, Christopher Schmitt, research associate at IFW, presented the initial results of his experimental study on the optical interactions between CF/LM PAEK slit tapes and PEI foam cores during the top layer build-up of sandwich structures. The investigations show that the strong reflection of the laser radiation on the foam core surface leads to indirect heating of the tape to be joined, particularly near the contact point. This has a very positive effect on the consolidation of the first layer with the foam core. This effect could be reproduced in optical process simulations based on this.
Kontakt:
For further information, please contact Christopher Schmitt, Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools, on +49 4141 77638 23 r by e-mail (schmitt@ifw.uni-hannover.de). Further information can also be found at www.hpcfk.de.
