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Projecte llegit

Títol: Development of a methodology for the characterization of long-fibre composite materials for crashworthiness applications using CAE

Estudiants que han llegit aquest projecte:

Director/a: ARIAS CALDERÓN, SANTIAGO

Departament: FIS

Títol: Development of a methodology for the characterization of long-fibre composite materials for crashworthiness applications using CAE

Data inici oferta: 03-02-2023     Data finalització oferta: 03-10-2023


Estudis d'assignació del projecte:
    GR ENG SIST AEROESP
Tipus: Individual
 
Lloc de realització: Fora UPC    
 
        Supervisor/a extern: Alfredo Alameda
        Institució/Empresa: IDIADA AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY S.A.
        Titulació del Director/a: CAE project engineer / Numerical methods
 
Paraules clau:
Composites, Crashworthiness, Ecodesign, Automotive, CAE, LSDyna, Finite Element
 
Descripció del contingut i pla d'activitats:
In the field of mobility, the structural application of advanced materials is a topic of increasing interest, to achieve specific capacities such as high resistance or good impact behaviour (crashworthiness) as well as low weight. In this way it is possible to increase the safety of vehicles while reducing their emissions into the atmosphere.

In order to design components with these materials, Computer Aided Design (CAE) techniques are usually used, which entails the need for an appropriate characterization of the materials involved, although the processes for characterization and development with certain materials are very complex and carry a very high cost. An improvement of the processes for their development by CAE could lead to extend the applicability of these materials.

Based on a 'Building Block approach' philosophy and tests from the field of aeronautics, this project aims to improve the process of obtaining properties of long-fibre composite materials, and their characterization for component development under impact conditions. In this way, it is intended to improve the efficiency of obtaining data from the material, and update some of the simulation techniques with the aforementioned materials to the state of the art.
 
Overview (resum en anglès):
Composite materials have received a great deal of attention in recent years because of their exceptional mechanical properties and light weight, which make them suitable for a variety of engineering applications. One of these applications is crashworthiness, which refers to the ability of a structure to absorb energy during a crash, thus protecting occupants and minimising damage to the vehicle. In this context, the development of a methodology for the characterisation of long fibre composite materials using computer-aided engineering (CAE) is of vital importance.

The use of CAE tools has revolutionised the process of design and analysis of engineering structures, offering significant advantages such as cost and time savings, increased accuracy and the ability to simulate complex loading scenarios. By harnessing the power of CAE, engineers can perform virtual testing and analysis of composite structures, enabling a better understanding of their behaviour and performance under crash conditions.

The goal of this research is to develop a comprehensive methodology for the characterisation of long fibre composite materials specifically tailored to crashworthiness applications. The methodology will include experimental tests previously performed in-house, together with numerical simulations using CAE techniques. By combining these two approaches, a comprehensive understanding of the material behaviour and its response to shock loading can be achieved.

The characterisation process will involve the selection of suitable composite materials, taking into account factors such as fibre type, matrix material and fibre volume fraction, which are known to significantly influence the mechanical properties of the composite. Experimental tests were used to obtain essential material properties such as tensile strength, compressive strength, shear strength and fracture toughness. These properties will serve as input data for the numerical simulations.

The CAE simulations will be carried out using the finite element method (FEM), which allows virtual modelling and simulation of complex structures. By creating an accurate representation of the composite structure and applying realistic loading conditions, the material response can be predicted.

The developed methodology will be validated with experimental results. This validation process is crucial to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the methodology. Any discrepancies between experimental and simulated results will be analysed.

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