Abstract

Continuous-discontinuous long fiber reinforced polymer structures(CoDiCoFRP) combine the high stiffness and strength of continuous fiber reinforced polymers (CoFRP) and design freedom of discontinuous fiber reinforced polymers (DiCoFRP). However, there is still a lack of proven concepts for the manufacturing, modeling and dimensioning of CoDiCoFRP.  Within the International Research Training Group GRK2978  led by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Western Ontario (UWO) an integrated process chain for components made from continuous-discontinuous long fiber reinforced polymer structures is established. The core research idea International Research Training Group GRK2978  is to develop robust integrated engineering strategies for materials design as well as for structure and process optimization of CoDi-CoFRP, an important material class for modern energy efficient lightweight structures. Process-oriented and  hierarchical modeling and characterization approaches are nowadays used in various areas of engineering science. The approach in the IRTG is distinguished from other approaches such that different variants of composites (CoFRP and DiCoFRP) are combined into a third type (CoDiCoFRP) in a complex thermomechanical manufacturing process, thereby increasing the potential for lightweight structures. The combination implies, that classical approaches have to be replaced by completely new strategies for the production, characterization and modeling of composites for CoDiCoFRP. In the talk an overview is given with respect to the research activities of the GRK. Special emphasis is given to the application of scale bridging methods.