JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #97 - Special JEC Americas - May/June 2015 - 29

Automotive

CAMISMA project: a new and radical multi-material concept
Within the scope of the CAMISMA
(Carbon Amid Metal based Interior
Structure using a Multi-material system
Approach) project conducted by the German Ministry of Education and Research
(BMBF), a consortium of industrial and
academic partners responds to customers' need for lightweight components
and materials recycling. The result is
the CAMISMA multi-material concept,
which uses carbon fibres in combination
with a thermoplastic matrix, a mixed
carbon- and glass-fibre composite and
a metal insert with a special adhesion
promoter in one part. This enables the
integration of multiple functions in a
single part (comparable to approximately
12 parts in conventional construction). In
addition, process waste can be reduced to
below 5% of the material used, compared
with current carbon part production,
where approximately 50% of the material
ends up as waste.

Target applications for this technology
are series production cars, especially
vehicles with a lightweight focus such
as electric cars, lightweight city cars and
sports cars. This unique technology makes
multi-material structures affordable for
mass production applications (>200,000
units/year) by intelligently combining
four different materials in a tailored
design, using weight- and cost-optimized
processes including new joining methods,
and reducing waste. A pending patent
for the connection of a mechanism in
a fibre-reinforced seat backrest structure demonstrates the novelty of the
approach for new joining and combining
methods. The concept has the potential to meet the very challenging OEM
requirements regarding a cost/weight
ratio superior to +€5 per saved kg. For
these reasons, this innovation will expand
the use of lightweight and sustainable
materials normally used in very limited

amounts for select high-class models, and
significantly reduce fuel consumption and
overall CO2 emissions, while extending
the range of electric vehicles.

Aeronautics

Ultrasound process monitoring with a network
of low-cost sensors
All-composite raw materials and intermediate products (e.g. preforms) inherit
tolerances that have to be considered in the
production specifications. Today, the typical way of solving this problem is to define
a quite conservative, invariable production
corridor based on worst-case assumptions
and indirect production parameters such
as time, pressure and temperature. These
invariable production cycle parameters are
often derived from extensive trials and possess high safety margins, i.e. long tempering
cycles in order to secure sufficient cure.
By using a mould-integrated network of
ultrasound (US) sensors, it is possible to
monitor and subsequently directly adjust
quality-determining process parameters
such as resin flow (ensuring void-free laminates), laminate thickness and cure progress
in open-mould LCM (liquid composite
moulding) processes. The decisive advantage of US sensors is that they do not affect

Winner: Johnson Controls GmbH
Partners: Evonik Industries AG (Germany), Toho Tenax Europe GmbH (Germany), HBW Gubesch Thermoforming
GmbH (Germany), IKA-RWTH Aachen
University (Germany)

the critical mould line or vacuum integrity
since they are installed on the accessible
backside of the mould. The US sensor
feedback-based production approach uses
direct laminate parameters that describe
the individual production process with all
its deviations from the nominal process.
As a result, US sensor readings can be used
initially to validate the process parameters
(Vf, resin arrival, etc.) and ultimately to
adjust production parameters during the
process, or at least correct the parameter
settings for the next shot, which helps to
significantly improve the repeatability of
product properties, reduce scrap rates and
shorten production cycles.
In the last phase of development, the collaboration with structural health monitoring
(SHM) experts significantly helped to proceed since SHM technology options have
very much in common with the described
innovative controlled production approach.

Winner: Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und
Raumfahrt (Germany)
Partner: Bombardier Aerospace (UK)

The current level of technology readiness
was demonstrated in the LOCOMACHS
FP7 project, where two ribs were produced
in an autoclave injection technology. The
ribs where derived from existing ribs of a
full-size demonstrator wing. When fully
developed, they have the potential to be
introduced in production, e.g. in processes
such as the Bombardier Aerospace UK
autoclave-based RTI (Resin Transfer Injection) process.

No97 May - June 2015 /

jec composites magazine 29
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #97 - Special JEC Americas - May/June 2015

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