Time Dependent Failure of Thermoplastic Composites
Research group activity
The National Polymer Processing Centre (NPPC) is a dedicated facility within WMG's Materials Engineering Centre (MEC). The Centre provides a hub for innovation and research in polymer and composites processing, bringing together a fully integrated approach to plastics design, manufacturing and disposal, encompassing multifunctional design and low environmental impact. The Centre is equipped with state-of-the art, industrial scale composite processing equipment to carry out process development, component manufacture and mechanical testing of composite materials. Manufacturing methods available include injection moulding, compression moulding and stamp-forming.
Project Description
The use of thermoplastic composites (TPC) has been growing within the automotive sector in recent decades, offering shorter cycle times than thermoset composites and easier processing and recycling. While the short-term mechanical properties of TPCs have been studied extensively these materials are prone to long-term (creep and fatigue) failure due to the time-dependent behaviour of the thermoplastic matrix. Understanding the long-term mechanical behaviour of TPCs is essential for lifetime predictions, which is required for safe and reliable application of load-bearing applications. This project seeks to effectively predict and model the long-term mechanical performance of thermoplastic composites a function of stress and temperature.
Required Skills
The candidate will support the mechanical testing of time- and temperature dependent properties of thermoplastic composites under both static and cyclic loadings. Depending on the candidate's interests and progress of the work, opportunities to work on manufacturing of specimens and time-dependent property modelling will also be provided. Through this the candidate will gain experience of state-of-the-art processing and testing equipment in the fast-developing area of thermoplastic composites.
