Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

This research project will develop and verify simulations of thermoplastic compression molding of sheet based composite materials. The project will have multiple phases including a first phase of generation of experimental results for validation in future simulations of both part molding and structure assembly. Design of experiments will be used to investigate the importance of various process parameters (including charge temperature, press closing rate, press pressure, etc.) on the molding process and properties of the resulting parts. The results of this project will be used to drive the development and validation of thermoplastic compression molding simulations including the compression molding process and predicated part dimensions and properties. The predicted parts properties will then be used to develop accurate simulations of the assembly process. The validated simulation studies will be used on future automotive programs to optimize part and mold designs as well as process optimization for quality and throughput.