automotive

Thermoplastic composites are gaining more and more interest in automotive, aerospace and sports applications, because of the short cycle times and recycling possibilities. Besides short fibre-reinforced thermoplastics, also continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites are being considered for load-carrying structures. However, their behaviour during manufacturing and during in-service use is very different from the traditional thermoset composites (typically epoxy-based). The mechanical properties of thermoplastic composites are much more sensitive to temperature and loading rate.

Aesthetics and material durability are closely related in consumer-facing industries such as the automotive industry. In addition to designing an aesthetically pleasing interior environment, developers aim to create an interior with durable components to stand up to long-term use. This blog post covers the different mechanical tests used to ensure automotive interior parts pass the test for aesthetics, quality, safety, and durability.

Simpleware software is used for a wide range of automotive applications and workflows, where 3D image data (from CT, micro-CT…) can be used for virtual exploration of components. Scanning automotive material samples such as composites, plastics, rubbers and ceramics enables non-destructive testing and export for realistic simulation. Applications include component analysis, reverse engineering of legacy parts, materials characterisation and simulation.

Reverse engineering and analysing industrial automotive parts can be a challenge, given the complexity of materials used and the need for precision when processing image data. Researchers have used Simpleware ScanIP to overcome these difficulties in a project involving the conversion of CT data of a cylinder head into a high-quality 3D model suitable for inspecting defects and exporting simulation-ready meshes.