Title: Influences of interface and surface pretreatment on the mechanical properties of metal-CFRP hybrid structures manufactured by resin transfer moulding

Authors: Zheng Wang; Mathias Bobbert; Christian Dammann; Carolin Zinn; Christian Lauter; Rolf Mahnken; Gerson Meschut; Mirko Schaper; Thomas Troester

Addresses: Automotive Lightweight Design (LiA), Paderborn University, Warburger Street 100, Paderborn 33098, Germany ' Laboratory for Material and Joining Technology (LWF), Paderborn University, Warburger Street 100, Paderborn 33098, Germany ' Engineering Mechanics (LTM), Paderborn University, Warburger Street 100, Paderborn 33098, Germany ' Materials Science (LWK), Paderborn University, Warburger Street 100, Paderborn 33098, Germany ' Automotive Lightweight Design (LiA), Paderborn University, Warburger Street 100, Paderborn 33098, Germany ' Engineering Mechanics (LTM), Paderborn University, Warburger Street 100, Paderborn 33098, Germany ' Laboratory for Material and Joining Technology (LWF), Paderborn University, Warburger Street 100, Paderborn 33098, Germany ' Materials Science (LWK), Paderborn University, Warburger Street 100, Paderborn 33098, Germany ' Automotive Lightweight Design (LiA), Paderborn University, Warburger Street 100, Paderborn 33098, Germany

Abstract: The combination of sheet metal and carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) is a promising approach in the sector of automotive lightweight construction. The hybrid structures allow a symbiotical usage of the specific advantages of each material. First of all, this article specifies the process chain by manufacturing hybrid materials with an intrinsic resin transfer moulding (RTM) process. Subsequently, research results regarding the interface between metal and CFRP component as well as the surface pretreatment of metallic component with laser structuring are illustrated and discussed. By means of four-point-bending tests, it is found that the mechanical properties of metal-CFRP hybrid structures are improved by using a glass fleece or an epoxy-based adhesive film as intermediate layer or due to surface pretreatment of metallic component with laser structuring. Additionally, a finite-element simulation for a four-point-bending test of a hybrid part is compared to an experiment for the linear elastic region, where strain and stress distributions are focused.

Keywords: automotive lightweight design; CFRP; carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic; DSC; differential scanning calorimetry; finite-element simulation; four-point-bending; intrinsic hybridisation; laser-structuring; multimaterial system; RTM; resin transfer moulding.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAUTOC.2016.084323

International Journal of Automotive Composites, 2016 Vol.2 No.3/4, pp.272 - 298

Received: 27 Aug 2016
Accepted: 31 Oct 2016
Published online: 05 Jun 2017 *

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