Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FIONA (FIbre OrientatioN Analysis of FRP components)
Période du rapport: 2020-08-01 au 2021-07-31
Fibre reinforced plastics (FRP) are increasingly used as alternatives to load-bearing metals for multiple applications within a range of industries (such as e.g. electric vehicles) due to the superior design flexibility and high strength-to-weight ratio of composite materials.
The maximum reinforcement effect of the fibres in such materials can be obtained by optimizing the degree of alignment between fibre orientation and loading directions. Currently, fibre orientation is determined through design cycles which involve multiple test castings and manual 2D experimental validation of fibre distribution in small FRP samples; a method which is resource-wasteful, time-consuming and labour-intensive. Furthermore, it is estimated that FRP components only provide ~30% of their maximum strength under such design cycles. This suboptimal result stems from a lack of 3D imaging tools that provide accurate structural information across entire FRP parts and enable improvement of the designflows.
The FIONA project aims at developing the 3D FibreScanner, a simple and cost-effective X-ray add-on module for structural 3D imaging of FRP components, enabling full exploitation of FRP mechanical properties and great improvements of design and development cycles.
The maximum reinforcement effect of the fibres in such materials can be obtained by optimizing the degree of alignment between fibre orientation and loading directions. Currently, fibre orientation is determined through design cycles which involve multiple test castings and manual 2D experimental validation of fibre distribution in small FRP samples; a method which is resource-wasteful, time-consuming and labour-intensive. Furthermore, it is estimated that FRP components only provide ~30% of their maximum strength under such design cycles. This suboptimal result stems from a lack of 3D imaging tools that provide accurate structural information across entire FRP parts and enable improvement of the designflows.
The FIONA project aims at developing the 3D FibreScanner, a simple and cost-effective X-ray add-on module for structural 3D imaging of FRP components, enabling full exploitation of FRP mechanical properties and great improvements of design and development cycles.
The current reporting period has been significantly challenged by the global COVID19 pandemic and consequently certain task have been delayed with respect to the initial timeline – in particular MS2 which is now scheduled for completion in Q1 2022. Despite challenges in hiring and the inability to travel, the project has made progress in several areas.
Activities conducted in the period include
• Development of a simulation framework for omnidirectional scattering imaging systems allowing for optimization of key design parameters.
• Use of the developed simulation framework for determination of optimal X-ray grating design given hardware constrains of existing commercially available microCT systems.
• A complete rewrite of the software code for FiberScanner3D making use of state-of-the-art multi-GPU libraries for fast execution of the computationally intensive 3D tensor tomography reconstructions. As a result, the processing time of a 3D tensor tomography reconstruction has been reduced from more than an hour of computational time to under 2 minutes. Well below the targeted 10 minutes reconstruction time.
• Efforts in design and manufacturing of large-field-of-use X-ray omni-directional gratings. Moving towards large field-of-view X-ray gratings enables simpler and faster measurements and improves the 3D data quality. However, manufacturing of large field-of-view high-aspect ratio grating structures are far from trivial and rely on close collaborations with experts in this field.
• Two approaches for the required sample positioning system has been developed and are being evaluated: a 6-axis robotic arm and a conventional dual-axis setup. Each has their pros and cons with respect to integration into existing microCT systems. Initial experiments indicate that both approaches provide high fidelity 3D data, and the final prioritization will depend on future investigations into automatic alignment and calibration procedures. All necessary system API calls for integration of the two sample positioning systems onto the in-house ZEISS Xradia Versa microCT system have been implemented allowing the data acquisition to be controlled though the use of macro scripts.
Activities conducted in the period include
• Development of a simulation framework for omnidirectional scattering imaging systems allowing for optimization of key design parameters.
• Use of the developed simulation framework for determination of optimal X-ray grating design given hardware constrains of existing commercially available microCT systems.
• A complete rewrite of the software code for FiberScanner3D making use of state-of-the-art multi-GPU libraries for fast execution of the computationally intensive 3D tensor tomography reconstructions. As a result, the processing time of a 3D tensor tomography reconstruction has been reduced from more than an hour of computational time to under 2 minutes. Well below the targeted 10 minutes reconstruction time.
• Efforts in design and manufacturing of large-field-of-use X-ray omni-directional gratings. Moving towards large field-of-view X-ray gratings enables simpler and faster measurements and improves the 3D data quality. However, manufacturing of large field-of-view high-aspect ratio grating structures are far from trivial and rely on close collaborations with experts in this field.
• Two approaches for the required sample positioning system has been developed and are being evaluated: a 6-axis robotic arm and a conventional dual-axis setup. Each has their pros and cons with respect to integration into existing microCT systems. Initial experiments indicate that both approaches provide high fidelity 3D data, and the final prioritization will depend on future investigations into automatic alignment and calibration procedures. All necessary system API calls for integration of the two sample positioning systems onto the in-house ZEISS Xradia Versa microCT system have been implemented allowing the data acquisition to be controlled though the use of macro scripts.
The FIONA project addresses challenges that are common across the whole FRP industry, namely regarding the production of FRP components with optimized properties by closing the gap between injection moulding simulation and the final processing parameters. In fact, to optimize fibre-reinforced parts with high mechanical performance requirements, it is vital to tune the manufacturing process to align fibres with the main loading directions. Given the importance of composite materials to the development of new applications within many different segments (e.g. aerospace; automotive; construction; energy; medical industries), the optimization of the process has evolved to become a key market within FRP industry.
Xnovo’s approach provides clear cost benefits for FRP companies, which will contribute to the competitiveness of the FRP industry and it will provide a step-change by bringing a tool that can simplify the development process of the FRP components as well as improving the quality control of the produced parts. Providing the lack of true alternatives, FibreScanner3D has the potential to become the de facto standard in the industrial segments using FRP parts.
Xnovo’s approach provides clear cost benefits for FRP companies, which will contribute to the competitiveness of the FRP industry and it will provide a step-change by bringing a tool that can simplify the development process of the FRP components as well as improving the quality control of the produced parts. Providing the lack of true alternatives, FibreScanner3D has the potential to become the de facto standard in the industrial segments using FRP parts.