A novel digital lifecycle for Material-Process-Microstructure-Performance relationships of thermoplastic olefins foams manufactured via supercritical fluid assisted foam injection molding
Date
2024-03-15
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Polymer Engineering and Science
Abstract
This research significantly enhances the applicability of thermoplastic olefins (TPOs) in the automotive industry using supercritical N2 as a physical foaming agent, effectively addressing the limitations of traditional chemical agents. It merges experimental results with simulations to establish detailed material-process-microstructure-performance (MP2) relationships, targeting 5–20% weight reductions. This innovative approach labeled digital lifecycle (DLC) helps accurately predict tensile, flexural, and impact properties based on the foam microstructure, along with experimentally demonstrating improved paintability. The study combines process simulations with finite element models to develop a comprehensive digital model for accurately predicting mechanical properties. Our findings demonstrate a strong correlation between simulated and experimental data, with about a 5% error across various weight reduction targets, marking significant improvements over existing analytical models. This research highlights the efficacy of physical foaming agents in TPO enhancement and emphasizes the importance of integrating experimental and simulation methods to capture the underlying foaming mechanism to establish material-process-microstructure-performance (MP2) relationships.
Highlights
- Establishes a material-process-microstructure-performance (MP2) for TPO foams
- Sustainably produces TPO foams using supercritical (ScF) N2 with 20% lightweighting
- Shows enhanced paintability for TPO foam improved surface aesthetics
- Digital lifecycle (DLC) that predicts both foam microstructure and properties
- DLC maps process effects & microstructure onto FEA mesh for precise prediction
Description
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Pradeep SA, Deshpande AM, Lavertu P-Y, et al. A novel digital lifecycle for Material-Process-Microstructure-Performance relationships of thermoplastic olefins foams manufactured via supercritical fluid assisted foam injection molding. Polym Eng Sci. 2024; 1-19. doi:10.1002/pen.26700, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/pen.26700. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited. © 2024 Society of Plastics Engineers. This article will be embargoed until 03/15/2025.
Keywords
automotive Lightweighting, digital lifecycle (DLC), integrated computational materials engineering (ICME), microcellular foaming, microstructure-process-property relationships (MP2), thermoplastic foams, thermoplastic olefins
Citation
Pradeep SA, Deshpande AM, Lavertu P-Y, et al. A novel digital lifecycle for Material-Process-Microstructure-Performance relationships of thermoplastic olefins foams manufactured via supercritical fluid assisted foam injection molding. Polym Eng Sci. 2024; 1-19. doi:10.1002/pen.26700