Sensor Device Integrated into Composite Fiber Component
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for monitoring the production of fiber composite components, such as Tool Mounted Sensors, leave traces on the end product and may lose contact due to resin shrinkage, while non-contact methods are not always feasible, and there is a need for real-time detection of process parameters like resin injection pressure and temperature during the production of fiber composite components.
Innovation Solution
Integrating a sensor device with a flexible circuit carrier and sensor module into the fiber composite component, which detects acceleration during the introduction of a liquid matrix, allowing for real-time monitoring and optimization of process parameters such as injection pressure, rate, and temperature, and evaluation of the tool closing process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If Tool Mounted Sensors (TMS) are introduced into the production tool for process monitoring, then real-time detection of process parameters is enabled, but the sensors leave traces on the end product and may lose contact due to resin shrinkage
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor device is extracted from the traditional Tool Mounted Sensor concept and integrated directly into the fiber composite component itself. This extraction allows the sensing function to be separated from the production tool, eliminating the harmful effects of traces on the end product and contact loss due to resin shrinkage, while maintaining real-time process parameter detection capability
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor device is nested within the fiber composite component during the manufacturing process. The flexible circuit carrier with sensor modules is placed between textile layers, and the entire assembly is impregnated with matrix material. This nesting approach allows the sensor to become an integral part of the final product without requiring separate tool mounting, thereby avoiding traces and contact issues
2Object-affected harmful factors
If non-contact measurement methods are used for process monitoring, then traces on the end product are avoided, but these methods cannot always be realized
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible circuit carrier acts as an intermediary between the textile layers and the matrix material. It provides a stable platform for mounting sensor modules that can detect process parameters through direct contact with the matrix during infusion, combining the benefits of integrated sensing with reliable mechanical support and electrical connectivity throughout the manufacturing process
3Measurement precision
If sensors are integrated directly into the structural construction in the tool for monitoring flow front and curing, then process monitoring is enabled, but the sensors are complex and require multiple types of sensors and methods
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor device integrates multiple sensing capabilities into a single unified system. Different sensor modules (such as acceleration sensors, temperature sensors, and pressure sensors) are mounted on the flexible circuit carrier, allowing simultaneous monitoring of flow front progression, curing degree, and other process parameters through one integrated component rather than multiple separate sensor systems
Solution Approach 2:
The system monitors process parameters by detecting changes in physical quantities during manufacturing. Acceleration sensors detect the arrival of the flow front through acceleration changes, temperature sensors monitor curing through temperature changes, and pressure sensors detect curing through pressure changes. This parameter-based approach simplifies the sensing system compared to requiring multiple specialized sensor types
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables real-time detection and optimization of process parameters during the production of fiber composite components, ensuring accurate monitoring and evaluation of the production process, and providing a secondary function for monitoring the production process without leaving traces on the final product.
Implementation Method 1
detecting an acceleration during an introducing of a liquid matrix for producing the fiber composite component by means of the sensor device or the sensor module of the sensor device
Data Source
AI summary
A method for producing a composite fiber component, in which a sensor apparatus having a flexible circuit carrier and/or a sensor module, in particular a micromechanical acceleration sensor module, is integrated, includes loading a tool for producing the composite fiber component with textile layers and the sensor apparatus; closing, in particular air-tight sealing, of the loaded tool and compressing the textile layers and the sensor apparatus; introducing a liquid matrix, in particular a resin, in particular a pure resin, into the sealed tool to produce the composite fiber component; detecting, in particular in real time, an acceleration relative to the introducing and/or sealing by means of the sensor apparatus and/or the sensor module of the sensor apparatus; and deriving and/or evaluating a process parameter of the production method depending on the detected acceleration.