Damage Analysis of Thermoplastic Composites with Embedded Metal Inserts Using In Situ Computed Tomography

Thermoplastic composites (TPCs) are predestined for use in lightweight structures, for example, in automotive engineering, due to their good specific mechanical properties. In many areas of lightweight design, the use of metal inserts for load introduction into composite structures has become established. The inserts can be embedded during composite manufacturing without fibre damage. The technology is based on the concept of moulding holes with a pin tool and simultaneously placing the insert in the moulded hole. The embedding process results in a complex material structure in the joining zone with inhomogeneous three-dimensional fibre orientation and locally varying fibre content. The local material structure has a significant influence on the mechanical behaviour of the joining zone. For this reason, in situ computed tomography (CT) analyses are conducted in this work for a better understanding of the damage behaviour in the joining zone. In situ CT push-out tests were carried in the two thickness directions of along and opposed to the direction of the embedding process. The characteristic local material structure in the joining zone led to direction-dependent damage behaviour based on different failure modes