Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS
Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS
© Fraunhofer IMWS
Eine Sandwichstruktur mit kohlefaserverstärkten Deckplatten und Schaumkern.

© Fraunhofer IMWS

Composite sandwich structures

3D-geformte Organosandwichbauteile
© Fraunhofer IMWS/Sven Döring
3D-formed organosandwich components with a thermoplastic honeycomb core and facesheets made from UD tape laminates.

Composite sandwich structures consist of two thin, stiff face sheets bonded to a lightweight core ( foam or honeycomb core). This construction provides high stiffness and strength at low weight and high material efficiency. They are therefore well suited for lightweight, high-stiffness solutions in automotive parts or aircraft components. Sandwich structures are also commonly used for lightweight partitions and ceiling panels in transportation industry, board like sports equipment, as well as  boats and ships.

With many years of award-winning expertise, Fraunhofer IMWS supports the development of high-performance composite sandwich structures. This includes, for example:

  • Materials development: new composite and core materials
  • Manufacturing processes: development of production-ready processes for 3D thermoforming and injection-molding functionalization of thermoplastic sandwich structures, as well as optimization of manufacturing processes for sandwich structures with tailored processing technology, e.g., for hybrid thermoforming-injection molding processes and investigation of the processing behavior of sandwich materials
  • Structure and materials analysis: examination of mechanical and morphological properties, characterization of materials for core and facesheets (mechanical testing, microstructural analysis, nondestructive testing); component and structural tests under static and fatigue loads and climate exposure
  • Damage assessment and diagnostics: improving methods for early damage detection and assessment of structural integrity, including face-sheet debonding
  • Sandwich construction and component design: design and evaluation of sandwich structures under service-relevant loads as well as investigation and prediction of the service life of sandwich structures
  • Simulation and modeling: use of software to predict the behavior of materials and structures under various service-relevant conditions

Objectives of our R&D activities are increasing material performance (developing lighter and stronger materials), improving sustainability (reduced raw-material demand, use of environmentally friendly materials, development of recycling methods for composite materials) as well as supporting efficient manufacturing processes that reduce costs, ensure optimal product quality, and enable the functionalization of sandwich components (for example, through the integration of sensors to monitor the structure during operation). The institute's capabilities ranging from microstructure material diagnostics up to prototype production processes in pilot plant scale.