Plastics

Polymeric materials are materials consisting of macromolecules. In addition to the biopolymers produced by living organisms, these include above all the synthetic and semisynthetic polymers as well as rubber and elastomers, better known as plastics.

Subject
Image for Merkle & Partner Example Plastics

Their low density and cost-effective production of even complex components make them particularly popular in lightweight construction. Plastics are represented in gigantic variety. Countless additives allow the so-called base polymers to be adapted to the respective requirements. The properties of elastomers in particular also open up a wide range of applications in the field of sealing or the soft mounting of components. What they all have in common, however, is their great dependence on temperature and time, even at much lower temperatures and times compared to ceramics or metals. Design, calculation and structural simulation are therefore particularly demanding. In addition, the material properties are influenced by the manufacturing process.

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History at Merkle & Partner in the field of plastics calculations

Merkle und Partner has been active in the field of structural simulation and numerical simulation since 1989 and is one of the leading engineering companies in this field. The development in the field of calculation of plastics was driven forward with industrial partners but also through publicly funded research projects. Since 2019, we are a cooperation partner of Digimat and perform, among other things, calculations for short fiber reinforced and also long fiber reinforced plastics. 

We would be happy to support you in the design and calculation of your plastic components. Contact us and send us an e-mail. 

Picture to Merkle & Partner plastic timeline

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Specialist articles on the subject of plastics from Merkle & Partner:

  • Lang, F., Brehm, M.: Influence of material properties on the accuracy of strength evaluation of a short fiber reinforced injection molded part In Proceedings of Material Properties in Structural Computation - Modeling, Calibration, Simulation & Optimization, NAFEMS conference, May 27-29, Dresden, Germany, 2019. 
  • Brehm, M.: Computation-supported development of a window suction cup. In Proceedings of 1st Plastics Symposium, November 15, Heidenheim, 2018. 
  • Lang. F.: Numerical simulation of a plastic ring snap connection. In Proceedings of 1st Plastics Symposium, November 15, Heidenheim, 2018. 
  • Lang. F.: Consideration of fiber orientation in structural simulation. In Proceedings of 1st Plastics Symposium, November 15, Heidenheim, 2018. 
  • Lang, F.: Structural simulation of injection molded short fiber reinforced plastic parts using FEM. Master's thesis, Aalen University, 2018. 
  • Frick, A., Boßler, R., Brehm, M. and Lang, F.: Simulation of assembly and disassembly behavior of ringtype snap fits, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part L: Journal of Materials: Design and Applications. 2018. doi.org/10.1177/1464420718807228 
  • Brehm, M., Lang, F., and Frick, A.: Results of a survey on the holistic development of plastic components. In Proceedings of 4th NAFEMS DACH-conference, May 14 - 16, Bamberg, Germany, 2018. 
  • Brehm, M., Lang, F., Frick, A., and Boßler, R.: Numerical simulation of a plastic snap ring joint with focus on the choice of a suitable material model. In Proceedings of 4th NAFEMS DACH-conference, May 14 - 16, Bamberg, Germany, 2018. 
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