Research

Our Focus
Embodiment Design during designing products with modern materials are addressed in this group. The main focus of the research activities is on technology, while the other two dimensions of Life Cycle Engineering, namely ecological & economical aspects as well as user issues have a large influence.

Research Objectives

The research objectives of this project are to (a) to generate knowledge of selecting (new) materials during the design process, taking into consideration the technological factors, economical aspects and user-interaction aspects and (b) to develop, by means of experimentation & prediction, methodologies to design products, which are reliable and durable, while both environmental impact and material consumption are minimized.

The people in our group are working on various topics:

(for an overview in .pdf click here)

Material selection in Product Design
Selecting materials is interwoven in the design process. Product designers need to integrate many aspects of materials in their products like the technical performance, but also user issues like the associations and perceptions user’s have with products made of certain materials. The research focuses on supporting product designers during the complex process of materials selection.

DIOC-16 "Smart Product Systems"

A light weight, environmentally friendly and affordable automobile is being examined for application of new materials, including renewable material resources. Activities include experimentation, numerical modelling & structural optimization. This research is part of a University wide multidisciplinary project, called DIOC: Smart Product Systems.

Paper Pulp Packaging
In the investigation on Minimization of the Environmental Impact of Paper Pulp Packaging, the technical and environmental potential of paper pulp in packaging are being explored. The activities include: establishing the numerical methods to determine the behaviour of packaging under different loading conditions; studying the environmental impact, including LCA; structural optimization. This research is being carried out in the framework of Ambition project.

Molding Parameters and Geometry
The activity on Importance of Moulding Parameters and Geometry on Mechanical Behaviour of Products is being continued with experimentation and numerical simulation.

Mechanical Behaviour of Impact Energy Absorbers
The investigation on the Mechanical Behaviour of Impact Energy Absorbers aims to develop a Finite Element Model to describe the relation between material parameters and the mechanical behaviour of conical shaped energy absorbers.