SPE announces Best Paper Award winners.
Press Release Summary:
Organizing committee for SPE® Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition announced Dr. Jackie Rehkopf Best Paper Award winners. Authors who received highest average ratings by peer reviewers include: Sebastian Goris, a doctoral student at University of Wisconsin-Madison; Dr. Ying Fan, a research engineer in Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Western University; and Christoph Kuhn, who is pursuing a doctorate degree at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg.
Original Press Release:
SPE® Announces 2016 Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition (ACCE) Best Paper Award Winners
TROY (DETROIT), MICH. – The organizing committee for the SPE® Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition (ACCE) today announced the Dr. Jackie Rehkopf Best Paper Award winners for the group’s sixteenth-annual show, September 7-9, 2016. Three authors who received the highest average ratings by conference peer reviewers out of a field of 92 contenders will be honored for excellence in technical writing with a commemorative plaque during SPE ACCE opening ceremonies on September 7. Sebastian Goris, a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (http://www.wisc.edu/; Madison, Wis., U.S.A.) and graduate research assistant at the Polymer Engineering Center (PEC, http://pec.engr.wisc.edu/) took first place in this year's competition; Dr. Ying Fan, a research engineer in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Western University (http://www.uwo.ca/; formerly University of Western Ontario; London, Ont., Canada) took second place; and Christoph Kuhn, who is simultaneously working as a project engineer in the Group Research department at Volkswagen AG (http://www.vw.com/; Wolfsburg, Germany) and also pursuing a doctorate degree at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, (https://www.fau.eu/; Erlangen, Germany) placed third in the competition. The conference's best paper awards honor long-time SPE ACCE committee member, session organizer, two-times technical program co-chair, and long-time automotive-composites industry researcher, Dr. Jackie Rehkopf.
Goris was lead author along with his advisor, Prof. Tim Osswald of the Polymer Engineering Center (PEC) at University of Wisconsin-Madison on a paper entitled Progress on the Characterization of the Process-Induced Fiber Microstructure of Long Glass Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastics. The paper will be presented on September 8 from 11:00-11:30 a.m. in the Virtual Prototyping & Testing - Part 4 session at the 2016 SPE ACCE conference. About his topic, the author says, "The work described in this paper discusses new measurement approaches that we've developed at the PEC to determine the full three-dimensional fiber architecture obtained using micro computed-tomography technology for fiber orientation and fiber density distribution as well as an automated process to determine the fiber-length distribution. Results of the work measured on 40-wt% injection molded long [glass fiber-[reinforced thermoplastic polypropylene [LFT-PP suggest that the common assumption of uniform fiber length and fiber density distribution in injection molded parts is not correct. The potential impact of the heterogeneity of process-induced microstructure that we found can be critical for accurate analysis of LFT parts and should inform future material modeling approaches."
Fan was lead author on a paper entitled Effects of Processing Parameters on the Thermal & Mechanical Properties of LFT-D-ECM Glass Fiber/Polyamide 6 Composites. Her co-authors were Y.C Liu, T. Whitfield, T. Kuboki and J.T. Wood from Western University (WU) as well as V. Ugresic from the Fraunhofer Project Centre for Composites Research (http://www.eng.uwo.ca/fraunhofer/; London, Ont., Canada). The paper will be presented on September 7 from 2:30-3:00 p.m. in the Advances in Thermoplastic Composites - Part 3 session.
About her topic, Fan explains "We investigated the influences of process parameters — including melt temperature, extruder fill level, glass fiber temperature, and screw speed in the mixing extruder — on the thermal and mechanical properties of direct/inline compounded 30- wt% long [glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastic [D-LFT polyamide 6 [PA 6, also called nylon 6, which was subsequently compression molded. The effects of processing parameters on glass transition temperature [Tg, melt temperature [Tm, and relative degree of crystallinity will be presented in this work."
Kuhn was lead author along with William Kucinski and Olaf Taeger at Volkswagen Group Research and Prof. Tim Osswald at University of Wisconsin-Madison on a paper entitled Lightweight Design with Long Fiber Reinforced Polymers — Technological Challenges due to the Effect of Fiber Matrix Separation. The paper will be presented on September 7 from 1:30-2:00 p.m. in the Advances in Thermoplastic Composites - Part 3 session. About his research, Kuhn comments, "A major effect that results when processing long fiber-reinforced thermoplastics [LFT is fiber matrix separation [FMS, which leads to a non-uniform fiber density distribution throughout the part. Experimental investigations in compression molding with LFT composites have shown an unequal distribution of fiber content in free-flow regions and especially in complex geometries. In the case of rib sections, for example, fiber content decreases greatly, leading to a significant change in component behavior. Through experimentation, our team analyzed the governing mechanism of FMS and developed a new approach for predicting the phenomenon."
About the SPE ACCE
Held annually in suburban Detroit, the ACCE draws over 1,000 speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, and attendees and provides an environment dedicated solely to discussion and networking about advances in transportation composites. Its global appeal is evident in the diversity of exhibitors, speakers, and attendees who come to the conference from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia / Pacific as well as North America. Fully one-third of attendees indicate they work for automotive and light truck, agriculture, truck & bus, or aviation OEMs, and another 25% represent tier suppliers. Attendees also work for composite materials, processing equipment, additives, or reinforcement suppliers; trade associations, consultants, university and government labs; media; and investment bankers. The show has been jointly sponsored by the SPE Automotive and Composites Divisions since 2001. This year's show will be held September 7-9, 2016 at The Diamond Banquet & Conference Center at the Suburban Collection Showplace, 46100 Grand River Avenue, Novi, MI 48374. For more information about the SPE ACCE, see http://speautomotive.com/comp.htm, or http://specomposites.com.
Current supporters of the show include:
• PREMIER PLUS SPONSORS & SPECIAL SPONSORS: Hexion, Inc. * (also reception sponsor), Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC)* (also student scholarship sponsor), Magna Exteriors (student poster competition sponsor); Ashland Inc.*, Carver Non-Woven Technologies LLC*, Core Molding Technologies, Inc.*, Mitsui Chemicals America, Inc.*, and
SABIC*;
• PREMIER SPONSORS: Addcomp North America, Inc.*, Altair Engineering, Inc.*, Asahi Kasei Plastics North America, Inc.*, BASF*, Böllhoff USA*, Composites One LLC*, Dieffenbacher GmbH Maschinen- und Anlagenbau*, Dow Automotive Systems*, Fraunhofer Project Centre @ Western University*, Gurit (USA) Inc.*, Huntsman*, Owens Corning*, Plasmatreat*, Red Spot Paint & Varnish Co., Inc.*, Solvay*, and Toray Composites (America), Inc. (TCA)*;
• ASSOCIATE SPONSORS: A&P Technology*, Abaris Training Resources, Inc.*, AlzChem AG*, AOC Resins*, Arkema Inc.*, Assembly Guidance Systems, Inc.*, Autodesk Inc.*, Automated Dynamics*, Cannon USA*, CHOMARAT*, Dreytek Inc.*, EconCore N.V.*, Enercon Industries Corp.*, Engel*, ESI Group*, Evonik Industries AG*, e-Xstream engineering*, FRIMO Group GmbH*, Globe Machine Manufacturing Co.*, Hennecke, Inc.*, IDI Composites® International*, Intertek Transportation Technologies*, KRUSS GmbH*, LANXESS Corp.*,
Mafic SA*, Mitsubishi Rayon Carbon Fiber & Composites*, Molding Products LLC*, North American Composites (NAC)*, National Research Council Canada (NRCC)*, Pinette Emidecau Industries*, Siemens PLM Software*, Siempelkamp Maschinen- und Anlagenbau GmbH & Co. KG*, Sigmatex Carbon Composite Solutions*, Strothmann Machines & Handling GmbH*, TenCate Advanced Composites USA, Inc.*, Toho Tenax America, Inc.*, Trexel, Inc.*, Weber Manufacturing Technologies Inc.*, Williams, White & Co.*, WMG Centre HVM Catapult - University of Warwick*, and Zoltek: A Toray Group Co.*;
• EXHIBITOR: Persico S.p.A. and Adaptive Corp.;
• BREAKFAST SPONSOR: SAMPE (Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering);
• COFFEE-BREAK SPONSOR: Johns Manville;
• ADVERTISING SPONSORS: American Chemistry Council - Plastics Div., DSC Consumables, Inc., and Shear Comfort Ltd.;
• MEDIA/ASSOCIATION: AutoBeat Daily, Automotive Design & Production magazine, China Plastics & Rubber Journal, China Plastics & Rubber Journal International, Composites World magazine, Industrias Plásticas, JEC Group, Noticiero del Plástico, Plastics Engineering magazine, PlasticsInsights.com, Plastics News, Plastics Technology magazine, Plastics Technology México, PrototypeToday.com, Reciclado y Plasticos, Rubber Fibre Plastics International magazine, TheMoldingBlog.com, and WardsAuto.com.
* Indicates a sponsor that also is exhibiting.
The mission of SPE is to promote scientific and engineering knowledge relating to plastics. SPE’s Automotive and Composites Divisions work to advance plastics and plastic-based composites technologies worldwide and to educate industry, academia, and the public about these advances. Both divisions are dedicated to educating, promoting, recognizing, and communicating technical accomplishments for all phases of plastics and plastic-based composite developments, including materials, processing, equipment, tooling, design and testing, and application development. For more information on the Society of Plastics Engineers or other SPE events, see www.4spe.org.
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