Functiebeschrijving

The CAE-engines department is responsible for creation and validation of models that can describe and predict the behaviour of the new and current engines. Due to more increasing requirements on emissions modern diesel engines have become complex systems. These emission legislations cause the need to add additional sub-systems to the base engine. To ensure all these sub-systems with wiring and lines can be accommodated on the base engine support brackets are being used. Currently brackets are made out of metals to assure lifetime capabilities of those brackets. Since weight is a key aspect in creating all parts polymers brackets would have a huge advantage over metal brackets.

Within DAF the need to investigate if low load bearing brackets could be made out of polymer materials. This reduction in weight would lead to a more efficient engine and eventually to a higher payload that our customers can transport. Based on current brackets an investigation using Finite Element Methods (FEM) could be started to see if the transition to polymer brackets is feasible. Hereby it would be needed to take the different design constraint between our conventional and polymer brackets into account.
 Finally a document containing recommendations and/or design guidelines should be written to show the correct use polymer brackets.

For each step the following steps need to be taken:

• Analytical calculations;- Numerical modelling;
• Investigation of the influence of different materials (with its design constraints) on the brackets;
• Result evaluation;
• Write document with recommendations for polymer brackets.