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Department of Mechanical Engineering
Studierende sitzt am Arbeitsplatz und schaut auf den Laptop. © Aliona Kardash​/​TU Dortmund

Doctoral examination at the IUL

© IUL
Patrick Schindler surrounded by the examination committee
The IUL warmly congratulates Patrick Schindler on successfully completing his doctoral examination. On June 15, a broad audience attended his doctoral presentation entitled “Hot Extrusion of Hybrid Profiles with Aluminium and Polymer”.

The examination committee included Prof. A. Erman Tekkaya (IUL, TU Dortmund), Prof. Markus Stommel (Leibniz Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden), Prof. Ulrich Handge (Lehrstuhl für Kunststofftechnologie, TU Dortmund) and Prof. Marcel Bartz (Lehrstuhl für Konstruktion und Produktentwicklung, TU Dortmund). 

The manufacturing of hybrid metal-polymer components for thermal and electrical insulation is currently a costly, multi-stage process. In his dissertation, Patrick Schindler developed an integrated hybrid extrusion process that combines aluminium hot extrusion with simultaneous polymer injection, merging these steps into a single process. In this process, the polymer melt is conveyed via an extruder directly into a porthole die and injected through a mandrel into the extruding aluminium profile.

A key focus of the research was the process design and validation for the alloy EN AW-6060. By dynamically modulating process parameters, both constant and axially graded profile cross-sections were successfully produced. Radial expansions of up to 43.9% were achieved through targeted pressure increases. Furthermore, Patrick Schindler established a model allowing for the physical prediction of profile geometry across various polymer materials such as PSU, PA6, and HDPE.

A significant breakthrough of the work lies in the mechanical integrity of the hybrid composite: integrating axial gradients creates defined undercuts. This mechanical interlocking (form-fit) yields an increase in bond strength of over 800% compared to conventional force-fit connections. This demonstrates the high potential of extruded hybrid profiles for high-performance structural applications.