Trevor Donald Sabiston

Education:

• PhD, University of Waterloo, Canada
• BASc, University of Waterloo, Canada
• Certificate in University Teaching, University of Waterloo, Canada

Research interests:

• Composite Micromechanics
• Composite Homogenization Schemes
• Deformation/strain Partitioning
• Interphase-based Modeling Methods
• Fibre Orientation Distributions and Fibre Length Distributions

Summary of work:

In order to satisfy government regulations for fuel economy, along with consumers’ demand for more technology in vehicles, automotive manufacturers need to adopt lightweight materials for vehicle construction. Composite materials offer much higher specific strength and stiffness compared to traditional metallic materials.

In order to incorporate composite materials within automotive structures predictive models are required to aid in the design and validation of composite components. Specifically, a new modelling framework is required for three dimensional structures common in the automotive industry, since most composite models have been developed for two dimensional structures.

For improved manufacturing cycle times, compression molding materials such as sheet molding compound and long fibre thermoplastics are desirable. The performance and response of parts manufactured using these processes are dependent on the fibre orientation and fibre length distribution within the part.

The goal of my research is to develop a framework for modelling three dimensional composite structures, and incorporate fibre orientation distributions to account for the manufacturing processing effects on the mechanical response of automotive composite components.

Trevor Sabiston's Google Scholar