Carbon fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites

Source Reprinted with permission from Zhen Mei, Chung DDL, Glass transition and melting behavior of carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic composite, studied by electrical resistance measurement, Polymer Composites, 21(5), 2000. Copyright 2000, The Society of Plastics Engineers. 

Nejhad MNG, Parvizimajidi A, Impact behaviour and damage tolerance of woven carbon-fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites. Composites, 21(2), 155-168, 1990. 

Davies P, Cantwell WJ, Jar PY, Bourban PE, Zysman V, Kausch HH, Joining and repair of a carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic. Composites, 22(6), 425-431, 1991. 

Smiley, A.J. (1988) Diaphragm forming of carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic composite materials. University of Delaware, PhD dissertation. 

Pi-Pregs (Porcher Industries), balanced or UD composites, are made of glass, aramid or carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastics (PPS, PEI,TPU, PA 12). 

Oya N, Hamada H, Mechanical properties and failure mechanisms of carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic laminates. Composites Part A-Appl Sci Manuf 28(9-10), 823-832, 1997. 

Hitchen SA, Ogin SL, Smith PA, Soutis C, The effect of fibre length on fracture-toughness and notched strength of short carbon-fibre epoxy composites. Composites, 25(6), 407-413, 1994. Kishimoto K, Notomi M, Koizumi T, Fracture toughness of short carbon-fibre-reinforced thermoplastic pol5mide. Engineering Fracture Mechanics, 49(6), 943 et seq, 1994. 

J. Mayer, J. D. Haan, R. Reber, E Wintermantel (1998) Knitted carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastics An overview. First Asian-Australasian Cortf. Composite Materials (ACCM-1) Vol. 1, p. 401. 

Springs made of glass or carbon fibre reinforced UD thermoplastic composite. 

The modelling of the endurance of the thermoplastic materials reinforced with short fibres was mainly realised in the form of empirical equations, based on concrete experimental data [1296], The typical endurance curves for glass or carbon fibres reinforced nylon 6,6 are depicted in Figure 3.459. A normalised representation, with respect to shows that the degradation ratio of the composite material is 10%, irrespective of the nature of investigated material [1296]. 

Evans AG (1972) A method for evaluating the time-dependent failure characteristics of brittle materials - and its application to polycrystalline alumina. J Mater Sci 7 1137-1146 French MA, Pritchard G (1991) Strength retention of glass/carbon hybrid laminates in aqueous media. In Cardon AH, Verchery G (eds) Durability of polymer based composite systems for structural applications. Elsevier Applied Science, New York, pp 345-354 Friedrich K (1981) Stress corrosion crack propagation in glass fibre reinforced/thermoplastic PET. J Mater Sci 16(12) 3292-3302... 

So far when considering carbon fibre composites the matrix has been a thermosetting resin or polymer. The relative merits of thermosetting and thermoplastic polymer matrices were discussed briefly in Chapter 3. Several thermoplastic matrices are compounded with short carbon or glass fibres. In Table 5.22 however the properties of unidirectional, continuous, carbon fibre-reinforced materials are illustrated. 

The mechanical properties of plastics materials may often be considerably enhanced by embedding fibrous materials in the polymer matrix. Whilst such techniques have been applied to thermoplastics the greatest developents have taken place with the thermosetting plastics. The most common reinforcing materials are glass and cotton fibres but many other materials ranging from paper to carbon fibre are used. The fibres normally have moduli of elasticity substantially greater than shown by the resin so that under tensile stress much of the load is borne by the fibre. The modulus of the composite is intermediate to that of the fibre and that of the resin. 

Vegetable fibres (including wood fibres) represent a good replacement solution for glass and carbon fibres for the reinforcement of composites based on a thermoplastic matrix. The advantages of vegetable fibres are economically and ecologically important ... 

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