Complex shaped-reinforced thermoplastic composites

Risicato, J.-V., KeUy, F., Soulat, D., et al., 2015. A complex shaped reinforced thermoplastic composite Part Made of commingled yams with integrated sensor. Applied Composite Materials 22 (1), 81-98. 

A complex shaped-reinforced thermoplastic composite part made of commingled yarns with an integrated sensor... 

Furthermore, the production of complex shaped parts is still a challenge for the composite industry. Parts with relatively simple geometries are commonplace today for reinforced thermoplastic composites the pultrusion of simple sections and the compression molding of parts with simple curvature are examples of well-developed technologies. But the production of complex three-dimensional parts usually requires injection or compression molding. Assembly technologies used to obtain complex geometries are sometimes inefficient and costly. 

Schade, M., et al., 2009. Development and technological realization of complex shaped textile reinforced thermoplastic composites. In Composites in Automotive and Aerospace (5th International Congress on Composites), Munich, 14-15 October. 

It has been well recognized that melt blending of a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) and an isotropic polymer produces a composite in which fibrous LCP domains dispersed within the blend act as a reinforcement il ). The so-called insitu composite possesses several advantages in comparison with the inorganic reinforced thermoplastic composites. Firstly, LCP lowers the blend viscosity in the actual fabrication temperature range (3-5), Hence, the enhanced processability endows moldability for fine and complex shaped products. 

Laser welding has also been used for filament winding of fiber-reinforced composite materials with a thermoplastic prepreg. A defocused laser beam is directed on areas where the prepreg meets the winding as it is being built up. With suitable control over the winding speed, applied pressure, and the temperature of the laser, excellent reinforced structures of relatively complex shape can be achieved. 

This method simply uses a reinforcement fabric sandwiched between thermoplastic films as shown in Figure 10.13. The composite material is consolidated by applying pressure and temperature. This method is attractive because of its simplicity and the availability of matrix films. However, the preforms have low drapeability and the process is difficult to apply to complex shapes. It should consider the stacking between reinforcement and thermoplastic film as well as... 

For many electro-technical and automotive applications plastics components have to fulfill enhanced demands on their electrical and thermal conductivity. A novel material eombination of metal fiber reinforced thermoplastics and low melting metal alloys allows a significant increase in the maximum filler content and therefore in the electrical conductivity in comparison to just solidly filled polymers, because the low-viscous alloy is already molten during manufacturing. The material can be processed economically to complex shaped parts by conventional injection molding. The material composition, the processing behavior and the resulting part characteristics will be discussed in this paper. 

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