Compounds, long-fibre-reinforced

Markarian J. Long fibre reinforcement drives automotive market forward. Plastics Addit Compound [trade journal—Elsevier Ltd.] May/June 2005. 

The integration of the compounding of long glass fibre reinforced thermoplastics on the process line is an example of the globalization and automation of the process. 

Compounds are short (/w 0.3 mm) or long (> 0.6 mm) fibre reinforced thermoplastic or thermoset polymeric materials, which are processed automatically (injection or compression moulding), have good (mechanical) properties (for automotive, electric and electronic applications) and are relatively cheap. Composites contain continuous fibres (rovings, fabrics or mats), usually combined with thermosets, have excellent mechanical (structural) properties, but are very expensive because lack of an industrial process (mainly used in aerospace and aircraft industry). 

The method by which the compound will be moulded or shaped naturally dictates the form of reinforcement. In thermoplastic compounds (which will be predominantly injection moulded), short-length fibre or particulate reinforcement is used, but there has been important development of so-called long -fibre compounds, with a higher ratio of reinforcement to resin matrix and a longer... 

Thermoplastic resins are generally reinforced with short fibres (for use with injection moulding and not considered in this book), with long fibres (thermoplastic sheet compound, Chapter 5) or with glass mat (i.e. glass mat thermoplastics or GMT). Polypropylene is the resin most used as the matrix for GMT and the reinforcement is usually a random mat, primarily chopped strand but it may be continuous filament or needled mat. 

J. Hartikainen, M. Lindner, T. Harmia (2(X)2) Long glass fibre reinforced styrene based polymers, in Proc. J Int. AVK-TV Conf. Reinforced Plastics and Thermoset Moulding Compounds, Baden-Baden, Germany, pp. A8.1-A8.6. 

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