Prepreg processing of advanced fibre-reinforced polymer FRP composites

Prepreg processing of advanced fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites 

PA NS ART, Germanischer Lloyd, Industrial Services GmbH, Germany 

1 Principal manufacturing process using prepreg materials, and comparison to infusion techniques. 

Usually, though, this quality improvement comes at a higher cost for materials and processing, when compared with other techniques. 

In principle, all fibres available for FRP can also be used as reinforcement in prepregs, the most common ones being carbon and glass fibres. Polymeric fibres made from aramid or polyethylene are also quite coimnon, as are inorganic basalt fibres, or natural fibres like hemp or flax. Often, the fibres are directly impregnated to make unidirectional (UD) tapes. Alternatively, they can first be transformed into fabric products, such as woven fabrics or non-crimp fabrics (NCF), and then impregnated to create multi-directional prepregs. 

---