Reinforced thermoplastics applications

Composites. High molecular weight PPS can be combiaed with long (0.6 cm to continuous) fiber to produce advanced composite materials (131). Such materials having PPS as the polymer matrix have been developed by usiag a variety of reinforcements, including glass, carbon, and Kevlar fibers as mat, fabric, and unidirectional reinforcements. Thermoplastic composites based on PPS have found application ia the aircraft, aerospace, automotive, appliance, and recreation markets (see Composite materials, polymer-matrix). 

A wide variety of thermoplastics have been used as the base for reinforced plastics. These include polypropylene, nylon, styrene-based materials, thermoplastic polyesters, acetal, polycarbonate, polysulphone, etc. The choice of a reinforced thermoplastic depends on a wide range of factors which includes the nature of the application, the service environment and costs. In many cases conventional thermoplastic processing techniques can be used to produce moulded articles (see Chapter 4). Some typical properties of fibre reinforced nylon are given in Table 3.2. 

The method of obtaining creep data and their presentation have been described however, their application is limited to the exact same material, temperature use, stress level, atmospheric conditions, and type of test (tensile, compression, flexure) with a tolerance of 10%. Only rarely do product requirement conditions coincide with those of the test or, for that matter, are creep data available for all grades of material that may be selected by a designer. In those cases a creep test of relatively short duration such as 1000 h can be instigated, and the information can be extrapolated to the long-term needs. It should be noted that reinforced thermoplastics and thermosets display much higher resistance to creep (Chapter 2). 

Report 66 Reinforced Thermoplastics - Composition, Processing and Applications, RG. Kelleher, New Jersey Polymer Extension Center at Stevens Institute of Technology. 

Figure 15.1 Glass-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic polyesters applications (numbers represent percentages) [1]...

Mitsui Chemicals is launching a new grade of carbon nanotube reinforced thermoplastic poly-imide, Aurum CNT, with supplementary specific properties such as dust reduction and antistatic behaviour. Targeted applications are, for example, processing jigs for semiconductor or hard disk manufacturing, and parts for hard disk drives. 

Fibre-reinforced thermoplastics, such as glass fibre-reinforced nylon, are increasingly used as substitute for wood, metallic or ceramic materials in applications for which high strength and temperature are not decisive parameters. They are being incorporated into components in the automotive, naval, sport and leisure industries due to the potential of reduced production costs of lighter parts and recycling possibilities. 

FIG. 4. Conceivable applications of natural fiber reinforced polymer composites in cars (NMT=natural fiber mat reinforced thermoplastic TP NF=natural fiber reinforced thermoplastic)... 

There are a variety of potential applications of carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced thermoplastic composites in automotive industry and systems involving electrostatic dissipation (ESD) and EMI. 

The first all-around automobile application of composite leaf-springs was made in the Sherpa 200 series van and mini buses built by Freight Rover. These fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) components for high stress, high-temperature uses were developed by GKN. ICl s Verton, a long-fiber reinforced thermoplastic is also suitable for such applications. 

Damage tolerance of fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites Processing of polymer matrices using resin transfer moulding Fractal analysis of wear in short-fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites Rheology flow behavior of associative polymers in coating applications Kevlar-thermoplastic composites... 

To summarize, many fibre-reinforced thermoplastics are not suitable for extended exterior exposure where the maintenance of appearance is important unless their surface is protected. Some unprotected applications that are found include car door handles, rear-view mirror housings and body panels (for all of which polyamides, polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate are used), as well as parts for caravans, boats and snowmobiles. 

Reinforced thermoplastics pipe can currently be made using E-glass fiber or carbon, aramid or polyethylene fiber reinforcement. The development of these new materials for high performance applications is still relatively recent compared with thermosetting resins and there are no long term case histories of product performance available yet. The pipes are made by... 

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