Forming of thermoplastic plain woven carbon composites

Abstract

By combining carbon woven fabric with thermoplastics, a thermostamping process was proposed to form composite parts with complex double curvatures in one step and to implement affordable application of fiber-reinforced composites in automotive industry. In the proposed process, a laminated carbon woven fabrics with thermoplastic grains were heated, then transferred rapidly to a preheated mold for thermostamping, and cooled down to form the composite part. Various thermoplastics including polyamide 6, polypropylene, and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene were used as matrix materials. It is demonstrated that high-quality parts can be achieved with the proposed forming process and defects are controllable. The experiment results show that the rheological characteristics of thermoplastic resin, the fixed method of mold, and the yarn orientation of the composite blank are very important factors in the thermostamping process. With the proposed process, it is feasible to implement the high-volume and low-cost manufacturing of fiber-reinforced composite parts.