Carbon fiber with thermoplastic matrix composites receives much attention due to there potential to reduce the impact of high performance industrial products on the environment. In this study, thermoplastic composite beams with an L-shaped Cross-section were manufactured by the braid-trusion method. This continuous manufacturing process combines the braiding performing technique and the thermoplastic composite pultrusion process to fabricate constant cross-section products. The yarn precursor was a blend of carbon filaments and polyamide 66 filaments in a parallel hybrid arrangement. The braiding technique was employed to manufacture preforms having carbon fibers oriented at a certain angle to the beam linear axis. The braided performs are pulled through a heated die where the consolidation flow takes place due to reduced matrix viscosity, and pressure. The filling of the die influences the pressure at which the consolidation takes place. The filling is the ratio between the area of material pulled through the die and the internal area of the die. Pultrusion experiments were performed at 104% and 118% and 133% filling ratio by modifying the braid architecture and at different pulling speeds. Consolidation quality was evaluated by measuring void content and by cross-section observation. The mechanical properties of the beams were measured in tensile mode and compared to the theoretical modulus calculated using the classical lamination theory.issues related to a L-shaped beam pultrusion from a braided fabric, this study has cleared the path for future research on high quality pultrusion of braided thermoplastic composites.
展开▼
