CONTINUOUS FIBER TAPES AND METAL CORD REINFORCEMENT OF LFT COMPOSITES FOR ENHANCED DAMAGE RESISTANCE AND CRASHWORTHINESS

摘要

Thermoplastic matrix composites are of increasing interest due to their superior specific strength and stiffness accompanied by enhanced toughness, impact resistance, and damping characteristics when compared to thermoset composites and/or traditional metals. Among the class of thermoplastic composites, long fiber thermoplastics (LFT) are finding increased use in the automotive, transportation and military sectors due to their superior specific strength and modulus, noise and vibration dampening, complex shape mold ability, superior weight savings, and tailoring of properties. An innovative way of incorporating crashworthiness in LFT components is the use of locally reinforced continuous fiber tapes or metal cords that are co-molded with LFT composites. This ongoing work focuses on innovative design, processing and performance evaluation in terms of the static and dynamic properties of LFTs co-molded with continuous fiber and continuous metal cord reinforced thermoplastics.