MANUFACTURING OF THERMOPLASTIC, UNIDIRECTIONAL COMPOSITES FROM NANOMODIFIED PP/GF HYBRID YARNS BY MICROWAVE COMPRESSION MOLDING

摘要

Fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites (FRTCs) can be produced from hybrid yarns consisting of commingled thermoplastic and reinforcement fibers. Fabrics from these yarns are heated and consolidated by the use of heat pressing to form so called organic sheets. Considering the production process, heating and cooling times of the organic sheets are the cycle-time determining factors. Shorter cycle times lead to higher outputs, thus reducing costs per part. To achieve a reduction of heating times, microwave active hybrid yarns containing nanomodified polypropylene filaments are produced and examined at the Institute for Textile Technology of RWTH Aachen University (ITA). By implementing microwave technology into an existing heat pressing process, FRTCs are being manufactured from unidirectional polypropylene and glass fiber woven fabrics. The investigation of this modified manufacturing process includes the commingling of glass and nanomodified polypropylene fibers, the characterization of the yarns' properties and the manufacturing of applicable textile fabrics. Furthermore, the heating behavior of various specimens by microwave irradiation is observed with laboratory microwave equipment. In the final step, the manufacturing of FRTCs by the newly developed production method is realized and the obtained samples are optically and mechanically characterized.