FIBER REINFORCED THERMOPLASTICS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE AS STRUCTURAL MATERIALS, WITH A CURRENT VOLUME OF 300,000 TON IN THE WESTERN EUROPEAN MARKET. HOWEVER, THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE END OF THE MARKET IS STILL DOMINATED BY REINFORCED THERMOSETS. BOTTLENECKS IN THE PRODUCTION OF THE ADVANCED THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITES INCLUDE A LACK OF ENGINEERING DATA, AND FULLY DEVELOPED PROCESSING METHODS. PROCESSES HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED FOR PRE-IMPREGNATING HIGH-PERFORMANCE FIBERS, THE POLYARAMID TWARON AND CARBON FIBERS FORTAFIL, AND TENEX WITH THERMOPLASTIC RESINS. THESE PROCESSES AND THE BENEFITS FOR FURTHER PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT ARE DISCUSSED.
| Number of Pages : | 12 |
| Published : | 06/01/1991 |
