Investigation of the influence of melt-impregnation parameters on the morphology of thermoplastic UD-tapes and a method for quantifying the same
Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › Contributed › peer-review
Contributors
Abstract
During the production of unidirectional fibre-reinforced thermoplastic semi-finished products (UD-tapes) in melt-impregnation processes, parameters such as melt viscosity, production speed and impregnation die setup have a significant influence on the quality of the produced UD-tapes. These influences are investigated in this article by producing UD-tapes in an extrusion-based melt-impregnation process with varying impregnation parameters. To quantify the homogeneity of the fibre distribution, a method is presented and applied, in which microscopic cross-sectional images of the UD-tapes are analysed and a homogeneity coefficient is calculated. The porosity is also determined by analysing microscopic cross-sectional images of the UD-tapes. The results show that a decreased melt viscosity and a high number of redirection elements in the die have a positive influence on the homogeneity of the fibre distribution. Furthermore, a significant influence of the melt viscosity, the production speed and the die setup on the porosity was proved.
Details
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1299-1312 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Journal of Thermoplastic Composite Materials |
Volume | 34 |
Issue number | 9 |
Publication status | Published - Sept 2021 |
Peer-reviewed | Yes |
Externally published | Yes |
External IDs
ORCID | /0000-0002-2989-9561/work/160952389 |
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Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Keywords
- melt impregnation, optical microscopy, thermoplastic resin, UD-tape