Three trends in the application of thermoplastic carbon fiber

With the continuous expansion of the application market, thermosetting resin-based carbon fiber composites gradually show their own limitations, which can not fully meet the needs of high-end applications in terms of wear resistance and high temperature resistance. In this case, the status of thermoplastic resin-based carbon fiber composites has gradually risen and become an emerging force of advanced composite materials. In recent years, domestic carbon fiber technology has made rapid progress, and the application technology of thermoplastic carbon fiber composite materials has also been further promoted.

In general, there are three trends in thermoplastic carbon fiber applications:

One: From powder carbon fiber reinforced to continuous carbon fiber reinforced form:

Carbon fiber thermoplastic composites can be divided into powder carbon fiber, short carbon fiber, unidirectional continuous carbon fiber and fabric carbon fiber reinforced. There is a process of fiber pulling out from the matrix when the composite encounters bending or shear failure. The longer the reinforcement fiber, the more energy provided by the external load absorbed during pulling out, and the higher the overall strength of the composite material.

Therefore, compared with powder or cut carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites, continuous carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites have better performance advantages. The most used injection molding process in China is still in the form of powder or cut carbon fiber reinforced, the performance of the product has certain limitations, when the use of continuous carbon fiber reinforced form, thermoplastic carbon fiber composite materials will usher in a wider application space.

two

From low-end thermoplastic resin to high-end thermoplastic resin matrix development:

The thermoplastic resin matrix exhibits high viscosity during the melting process, which is difficult to infiltrate carbon fiber material fully, and the degree of infiltration is closely related to the performance of prepreg.

In order to further improve the infiltration degree, it is necessary to adopt the composite material modification technology and improve the original fiber spinner and resin extrusion equipment. While extending the width of the fiber strands of the carbon fiber, the continuous extrusion amount of the resin is increased, the infiltration effect of the thermoplastic resin on the carbon fiber is improved, and the performance of the continuous carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic prepreg is effectively ensured. It is necessary to extend the resin matrix of continuous carbon fiber thermoplastic composites from low-end thermoplastic resins such as PPS and PA to middle and high-end resins such as PI and PEEK.CFRTP

three

From laboratory manual production to stable mass production development:

From the success of small experiments in the laboratory to stable mass production in the workshop, the most critical is the design and adjustment of production equipment. Continuous carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic prepreg can achieve stable mass production, not only depends on the daily output, the more important measurement standard is to see whether the quality of the prepreg is stable, that is, to see whether the resin content in the prepreg is controllable and the proportion is appropriate, to see whether the carbon fiber in the prepreg is evenly distributed and infiltrated thoroughly, to see whether the prepreg is smooth and accurate. In order to have both "quality" and "quantity", it is likely to go through hundreds of adjustments before reaching the ultimate goal of stable mass production.

Thermoplastic composite has the advantages of recyclability, light weight and high molding efficiency, and has a wide application prospect in aviation, automobile, sports equipment, construction and other fields, and has become the focus of composite material development.

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