CompositesWorld
Issue link: https://cw.epubxp.com/i/681810
CompositesWorld.com 21 NEWS N E W S N S N E W S E N W S W Advanced Fiber Reinforcements molding and compounding partners. It was this experience that led them not only to develop the AFRs, but also to invest in propri- etary material models for fnite element analysis (FEA) to ensure rapid design optimization and repeatable implementation of the technologies. As a result, they say they can help customers design, formulate and place AFR elements exactly where they're needed. "If customers substitute as little as 5% of the base materials in a given application with our AFRs," Hawley contends, "they can simultaneously reduce weight and cost — two eternal pressures — while at the same time increasing both fexural strength and impact performance — two objectives that are tricky to accom- plish in parallel. And they can do all this with a high level of predictability." Putting fber where it's needed AFRs rely on the fact that continuous glass rovings are 20-60 times stronger than discontinuous glass fber plus resin. AFR technolo- gies feature continuous glass rovings impregnated and coated with special formulations of common resins (e.g., polypropylene). Te proprietary formulation and the continuous glass impregna- tion/coating process used eliminates voids and ensures excellent wetout of the rovings to maximize adhesion with the matrix while still providing an excellent, resin-rich surface that will ensure good aesthetics right out of the tool. Te coated rovings are then formed as needed into specifc shapes for insertion, via manual or automated methods, into molds used in compression, injec- tion or transfer molding processes. Once in the tool, they are combined with the base materials (typically, discontinuous long- or short-fber-reinforced thermoplastic). Tere are three types of AFRs: tension members (TM-AFRs), impact members (IM-AFRs) and similar looking but diferently formulated structural members (SM-AFRs). TM-AFRs resemble rods of varying thickness that are placed at the point of failure, typically at the end/top of ribs (in the bottom of the tool), in order to prevent failure by halting crack propagation. IM-AFRs and SM-AFRs resemble mesh screens and typically are embedded in part skins to provide what Hawley calls a "safety-glass" sandwich that allows material to fow through to ribs. Although similar, IM-AFRs and SM-AFRs feature a diferent material formulation and composition to drive their respective benefts in impact or structural performance. All three elements reportedly also can be used to improve fatness/dimensional control. ICP claims performance improvements can be achieved with a wide variety of part shapes and designs, including elaborately ribbed structures. Further, little to no special tooling or molding process changes are needed, and the technology often can be applied on the fy for a rapid prove-out before fnalizing tooling/ process changes, which makes it ideal for use in development projects as well as for troubleshooting commercial applications. Using ICP's proprietary FEA material models, the team reports tight correlation between predicted and measured part perfor- mance. Reportedly, the models work with static and dynamic loads across a variety of glass reinforcement lengths (short to long) Combining AFRs and compounds in-mold TM-AFR, IM-AFR and SM-AFR materials (top to bottom) can be inserted into tools by hand (as shown here) or via automated means to avoid delays in produc- tion efciency. In the tool, they are combined with base materials (typically discontinuous-reinforced thermoplastics). Proprietary formulation and the contin- uous glass impregnation/coating process minimize voids and ensure wetout of the rovings to maximize adhesion to the matrix. Source | Integrated Composite Products Inc.