American long-fiber compounder PlastiComp has developed a hybrid long-fiber composite production line that combines long glass fibers and long carbon fibers in a single molded composite particle. Experimental tests have shown that combining these two fiber types creates a unique synergistic effect of performance that far exceeds the type of fibril itself.
Fiber reinforcements have extended the use of thermoplastics to semi-structural applications, and their mechanical properties provide the performance needed to replace traditional materials. In this stage, glass fiber has long been the main choice for reinforcing materials because it significantly improves the stiffness and strength properties of polymers and has good economic benefits. Recently, there has been increasing interest in carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastics due to their ability to provide stronger mechanical properties and help reduce weight; however, achieving this performance comes at a price because of the price of carbon fiber. Beyond the scope of many applications can afford.
For parts produced using injection molding techniques, long fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites represent the culmination of the mechanical properties of flowable materials. In long fiber composites, fiber-reinforced 12 mm long filaments provide triple performance that is not available with other types of particulate media as a means of reinforcing plastics.
First, as with other reinforcing materials, the modulus of the plastic compound increases in proportion to the content of long fibers because the harder fiber additive introduces this feature into the matrix polymer with which it is mixed. Second, because the longer fiber segments have a higher aspect ratio, the more surface area that is in contact with the polymer, the higher the strength. The increased length helps to better transfer stress from the polymer to the stronger fiber reinforcement, thereby increasing load carrying capacity. Finally, since the longer fiber segments are intertwined to form the internal structural skeleton of the fiber, thereby promoting the dissipation of the impact force of the entire assembly, rather than being limited to one region, an improvement in durability is achieved. The high impact resistance of hard materials is the fundamental reason for choosing long fiber composites over other types of reinforced plastics.
Long glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites have become the material of choice for metal replacement applications with structural performance requirements. In fact, long glass fiber reinforced polypropylene has been widely used in the automotive industry as a lightweight alternative to metal parts. The use of long fiberglass composites reduces the cost and weight of the vehicle, and the weight savings contribute to fuel economy and emissions reductions to meet growing regulatory goals.
Carbon fiber has earned a reputation as a “high-tech†reinforced material for its extensive use in the aerospace and sporting goods industry, offering metal-like properties with a slight weight. In an industry where weight loss is the pursuit of the Holy Grail, the higher the cost of carbon fiber, the easier it is to prove that it does not have a higher price/performance ratio than other reinforced plastic methods.
In some areas, it is unacceptable to use a reinforcing material that costs five times or more, but the mechanical properties have not been significantly improved. In order to reduce the entry cost of carbon fiber, American long-fiber compounder PlastiComp has developed a hybrid long-fiber composite production line that combines long glass fibers and long carbon fibers in a single molded composite particle.
Early experimental experiments have shown that combining these two fiber types creates a unique synergistic effect that far exceeds the type of fiber itself. The inclusion of long glass fiber reinforced materials improves durability beyond the range available for long carbon fibers alone. In addition, the addition of long carbon fiber reinforced materials increases stiffness and strength to higher values ​​than can be achieved with long glass fibers. Most importantly, blends containing lower levels of long carbon fiber reinforcement will be much cheaper than full carbon long fiber reinforced composites (Figure 1).
Figure 1: 2 mm long mixed glass and carbon fiber composite particles.
PlastiComp combines continuous glass fiber and carbon fiber filaments to form a uniform composite particle that simplifies processing and provides better performance. Although individual long glass fibers and long carbon fiber composite particles can be mixed together later, their difference in density may cause separation of the raw materials during processing, thereby affecting the uniformity of dispersion. Metering individual composite particles on an injection molding machine adds a layer of complexity, which may result in damage to the fiber length in order to obtain a uniform mixture, which adversely affects the performance of the composite.
In order to achieve maximum overall performance, shear should be minimized when processing long fiber materials, including in the melt stage of screw injection molding machines, in flow paths in flow channels, and in mold casting systems. Improper processing of long fiber composites results in shorter average fiber lengths which will reduce the strength and durability of the molded article.
Hybrid long fiber composites with glass and carbon fiber reinforcement expand the range of properties of long fiber materials for product designers and materials engineers, and offer a wide range of fiber reinforced combinations to balance material cost and performance requirements. The function of long-fiber materials is no longer chosen like an all-glass or full-carbon composite, but becomes truly tailorable.
Long fiber reinforced hybrid fibers are ideal materials that exceed the performance requirements of long glass fiber reinforced composites and can take advantage of the benefits offered by high performance carbon fibers, but some areas may be more sensitive to the high material cost. By comparing their mechanical properties: 40% long fiber blended polyamide 6/6 and 40% full glass fiber and 40% full carbon material, it is easy to explain how to mix long glass and carbon fiber composites, how to make up for the long Performance and price gaps between glass fiber and long carbon fiber products.
The 40% hybrid long fiber composed of 20% long glass fiber and 20% long carbon fiber has a flexural modulus of 17,930 MPa, which is 13% lower than the full carbon long fiber variant and 86% higher than the all glass fiber product. The tensile strength of the hybrid composite was 248 MPa, which was lower than 4% of the all-carbon material and 24% higher than the total glass fiber product.
Since the hybrid composite contains half of the carbon fiber of the all-carbon material, its cost is reduced by 30%, but it can provide 87% rigidity and 96% strength of the high-cost material. In terms of durability, the addition of long glass fiber increases the unnotched impact resistance of the hybrid composite to 1004 J/m, which is 25% higher than that of the same proportion of long carbon fiber products, and 22% less than the same length of all-glass fiber material. (figure 2).
The long-fiber reinforced composite has an optimum balance of mechanical properties and can be converted from metal to reinforced thermoplastics in many applications, especially at a more affordable price than full carbon fiber reinforced materials.
The availability of more affordable high-performance thermoplastic composites will help achieve more metal to plastic conversion. Most simple applications that are easy to convert from metal to plastic have been done with long fiberglass composites. Engineers are looking for materials or processes that provide them with a more cost-effective way to take advantage of the higher performance of carbon fiber, and the tailorable nature of long glass and carbon fiber blends provides the knocking tiles they need.
If someone is considering the stiffness and strength of long carbon fiber reinforced materials, but the impact resistance is not satisfactory, then adding long glass fiber to the long carbon fiber reinforced material in the form of composite material can achieve the desired durability improvement. . The reverse is also true. If long glass fiber reinforced composites do not successfully provide the stiffness or strength required for carrying, then adding long carbon fibers to the mixture will increase the material properties to the desired level.
The use of PlastiComp's hybrid method combines long glass and carbon fiber reinforcement for commercial use in the field of sporting goods. One user is looking for a way to replace metal inserts to create products that are easier to manufacture and purely injection molded, but full glass long fiber materials do not provide sufficient stiffness. Another option for them is usually to use the full carbon long fiber composite to achieve the necessary modulus increase; however, choosing a more expensive material will make their product cost prohibitive. In contrast, hybrid solutions provide the necessary stiffness performance at the right price point and allow them to bring the full plastic version of their products to market and receive wide acclaim.
Carbon fiber has a good reputation in the minds of many consumers, carbon fiber brings superior performance, and provides additional perceived quality and value to the product. Carbon fiber products are more expensive than similar products made from simpler plastic materials. . With the concept of using carbon fiber to increase product value, long glass and carbon fiber blends will have a unique position in the development and promotion of many market segments such as consumer goods and sporting goods.
Even carbon fiber, including low levels, can produce true carbon fiber composites that offer unique marketing advantages to enhance or differentiate products from competitors. Proper configuration of carbon fiber does not always require better mechanical properties. Long fiber blends use a carbon fiber's tailorability to control costs in a step-wise manner, allowing them to be used in mid-range applications where carbon fiber composites will be eliminated at high prices.
In mixed long fiber articles, carbon fibers can be combined with a variety of ratios of glass fibers at a total fiber weight percent loading of up to 50%. The combination of a lower load of long carbon fiber reinforced material and long glass fibers provides a higher level of performance not available for a full carbon long fiber composite with the same carbon fiber loading percentage, resulting in better economic performance.
Since long carbon fibers are often the most expensive component of the composites with which they are combined, long glass fibers, as synergistic additives, have little effect on the cost of the composite. In fact, depending on the cost of the thermoplastic polymer matrix combined with it, the addition of long glass fibers can actually reduce the overall cost of the composite if it replaces the more expensive plastic polymer. The manufacturing cost of combining long fibers and thermoplastic polymers into a composite by pultrusion is substantially the same regardless of the content of long fibers in the product.
PlastiComp currently has single-particle hybrid long glass and carbon fiber composites for polypropylene, polyamide and engineered thermoplastic polyurethane polymers. The mix of long glass fibers and long carbon fibers can be tailored to the application. As the demand for the application evolves, long fiber reinforcements are compatible with any thermoplastic and mixed fiber solutions and are also possible in other thermoplastic polymer matrices.
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