Influence of component design on features and properties in thermoplastic overmoulded composites

Abstract

Thermoplastic composite overmoulding is an integrated process to manufacture components with combined continuous and short fibre reinforcements. These components benefit from high intrinsic mechanical properties, geometric complexity and low production cycle times. In this study, ribbed plates were manufactured by overmoulding short-fibre CF/PPS (carbon fibre/polyphenylene sulphide) material onto continuous woven-fibre CF/PPS flat preforms. Specifically, the effects of the rib geometry and flow length on the process-induced features were investigated using optical microscopy. The bonding at the overmoulded interface was evaluated via quasi-static tensile rib pull-off tests. Results indicate that both the bond strength and corresponding failure type vary with rib geometry. However, the effects of the specimen position along the flow length are only significant towards the end path. The implications of certain rib designs are discussed both qualitatively and quantitatively, based on feature development at the overmoulded interface during manufacture.