Low cost thermoplastic composites

Low cost thermoplastic composites: An empirical approach

Narula, Prithul Rajiv (TU Delft Aerospace Engineering)

Sinke, J. (mentor)

Delft University of Technology

Aerospace Engineering | Structures and Materials

2017-12-21

In this report, the possibility of replacing high performance thermoplastic polymers with alternative low-cost ones is investigated. Since thermoplastics offer fast processing times and the opportunity to use efficient production processes which are not suitable for thermosets, they are an attractive material
system for the aerospace/automobile industry. However, the processing and procurement costs are a limiting factor for high grade thermoplastic polymers.

Candidate alternatives are looked into in the review, and testing modules are investigated in order to assimilate the tools for a trade-off analysis. Glass/PEI was selected as the benchmark material, and Carbon/PA-12 was decided upon as the candidate low-cost alternative. The final aim is to quantify the viability of the substitute polymers in direct comparison to the existing ones. It is evident from the investigations that the PA-12 is not a direct replacement for PEI or other similar high-performance polymers due to its performance limitations, but it does exhibit some potential owing to the cost-effectiveness of its processing requirements. If some of the limitations of the PA-12 polymer can be mitigated using engineering solutions, it can prove to be a viable alternative to costlier options in less demanding applications.

Thermoplastic
polyamide-12
PEI
cost-benefit
Composites
mechanical properties
formability

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:e2209a07-a70b-48de-9cbb-d265746e427e

Student theses

master thesis

© 2017 Prithul Rajiv Narula