Forming of fiber reinforced thermoplastic sheets

Conference · Fri Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:143636

Bhattacharyya, D; Burt, C R; Martin, T A ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Auckland (New Zealand). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

The development of fiber reinforced thermoplastic (FRTP) sheets has added a new dimension to the manufacturing industry. The ability of the thermoplastic matrix to soften and melt with the application of heat allows secondary processing of these composites. The material can be formed into components using conventional sheet metal forming processes with necessary modification. Ideally this opens the way for low cycle-time, non-labor intensive manufacturing processes. However, before there can be any wide scale application of the fiber reinforced sheet material, a better understanding is required regarding the formability of these reinforced sheets and the parameters influencing their forming characteristics. In sheet metal industry the term formability is described as the ease of forming and can be judged by various factors which may vary with the needs of a particular manufacturer. It is not always easy to prejudge formability as in many instances the actual sheet forming mechanism is quite complex. However, often a reasonable understanding of the process characteristics can be obtained through some relatively simple laboratory experiments. The present paper describes the results of a series of such tests namely hemispherical dome forming, cup drawing and vee bending using mainly polypropylene/glass fiber composite sheets with various fiber architecture, forming temperature and speed. Grid strain analysis has been applied to measure the magnitudes and directions of the principal strains and how they are influenced by fiber orientation. A kinematic approach has been shown to theoretically predict the deformation pattern with reasonable accuracy. Some salient features such as fiber buckling, sheet wrinkling, springback have been discussed in the context of forming process variables.

• OSTI ID: 143636
• Report Number(s): CONF-930246--; ISBN 0-87339-251-5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
COMPOSITE MATERIALS
FABRICATION
FIBERGLASS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
POLYPROPYLENE
THERMOPLASTICS