Structural design to enhance mechanical properties of carbon-fiber-reinforced thermoplastics using colloidal particles and soft and hard resins

Abstract

Carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRPs) can facilitate vehicular weight reduction and thus have attracted significant attention in the automobile industry. Currently, a thermosetting resin is commonly used as a CFRP matrix, and carbon-fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (CFRTP) have been widely investigated owing to their low weight and utility in mass production. However, the materials used in vehicles must have high energy absorption, i.e., high residual stress. Herein, the surface modification of carbon fibers with thermoplastic particles were modified to improve the interfacial properties of the carbon fibers and thermoplastic resin and enhance the bending strength of the CFRTP. Furthermore, the energy absorption of the CFRTP was improved by incorporating two different thermoplastic resins into the structure; a high impact strength polymer alloy (HISPAT) provided by Toyota Boshoku that served as a soft layer, and polyamide 6 (PA6), known as engineering plastic, as a hard layer. Furthermore, structural design was improved to enhance the energy absorption and strength of the CFRTP.

Keywords

• Carbon fiber reinforced plastic with thermoplastic resin
• Structural design
• Interfacial property