Volume 8, Issue 6, 1999

Pultrusion of Micro-Braided GF/PA6 Yarn

G. Bechtold¹, M. Sakaguchi², K. Friedrich¹ and H. Hamada^2*

         *Institut für Verbundwerkstoffe (IVW) GmbH, University of Kaiserslautern,                         67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany

**Kyoto Institute of Technology, Matsugasaki, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan

*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed

(Received 7/99;accepted 11/99)

ABSTRACT

The present paper reports about experimental investigations on a new type of thermoplastic intermediate material (TP-prepreg). Today, most processes for producing fibre reinforced composite parts with thermoplastic matrices require expensive prepregs like pre-impregnated tapes or hybrid yarns (commingled yarns or powder impregnated yarns). The microbraiding technique offers some advantages compared to existing prepregs: Microbraided yarns can be produced directly by the user by a microbraiding process requiring only glass rovings and polymer rovings, and at the same time, the user is free of any restrictions on fibre/matrix combinations or reinforcement fibre content.

GF/PA6 microbraided yarn was compared to commercially available GF/PA6 tape concerning the use in a pultrusion process. For mechanical characterisation, shear strength and bending strength were determined. The processing parameters such as preheating temperature, heated die temperature and pulling speed were varied.