Bending Formability on Molded Continuous FRTP Pipe (abstract only)

Abstract

In the field of engineering, it’s widely known that continuous fiber textile thermoplastic composite pipe which could be freely bend-processed in every dimensional way are demanded. By replacing metal complex shaped parts into CFRTP bend-formed items, it can improve vehicle efficiency and performance by reducing its weight. For example, CFRTP coil spring for suspension parts is one of the ultimate target for pipe bend-forming (360°bend). These techniques can also be applied for other vehicle parts like stabilizer and door beam members. As the cross-sectional shape of the pipe is made in hollow, a big reduction of weight can be expected. From the recent researches, it’s been found out that bend curvature will be formed by changing fiber orientation angles on both inner and outer side of the pipe. To prevent wrinkling, inner side of the pipe needs to be tensioned during bending process. Previously, the appropriate bending temperature for bend-forming was investigated. In this research, two types of reinforcement, Filament Winding (FW) and braiding were compared for bend-forming. The best bend-formability for reinforcement has been specified by searching flexibility from their fiber orientation angle change after bendforming. Also bend-forming with inserting axial yarn inside the pipe was challenged for another topic.