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J. Compos. Sci.
Special Issues
Advances in Continuous Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites
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Advances in Continuous Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites

A special issue of Journal of Composites Science (ISSN 2504-477X). This special issue belongs to the section "Fiber Composites".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 4255

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Beckry M. Abdel-Magid

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Composite Materials Engineering, Winona State University, Winona, MN, USA
Interests: polymer matrix composites; characterization, durability, application, and long-term effects
Prof. Dr. Roberto Lopez-Anido

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Maine, 5711 Boardman Hall, Orono, ME 04469-5711, USA
2. Advanced Structures and Composites Center, University of Maine, 5711 Boardman Hall, Orono, ME 04469-5711, USA
Interests: structural mechanics; thermoplastic composites; large-format additive manufacturing; recycling; durability; fiber-reinforced polymer composites; pultrusion; biobased materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last decade, continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites (CFRTP), including thermoplastic prepregs, unidirectional tapes, and organo-sheets, have taken a major role as viable structural materials rivaling pre-impregnated and pultruded thermoset composites. The major advantage of CFRTP composites is their ability to deliver high properties and performance at a light weight, enhanced chemical resistance, inexpensive transportation and storage rates, and automated layup and processing. They can be readily incorporated as selective or strategic reinforcement in commonly used short fiber and long fiber thermoplastic parts. The emergence and development of CFRTP materials and products in terms of constituent materials (fiber and matrix), processing methods, additive manufacturing, testing and properties, applications, recycling, and the challenges in their adoption as high-performance materials are explored in this Special Issue.

A multi-facet effort is underway to improve the efficiency of CFRTP composites and enhance their performance in demanding applications, such as aerospace, clean energy, and transportation. This effort includes better understanding and analysis of structure–property–processing–performance relationship at the materials level, improved design and simulation at the part and structure level, cost reduction through automation and standardization at the manufacturing level, and improved technology regarding recycling and reuse for prolonged design life at the materials functionality level.

The main aim of this Special Issue is to present the state of the art in the science and engineering of CFRTP materials; bring recent findings in research and development of the materials and their applications to stakeholders including researchers, manufacturers, and application engineers; and to promote further development in engineering and technology in the field.

Prof. Dr. Beckry M. Abdel-Magid
Prof. Dr. Roberto Lopez-Anido
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Composites Science is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites (CFRTP)
  • polymer composites
  • fiber composites

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 8561 KiB  
Article
Integrated Analytical and Finite Element-Based Modelling, Manufacturing, and Characterisation of Vacuum-Infused Thermoplastic Composite Laminates Cured at Room Temperature
by Vinicius Carrillo Beber, Pedro Henrique Evangelista Fernandes, Christof Nagel and Katharina Arnaut
J. Compos. Sci. 2024, 8(12), 545; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcs8120545 - 23 Dec 2024
Viewed by 489
Abstract
Due to their improved recyclability, thermoplastic composites (TPCs) are increasing their application across industries. The current work deals with the dimensioning, manufacturing, and characterisation of vacuum-infused TPCs cured at RT and made of non-crimp glass fabric and the liquid acrylic-based resin Elium©. Laminates [...] Read more.
Due to their improved recyclability, thermoplastic composites (TPCs) are increasing their application across industries. The current work deals with the dimensioning, manufacturing, and characterisation of vacuum-infused TPCs cured at RT and made of non-crimp glass fabric and the liquid acrylic-based resin Elium©. Laminates with 10 and 12 layers achieved a fibre weight content of 73% measured by the burn-off process, which corresponds to a fibre volume content of 55%. Three-point bending tests revealed a bending strength of 636.17 ± 25.70 MPa and a bending modulus of 24,600 ± 400 MPa for the 12 layer laminate. Using micro-mechanical models, unidirectional elastic constants are calculated and applied in classical laminate theory (CLT) for optimising composite lay-ups by maximising bending stiffness, whilst yielding a laminate thickness prediction error of −0.18% and a bending modulus prediction error of −1.99%. Additionally, FEA simulations predicted the bending modulus with a −4.47% error and illustrated, with the aid of the Tsai–Hill criterion, the relationship between the onset of layer failure and discrepancies between experimental results and simulations. This investigation demonstrates the effective application of analytical and numerical methods in the dimensioning and performance prediction of TPCs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Continuous Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites)
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17 pages, 5549 KiB  
Article
Fatigue Damage Monitoring of Composite Structures Based on Lamb Wave Propagation and Multi-Feature Fusion
by Feiting Zhang, Kaifu Zhang, Hui Cheng, Dongyue Gao and Keyi Cai
J. Compos. Sci. 2024, 8(10), 423; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcs8100423 - 14 Oct 2024
Viewed by 947
Abstract
To address the challenges associated with fatigue damage monitoring in load-bearing composite structures, we developed a method that utilizes Lamb wave propagation and partial least squares regression (PLSR) for effective monitoring. Initially, we extracted diverse characteristics from both the time and frequency domains [...] Read more.
To address the challenges associated with fatigue damage monitoring in load-bearing composite structures, we developed a method that utilizes Lamb wave propagation and partial least squares regression (PLSR) for effective monitoring. Initially, we extracted diverse characteristics from both the time and frequency domains of the Lamb wave signal to capture the essence of the damage. Subsequently, we constructed a PLSR model, leveraging Lamb wave multi-feature fusion, specifically tailored for in-service fatigue damage monitoring. The efficacy of our proposed approach in quantitatively monitoring fatigue damage was thoroughly validated through rigorous standard fatigue tests. In practical applications, our model effectively mitigated the impact of multicollinearity among feature variables on model accuracy. Furthermore, the PLSR model demonstrated superior accuracy compared to the PCR model, given an equal number of principal components. To strike a harmonious balance between efficiency and precision, we optimized the size of the feature variable. The results show that the optimized PLSR model achieved an R-squared value exceeding 97% in predicting the in-service damage area. This underscores the robustness and reliability of our method in accurately monitoring fatigue damage in load-bearing composite structures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Continuous Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites)
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21 pages, 63042 KiB  
Article
Characterisation of the Mechanical Properties of Natural Fibre Polypropylene Composites Manufactured with Automated Tape Placement
by Alexander Legenstein, Lukas Haiden, Michael Feuchter and Ewald Fauster
J. Compos. Sci. 2024, 8(10), 396; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcs8100396 - 1 Oct 2024
Viewed by 799
Abstract
The integration of natural fibre thermoplastic composites, particularly those combining flax fibres with polypropylene, offers a promising alternative to traditional synthetic composites, emphasising sustainability in composite materials. This study investigates the mechanical properties of flax/polypropylene composites manufactured using flashlamp automated tape placement and [...] Read more.
The integration of natural fibre thermoplastic composites, particularly those combining flax fibres with polypropylene, offers a promising alternative to traditional synthetic composites, emphasising sustainability in composite materials. This study investigates the mechanical properties of flax/polypropylene composites manufactured using flashlamp automated tape placement and press consolidation, individually and in combination. Tensile, compression, three-point bending, and double cantilever beam tests are utilised for comparing these manufacturing processes and the mechanical performance of the resulting composites. The microstructure of the tapes is investigated using cross-sectional microscopy, and the thermophysical behaviour is analysed utilising thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The temperature during placement is monitored using an infrared camera, and the pressure is mapped with pressure-sensitive films. The natural fibre tapes show a good aptitude for being manufactured with automated tape placement. The tensile performance of tapes manufactured with automated tape placement is close to that of press consolidated samples. Compression, flexural properties, and the mode I fracture toughness critical energy release rate all benefit from a second consolidation step. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Continuous Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites)
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20 pages, 15194 KiB  
Article
Effect of High Fiber Content on Properties and Performance of CFRTP Composites
by Saeed Ziaee, Eric Kerr-Anderson, Aaron Johnson, David Eastep and Beckry Abdel-Magid
J. Compos. Sci. 2024, 8(9), 364; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcs8090364 - 17 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1489
Abstract
Continuously reinforced thermoplastic composites are widely used in structural applications due to their toughness, light weight, and shorter process cycle. Moreover, they provide flexibility in design and material selection. Unlike thermoset composites, continuous fiber content to maximize mechanical properties in thermoplastic composites has [...] Read more.
Continuously reinforced thermoplastic composites are widely used in structural applications due to their toughness, light weight, and shorter process cycle. Moreover, they provide flexibility in design and material selection. Unlike thermoset composites, continuous fiber content to maximize mechanical properties in thermoplastic composites has not been well investigated. In this paper, three thermoplastic systems are investigated to study the optimum content of continuous fiber reinforcement. These systems include carbon fiber/polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), glass fiber/PPS, and glass fiber/high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Tapes were made at several fiber contents, and samples were compression molded and tested using thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), tensile, 3-point flexure, and short-beam shear tests. Results revealed that higher fiber content led to an increase in the glass transition and melt transition temperatures of the polymer. Some mechanical properties increased with fiber content and then began to decrease upon further addition of fibers, while other properties, such as ductility and interfacial bond strength, decreased with more reinforcement. Furthermore, the optimum fiber contents to maximize mechanical properties are different for different properties and different materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Continuous Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites)
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