Thermoplastic matrix sheet composites

Until recently, most high performance composites have been made with low‐viscosity thermosetting polymers. These polymers are ideally suited for producing composites in low production quantities because a wide variety of custom shapes can be manufactured without a high degree of mechanization. As the demand for composites increases, there is a need to develop high‐volume production techniques. Thermoplastic polymer‐based composites are better suited to high‐volume production than thermoset‐based composites because only heat and pressure are needed to form parts; no chemical reaction is required. Thermoplastic matrix composites are not well suited for low‐volume production runs because the need to handle high temperatures and pressures demands equipment that is best utilized for large production runs. In addition to processing advantages, thermoplastic matrix composites exhibit improved impact strength and chemical resistance over most thermoset‐based composites. In the course of this work, composites reinforced with long and continuous glass fibers were produced that had tensile strengths as high as 270 MPa, tensile moduli of 16.2 GPa, and notched Izod impact strengths of 11.1 J/cm.