Manufacturing of glass fibre/PBT-spincom yarns for innovative composite processing

The aim of this work was the development of GF (glass fibre)/ PBT (polybutylene therephthalate) SpinCOM yarns that are commingled online during the spinning process using sizing formulations that enable textile processability as well as high fibre-matrix interaction. Epoxy- and polyurethane-based sizings have been applied and were evaluated by micromechanical (single fibre pull-out test) and macromechanical (transverse tensile test of unidirectional plates) testing. Finally, a material combination was selected to be processed by Tailored Fiber Placement (TFP) to textile preforms with a variable-axial, load adapted fiber design. These preforms were consolidated in a low energy and resource consuming process using novel light and low cost forming tools produced by incremental sheet metal forming (ISF) technology. Finally, a low cost solution for thermal processing even for complex shaped TPC parts is demonstrated by the geometry of a bicycle saddle.