Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Degree

Master of Engineering Science

Program

Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Supervisor

Jeffrey T. Wood

Abstract

With great lightweight potential, high performance-to-cost ratio and mass productivity, direct-compounded long fiber thermoplastics (D-LFT) have drawn great attention from the automotive industry. With better mechanical properties and higher service temperature, polyamide 6 (PA6) was used to replace polypropylene (PP) which is almost the exclusively used matrix for the D-LFT process currently. The investigation was performed on this new material with a focus on the effect of fiber content, processing parameters, temperature and tailored reinforcement on mechanical behavior. The results show that the mechanical properties of this new material are sensitive to the variation of fiber content and service temperature but insensitive to the varied processing parameters. Tailored reinforcement technique is a feasible and predictable approach to adjust the mechanical properties of this new material.

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