Title: Ultrasonic Consolidation of Dry Carbon Fiber and Polyphenylene Sulfide Film

Authors: S. Williams and G. Palardy

DOI: 10.33599/nasampe/s.20.0077

Abstract: Ultrasonic welding of thermoplastics is a common practice in industry but its use for composite materials is not fully understood yet. Ultrasonic consolidation of carbon fiber/thermoplastic composites uses frictional and viscoelastic heating generated by ultrasonic vibrations to melt the thermoplastic matrix and infuse dry fibers. The advantage of this method is its high speed (<10 s) and low cost compared to traditional techniques such as compression molding. Ultrasonic consolidation was performed on polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) films and woven dry carbon fibers with a Rinco Dynamic 3000 welder. Consolidation pressures ranged from 0.48 MPa to 1.1 MPa. Weld duration was controlled with the welder’s travel parameter, setting the distance of compression during the application of vibrations. Viable travel values were determined from fiber compressibility. Void content was obtained with optical microscopy and crystallinity was calculated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Crystallinity was also verified with microhardness measurements. This study demonstrated that ultrasonic consolidation is a viable manufacturing method, producing CF/PPS parts with low void content (< 2 %) and crystallinity values that increased with consolidation pressure.

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Conference: SAMPE 2020 | Virtual Series

Publication Date: 2020/06/01

SKU: TP20-0000000077

Pages: 12

Price: FREE