Impregnation behavior of matrix resin into the opened reinforcing fiber tows
Kawabe Kazumasa; Matsuo Tatsuki; Maekawa Zen-ichiro
Abstract:The technology for opening tow was applied to the opening of reinforcing fiber tow for thermoplastic composites. The effect of its opening on the impregnation behaviors of matrix resin was investigated in comparison with those for unopened tow through experiments and theoretical calculations. On line measurement of void volume change during compression molding for carbon fiber/nylon 6 composite was carried out. Microscopic observation on the cross section of parts fabricated at several molding time and measurement of transverse bending strength of these parts were also conducted. Based on the theoretical model presented previously, the void volume changes for several molding conditions were stimulated under a certain assumptive void pressure change. All these results show consistently that the tow opening makes the impregnation of matrix resin into the reinforcing fiber much easier. Key Words:opening, opened tow, carbon fiber, impregnation, thermoplastic composites