Paper to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Conference, Fibre-reinforced Composites, Liverpool, 237, 27th-29th March, 1990.

S F Bush

Synopsis

The paper uses the Utility function introduced in an earlier paper (Ref 1) to analyse from an overall point of view the benefits and disbenefits of some current developments in fibre reinforced polymer composites. Given the raw materials and the end application, the chief influence over whether a polymer composite is actually used in practice is the fabrication process. A particular process is seen as a series of steps along a pathway from raw materials to end-product. Some steps, particularly those connected with fibre-organisation, will be rate limiting in the sense that they introduce a high negative Utility. The development of new processes will thus seek to quantify the disbenefit of such steps and relieve or avoid them.

References

(1) BUSH S F, Utility and complexity in the selection of polymeric materials, 2nd International Materials Engineering Conference, London, 1985, 229-236, Institute of Mechanical Engineers.

(2) GALLI E, Polymers and the IBM Proprinter, Plastics Design Forum, 1985 (May), 17-24.

(3) GIBSON A G, Rheology and packing effects in the injection moulding of reinforced thermoset systems, Composite Processing Conference, UMIST 1988, 6.1-6.15, Institution of Chemical Engineers (NW Branch).

(4) BUSH S F, Extrusion of melts containing semi-coherent fibre structures, 5th International Polymer Processing Conference, Kyoto 1989, Polymer Processing Society.

(5) BAILEY R S, DAVIES M and MOORE D R, Processing property characteristics for long glass fibre reinforced polyamide, Composites (1989) 20, 453-460.

(6) VU-KHANH T and DENAULT J, Effects of processing on mechanical performance of long-fiber reinforced thermoplastics, 5th International Polymer Processing Conference, Kyoto 1989, Polymer Processing Society.

(7) COGSWELL F N, The next generation of injection moulding materials, Plastics and Rubber International Conference (1987), 12 36-39.