Conventional pultrusion of thermoset composites is under increasing ex
amination for emissions of harmful volatiles from the resin wetout tan
k. Even though the pultrusion of thermoplastic matrix composites produ
ces no emissions, it is difficult to wet individual fibers due to thei
r high melt viscosities, This paper addresses both the issues of volat
iles and welting with a process called Reaction Injection Pultrusion (
RIP). A prototype RIP machine was used to make both thermoplastic poly
urethane and thermoset polyisocyanurate matrix composites, The RIP pro
cess produces pultruded parts with low void content, good surface fini
sh, and acceptable mechanical properties. The low viscosity constituen
ts used in RIP help improve fiber impregnation, while the small volume
of the impregnation bath reduces emissions. Processing parameters suc
h as line speeds, catalyst levels, and die temperatures were varied to
establish processing guidelines for sustained production.