TAILORED FIBER PLACEMENT - MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS

Tailored Fiber Placement (TFP) is a new automated textile process for the production of reinforcing structures. This process allows the cons istent transfer of calculated locally optimum fiber quantities and ori entations into fiber preforms. The mechanical properties achieved with TFP reinforced carbon fiber/epoxy and glass fiber/epoxy are compared with tape and fabric reinforced composites. Generally, static mechanic al properties of TFP-laminates are better than fabric laminates and cl ose to tapes. However, the ultimate compression strength of carbon/epo xy TFP is lower than comparable rape composites. Fatigue behaviour of a cross-ply carbon/epoxy TFP is compared with a fabric reinforced lami nate, The advantages and possibilities of TFP are demonstrated by mean s of typical applications like bicycle components.