Hot forming behavior of non-crimp fabric peek/c thermoplastic composites

The hot forming behavior of four new non-crimp fabric (NCF) composite materials developed by using the thermoplastic resin PolyEtherEtherKetone (PEEK) was experimentally investigated. The quality of the hot formed parts was evaluated by means of C-Scan and optical microscopy analyses. In addition, the draping behavior of the NCFs was experimentally evaluated to assess the suitability of the developed NCF materials for being exploited in composite component manufacturing technologies involving direct lay-up processes. A complete series of tests, including hot forming tests, quality evaluation of the produced parts and drapeability tests, was also carried out for the thermoplastic composite APC-2/AS4 (PEEK reinforced with carbon fibers) to obtain a reference for comparison. The comparison has shown that the hot forming process may be used to shape simple parts from thermoplastic NCF composites providing an acceptable quality at a reasonable cost. Furthermore, the improved drapeability of the NCF material allows for a direct lay-up in a curved form tool. Finally, an assessment of the potential of the developed NCF composites for use in aircraft structural applications was made. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.