Hybrid reinforced thermoplastic composites

This project will investigate composites that combine the ease of manufacture of short fibre reinforced
injection moulded composites with the performance advantages of continuous carbon fibre reinforcement.
Currently in the aerospace sector one of the limiting factors to further the adoption of composite materials
is their cost and manufacture time. Thermoplastics offer an attractive alternative in these aspects
compared to traditional thermosetting matrix systems. Here a fundamental understanding of the design
and manufacturing process will be developed for composites which combine multiple reinforcing
technologies to suit the performance requirements. The failure mechanisms, defects and performance
prediction of the new hybrid short/continuous fibre reinforced composites will be investigated.