Award Winning Composite Technologies

Engineers at Ticona Engineering Polymers have outlined an analysis process that can improve the accuracy of simulation results for glass fiber reinforced thermoplastics.

Ticona's research was published in a recent paper titled Integrated Anisotropic Simulation for Components Made from Glass Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastics. Lead author David Sheridan, a senior engineer at Ticona, will receive the Best Paper Award at the upcoming Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition on Sept. 11. Sheridan and his co-authors will present the paper at the SPE conference on Sept. 12.

According to the research, accurately analyzing and predicting the behavior of these materials is complex, because the fibers are individually oriented during injection molding. The fibers are frequently broken during the injection process, which can distort distribution of the fibers and create differences in the material throughout a given part. The accuracy of finite-element analysis can be improved if local fiber orientation is considered with anisotropic material properties.

Innegra Technologies, meanwhile, picked up a JEC Amercias 2013 Innovation Award for its new Innegra H line of hybrid yarns for composite applications. The award will be presented at the JEC Americas Composite Show & Conference in October.

The Innegra H line includes olefin yarn co-mingled with carbon, glass, basalt, and aramid fibers to increase durability and avoid shattering in lightweight, high-impact composites. The material is currently completing field testing, and will be officially launched at the JEC show.

Source: Composites World, Innegra Technologies