Design and Development of a Long Fiber Thermoplastic Bus Seat

Abstract

Long fiber thermoplastics (LFTs) are increasingly being used in automotive applications for front-ends, bumper beams, dashboards, and under body shields. They have a significant potential for mass-transit applications in buses, trucks, and railroad vehicles. The LFTs are processed with a thermoplastic matrix such as polypropylene (PP) or polyamide (PAI) reinforced with long glass (or carbon, aramid, etc.) fibers, with starting fiber lengths >12 mm, through a pultrusion processing method. The LFT components are typically produced using extrusion-compression molding. In the present work, a bus seat was chosen as a candidate component to assess the viability of LFT technology to reduce weight and cost, without compromising performance over presently used designs. A conservative estimate of 43% weight reduction and 18% cost reduction per seat was predicted over presently implemented seat designs that contain a circumferential steel frame. Cadpress-Thermoplastic (EXPRESS) compression molding software for LFTs was utilized for the process modeling. Flow simulation during the compression molding of E-glass/PP LFT was conducted. Finite element stress analysis was conducted to verify mechanical properties developed as a result of fiber orientation and distribution after flow simulation. This article covers the design, process modeling, component verification, and manufacturing studies conducted for the LFT bus seat.

Effect of environmental weathering on flexural creep behavior of long fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites

“…The non-linear viscoelastic response of the LFTs was described with a four-parameter model [30] proposed by Hadid, Rechak and Zouani [31], as shown in Eqn. (2).…”

Mechanical interfacial adhesion of carbon fibers-reinforced polarized-polypropylene matrix composites: effects of silane coupling agents

“…Their appeal compared to conventional materials such as aluminum, steel, and thermoset composites for these applications lies in their high specific strength, corrosion resistance, superior impact resistance, high toughness, and ease of recycling [1][2][3][4][5][6][7].…”

“…Mechanical interfacial adhesion of carbon fibers-reinforced polarized-polypropylene matrix composites: effects of silane coupling agents http://carbonlett.org Thermoplastic composites are used in a variety of applications such as mass transit, automotive parts, and military structures [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Their appeal compared to conventional materials such as aluminum, steel, and thermoset composites for these applications lies in their high specific strength, corrosion resistance, superior impact resistance, high toughness, and ease of recycling [1][2][3][4][5][6][7].…”

The process and microstructure modeling of long-fiber thermoplastic composites

“…Other benefi ts are ease of shaping, recyclability, high-volume processing, high end-use properties, and lower system costs. [1][2][3][4][5] The mechanical properties of a part made of fi ber-reinforced composite are governed by the matrix system, type of fi bers, fi ber content, fi ber aspect ratio (length-to-diameter ratio), and orientation of the reinforcing fi bers. The orientation and length of the fi bers are infl uenced by the processing method and process parameters.…”