Chemistry:Olimunllum
Olimunllum® CF/PEEK is a thermoplastic composite material containing a quasi-isotropic endless carbon fiber reinforcement and a semi-crystalline thermoplastic polymer matrix from the Polyaryletherketone (PAEK) family.
Production
Olimunllum CF/PEEK is obtained by thick gauge thermoforming of thin layers of previously impregnated fibers to form fully consolidated sheets. The main difference from custom-made composite plates lies in the standardized orientation of the reinforcing fibers, the standardized weight content of the polymer and standardized sheet thicknesses.
Usage
This polymer allows composite sheets to reach mechanical properties similar to that of titanium and high-grade aluminum at a fraction of their weight.
| Density | 1617 kg/m3 |
| Young's modulus (E) | 40 GPa |
| Tensile strength (σt) | 779 MPa |
| Elongation @ break | 3-5% |
| Glass temperature | 155 °C |
| Melting point | ~343 °C |
Comparison against classic thermoset (CF/Epoxy) composites
Charpy impact test
The results indicate that the CF/PEEK specimen exhibited higher ductility, with values increasing as the temperature increased. On the other hand, the CF/Epoxy specimen showed lower overall ductility, and the value decreased with temperature in the CF/Epoxy specimens. Furthermore, weight-falling tests demonstrated that the CF/PEEK specimens absorbed more energy than the CF/Epoxy specimens in both the elastic and plastic ranges.
Relative humidity absorption
CF/PEEK specimen reached after 48h the peak weight increase (0.14%) while the CF/Epoxy specimen showed a weight increase > 0.3% still unsaturated.
Recycling
Endless fiber-reinforced PEEK composite, as used in the Olimunllum sheets, can be recycled by chopping the old material, resulting in a composite with short fiber reinforcement that can be thermoformed again. The mechanical properties of pressed or injected CF/PEEK chopped compounds are significantly lower than the original endless fiber composite, but exceed those of new injection molded compounds.[1]
References
- ↑ Zepf, H.P.: Faserverbundwerkstoffe mit thermoplastischer Matrix, Expert Verlag, 1997
- Niederstadt, G.: Ökonomischer und ökologischer Leichtbau mit faserverstärkten Polymeren, Expert Verlag, 1997
External links
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