Ulf Paul Breuer

• Fabric reinforced thermoplastic composites, suitable for the production of thin-walled, high strength structural parts, are available on the market today with various fibre/matrix combinations. However, further market penetration and series production are inhibited as long as forming technologies are not well understood. In this thesis, the potential for series production of different forming technologies is evaluated. Stamp forming is an efficient way to produce parts in very short cycle times. A limiting factor to part complexibilty is undesired wrinkle formation as a consequence of insufficient fabric shear. Fabric shear and other important deformations of impregnated fabrics were examined by means of new test devices. Evidence was found that membrane tension is the crucial factor to avoid wrinkle formation. New tool concepts and processing Windows were developed to produce fabric reinforced thermoplastic parts free of wrinkles and distortions.