Materialcharacterization for determining the consolidation properties of carbon fiber tapes with PA 6 matrix

One of the key aspects for the successful and economic manufacturing of parts with fiber-reinforced thermoplastics is the profound understanding of the consolidation process. In order to model and optimize this process some material properties need to be determined. In this paper three different carbon fiber reinforced tape materials, all with a Polyamid 6 matrix, are characterized with respect to their consolidation properties in a comparative study. Based on the model of intimate contact development, the surface roughness and the viscosity are selected as main parameters of interest. The surface of the tapes is analyzed with a tactile and an optical method and the characteristic values Ra and Rz are determined. An experimental setup is presented to determine the fiber-matrix viscosity of the tapes by conducting squeeze-flow experiments. In order to evaluate the fiber-matrix structure of the tapes, micrographs are produced and analyzed with respect to predefined criteria. The experiments reveal a large difference in surface roughness and squeeze-flow viscosity between commercially available tapes, which indicates a large difference in the development of intimate contact during consolidation.