Textile technology as an innovative manufacturing method for high-performance fibre composite structures

Fibre reinforced composites have gained increasing popularity in the last years. The main reason is their high specific strength and stiffness relative to the low weight. They consist of high performance fibers. such as carbon, glass and aramid, which are embedded in a matrix system like epoxy or thermoplastic. Usually the fibres are placed along the main load directions of the component. The use of these materials has been limited because of expensive manufacturing processes and low damage tolerance. The textile technology in a combination with appropriate resin injection and curing processes, has a very high potential to reduce the manufacturing costs and improve the performance of fibre reinforced composite structures. Textile processes like braiding, knitting, embroidery and stitching give the opportunity to produce performs with more or less complex geometries and required fibre orientation. One of the main advantages is the possibility to have a highly automated process which is reproducible and therefore very interesting for producing in high numbers. Furthermore a combination of the technologies is an excellent opportunity to manufacture high integrated components. This paper shows how different "conventional" textile technologies are used in the manufacturing of fibre reinforced composites. The main focus lies on the technologies, the machines, that are optimized for technical textiles and how they can be involved in the process chain for an automated production.