The 3rd Thermoplastic Composites Symposium

Shandong Junhao participated with continuous CF/PEEK thermoplastic composites

On the morning of November 25, 2021, the 3rd Thermoplastic Composites Symposium kicked off in Shanghai, with the theme of “High-performance thermoplastic composites help Chinese large aircraft fly lightly”. More than 200 representatives from domestic and foreign industry enterprises, universities and research institutes attended the meeting, of which 171 representatives came to the meeting site.

The symposium was co-organized by COMAC, AVIC Composites Co., Ltd., Sichuan University, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and AVIC, and hosted by the Beijing Branch of the Society of Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Engineering (SAMPE).

01. CFRTP Seminar

▲ Opening ceremony host: Director Xiao Huijiang, COMAC

Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Director Xiao Huijiang delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. Director Xiao said that thermoplastic composite materials have been successfully applied to the wing leading edge, fuselage connection corner pieces and other structures of aircraft such as A380 and A350. In recent years, they have gradually developed rapidly towards the verification of main load-bearing and large components. Breakthroughs in thermoplastic composite materials, design and process technology are also changing with each passing day, and the application prospects are broad.

▲ Researcher Yang Yang, COMAC, Manufacturing Process and Application of Thermoplastic Composites

Director Xiao pointed out: “Thermoplastic composites are a huge industrial network involving special resins, special fibers, special equipment, prepreg preparation, composite molding, part connection, structural design, life prediction and component recycling. A single breakthrough is not enough to promote the progress of the entire industrial chain. Therefore, only when the upstream and downstream units of the industrial chain work together and work together, and integrate production, education and research, can we achieve the overall development of high-performance thermoplastic composites in my country and help China’s large aircraft fly lightly.”

Dr. Liu Chuanjun of COMAC, Dr. Zhou Guangyuan of Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Dr. Ant Overeg, Global R&D Director of Civil Aviation Fuselage at GKN Aerospace FOKKER Aerostructures, made special reports. 02. Jiangsu Junhua CF/PEEK Dr. Liu Chuanjun mentioned in his report that COMAC conducted systematic testing on the PEEK fabric sheets (LF-CF/PEEK) provided by Jiangsu Junhua. The density of the composite sheet was 1.57g/cm³, the tensile strength was 735MPa, the tensile modulus was 63.54GPa, the bending strength was 980MPa, the bending modulus was 52.75GPa, the compressive strength was 700MPa, the compression modulus was 80.26GPa, and the short beam shear strength was 84MPa, with good overall performance.

▲ Dr. Liu Chuanjun, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Research on in-situ forming technology of thermoplastic fuselage panel prototype

There are 31 reports in total, and more than 20 reports on PEEK polyetherketone, covering fiber sizing agent modification, resin and fiber interface control, condensed structure regulation, welding and bonding, composite material production, composite material application development, composite material equipment, non-destructive testing, damage mechanism research, etc. As a typical representative of special engineering plastics, PEEK material has better performance when combined with fiber. Compared with traditional titanium alloy materials, it has low density and can achieve significant weight reduction; compared with traditional thermosetting composite materials, it has good toughness, fatigue resistance, moisture and heat stability, and is recyclable, which meets the needs of aerospace, medical, and special industries.

▲Dr. Zhu Shu, Donghua University, Condensed structure control of aviation thermoplastic composite matrix and its engineering application

Many typical cases of thermoplastic research were reported in the seminar. Among them, the topic reported by Dr. Zhu Shu from Donghua University, a cooperative unit, was “Condensed structure control of aviation thermoplastic composite matrix and its engineering application”, which improved the performance of composite materials by theoretical analysis and research on the change of the state of PEEK resin matrix. Through the PIF method, the PPS and PEEK matrices were strengthened and toughened, with the strength increased by 1.5-2 times and the toughness increased by 2-4 times. If this method is used in production in the future, it is believed that the performance of composite materials will be further improved in the future.

Continuous CF/PEEK composite materials are a hot topic in the industry. Various performance data are being improved, and the research on related mechanisms is gradually deepening. The industry’s understanding of continuous CF/PEEK composite materials is also gradually deepening.

▲ Senior Engineer An Xuefeng, Aviation Industry, High-efficiency, high-quality and low-cost manufacturing of thermoplastic composite civil aircraft structural parts

▲ Senior Engineer Ding Haoliang, Institute of Aerospace Materials and Technology, Application requirements and practices of high-performance thermoplastic composites in spacecraft structures

▲ Zheng Jie, Senior Engineer, Aviation Industry, Research on Failure Prediction of Thermoplastic Composite Laminates

03. Shandong Junhao

▲ Shandong Junhao Booth

Shandong Junhao has been participating in the thermoplastic composite exhibition and composite seminar organized by SAMPE. This year, it is both an exhibitor and a reporting unit. The products on display this time are trademark products of the composite series (PEEKFRTP® and JHFRTP®).

PEEKFRTP® represents continuous CF (GF)/PEEK prepreg and its products, and JHFRTP® represents other special engineering plastics and fiber composite products other than PEEK. The resin matrix includes PPS, PEI, PPSU and PI, etc.; the fiber involves CF and GF, etc. The exhibits include PEEK-CF prepreg tapes, sheets, pipes, support buckles, star wheels, medical aiming frames, sleeves, etc. Among them, the continuous carbon fiber CF/PEEK sheet won the “2021 SAMPE China Innovation Finalist Award in Materials”.

04. Research on the matching of LF-CF/PEEK

▲ Wang Erping, Head of Composites Business Unit, Research on the Matching of Continuous Carbon Fiber Fabric Reinforced PEEK Thermoplastic Composites (LF-CF/PEEK)

The title of this report is “Research on the Matching of Continuous Carbon Fiber Fabric Reinforced PEEK Thermoplastic Composites (LF-CF/PEEK)”. It compares T300 3K fiber fabrics from many domestic and foreign companies, composites them with PEEK resin, and examines the matching of continuous CF/PEEK from the perspective of comprehensive evaluation of carbon fiber performance and composite products. From the screening and verification results, it can be seen that domestic fiber materials can replace imported ones through appropriate processing technology.

With the country’s attention to the thermoplastic industry, with the promotion of various publicity platforms, with the industry’s attention and in-depth research, the research progress of continuous CF/PEEK composite materials will be accelerated, and the future of continuous CF/PEEK composite materials will be better!