In an embodiment, a side door for a vehicle, includes: a structure comprising a shell comprising a shell support beam positioned across a main body portion of the shell, wherein the shell support beam comprises substantially unidirectional fiber strip sections; wherein the shell comprise a inner shell and a outer shell; and wherein the side door has a score of at least 4 points in a side impact test conducted according to European New Car Assessment Protocol (Euro NCAP) Side Impact Testing Protocol Version 5.2 (November 2011).

A method of manufacturing a thermoplastic resin molded article having a hollow portion includes setting a molded article (A) premolded from a thermoplastic resin in a first die, forming a melted thermoplastic resin plate (B) in a shape along an inner surface of a second die facing the first die by being attached to the inner surface of the second die by vacuum pressure, welding the thermoplastic resin plate (B) and the molded article (A) only in a predetermined region by mold-clamping the first die and the second die, and forming at least part of an unwelded region as a hollow portion.

Provided is a bushing for manufacturing a three-dimensional composite preform using a tow made of a fiber reinforced polymer. The bushing includes a base plate in which one or more through-holes are formed, and a plurality of spools spaced apart from each other on the base plate. A flat top is formed at an end portion of the spools, and grooves are formed on outer surfaces of the plurality of spools in a circumferential direction thereof.

The present invention relates to a chip made from composite material containing carbon fibres in a cured adhesive, said chip having a substantially constant thickness defined between two parallel opposite faces of the chip, the surface of each face comprising carbon fibres that are at least partially not included in the cured adhesive.

A method is disclosed for recycling broad goods material into a flaked feed material. The broad goods material includes reinforcement fibers and thermoplastic material. The recycling method includes applying heat and pressure to impregnate the reinforcement fibers at a filament level with the thermoplastic material to form an impregnated fiber material. The method also includes cooling the impregnated fiber material, and cutting the cooled impregnated fiber material into flakes to produce the flaked feed material.

The purpose of the present invention is to obtain a fiber-reinforced plastic that is capable of controlling anisotropy, has excellent mechanical characteristics, has little variation, has excellent heat resistance, and has good fluidity during forming. A production method for fiber-reinforced plastic, having: a step in which a material (A) (100) including a prepreg base material is obtained, said prepreg base material having cuts therein and having a thermoplastic resin impregnated in reinforcing fibers (110) arranged in parallel in one direction; a step in which a pressurizing device is used that applies a substantially uniform pressure in a direction (X) orthogonal to the travel direction of the material (A) (100) and the material (A) (100) is caused to travel in the one direction and is pressurized while being heated to a prescribed temperature (T), an angle (.theta.) of 20-20.degree. being formed between the orthogonal direction (X) and a fiber axial direction (Y) for the reinforcing fibers (110) of the prepreg base material; and a step in which the material (A) (100) pressurized by the pressurizing device is cooled and the fiber-reinforced plastic is obtained

Combined continuous/random fiber reinforced composite filament including a plurality of axial fiber strands extending substantially continuously within a matrix material of the fiber reinforced composite filament as well as a multiplicity of short chopped fiber rods extending at least in part randomly within the same matrix material is 3D printed via a deposition head including a conduit continuously transitioning to a substantially rounded outlet tipped with an ironing lip, which is driven to flatten the fiber reinforced composite filament against previously deposited portions of the part, as the matrix material and included therein a first proportion of the short chopped fiber rods are is flowed interstitially among the axial fiber strands spread by the ironing lip. A second proportion of the short chopped fiber rods is forced against previously deposited portions of the part.

A manufacturing method for thermoforming a fiber-reinforced composite laminate with fiber rovings embedded within a thermoplastic matrix includes: mounting fiber rovings to a transport frame, the mounted rovings being arranged to form a support grid layer laterally framed by the transport frame, each roving being mounted on both ends under tension to the transport frame; placing a matrix material layup of thermoplastic material on top of the support grid layer, wherein the tension of the rovings and a density of the support grid layer are configured such that the support grid layer supports the matrix material layup; softening the matrix material layup by heating the support grid layer together with the matrix material layup within a heating station; forming a semi-finished composite laminate by pressing the support grid layer together with the softened matrix material layup; and consolidating the semi-finished composite laminate to form the fiber-reinforced composite laminate.

A method is disclosed for recycling broad goods material into a flaked feed material. The broad goods material includes reinforcement fibers and thermoplastic material. The recycling method includes applying heat and pressure to impregnate the reinforcement fibers at a filament level with the thermoplastic material to form an impregnated fiber material. The method also includes cooling the impregnated fiber material, and cutting the cooled impregnated fiber material into flakes to produce the flaked feed material.

A fiber-reinforced plastic substrate is described in which a plurality of resins having different properties are firmly compounded and that includes components [A], [B], and [C]: [A] reinforcing fibers; [B] thermoplastic resin (b); and [C] thermoplastic resin (c),
wherein the component [A] is arranged in one direction, in the fiber-reinforced plastic substrate, a resin area including the component [B] and a resin area including the component [C] are present, the resin area including the component [B] is present on a surface of one side of the fiber-reinforced plastic substrate, and a distance Ra.sub.(bc) between Hansen solubility parameters of the component [B] and the component [C] satisfies formula (1):
Ra.sub.(bc)={4(DBDC).sup.2+(PBPC).sup.2+(HBHC).sup.2}.sup.1/28
wherein Ra.sub.(bc), DB, DC, PB, PC, HB and HC are as defined.