A chopped roving thermoplastic composite sheet includes a web or mesh of chopped rovings and a thermoplastic resin that fully saturates the web or mesh of chopped rovings. The web or mesh of chopped rovings is not mechanically bonded and does not include a binder that bonds or adheres the chopped rovings together other than thermoplastic resin. As such, the thermoplastic resin and the web or mesh of chopped rovings are able to flow and conform to a mold or cavity when the chopped roving thermoplastic composite sheet is pressed within the mold or cavity and when the chopped roving thermoplastic composite sheet is heated to above the melting temperature of the thermoplastic resin.

Provided are a carbon fibre thermoplastic resin prepreg which is a carbon fibre prepreg obtained by impregnating a PAN-based carbon fibre in which the average fibre fineness of a single fibre is 1.0 dtex to 2.4 dtex with a thermoplastic resin, wherein the thermoplastic resin satisfies 20<(FM/FS)<40 (where FM: flexural modulus (MPa) of a resin sheet comprising only the thermoplastic resin, and FS: flexural strength (MPa) of the resin sheet), a method for manufacturing the same, and a carbon fibre composite material employing the carbon fibre prepreg.

A method may include placing a dry fabric over a tool; pressing a first resin film over the dry fabric while the dry fabric is draped over the tool to create an outer layer of the laminate composite structural component; repeating the placing and pressing process until a desired thickness of the outer layer is achieved; compressing a second resin film and a dry fiber fabric between two rollers to tack the second resin film to the dry fiber fabric to create a resin-fabric sheet comprising a resin film layer and an dry fiber fabric layer; cutting the resin-fabric sheet to a pre-determined shape to create at least one resin-fabric preform; and draping a first resin-fabric preform over at least a portion of the outer layer, wherein one or more edges of the first resin-fabric preform overlap the outer layer to create an internal edge.

A thermoplastic surfacer for providing lightning strike protection to a composite component of an aircraft, methods of manufacturing the surfacer, and methods of applying the surfacer to a composite part. The thermoplastic surfacer includes a broadgood having an amorphous thermoplastic resin, one or more fillers embedded into the broadgood, and a lightning strike protection mesh or foil embedded into the broadgood. When applying the surfacer to a composite part of an aircraft, the method includes draping the surfacer on an at least partially unconsolidated composite part, consolidating the at least partially unconsolidated composite part by heating the part to a temperature at or above a melt temperature of a resins used in the part and in the surfacer, and filling at least one surface defect in the consolidated part using the amorphous thermoplastic polymer resin and milled fibers provided in the thermoplastic surfacer.

Thermoplastically moldable fiber reinforced planar semifinished products having a composite structure (A-B-A′) or (A-B) are produced by a method of applying to one or both sides of a flat, porous reinforcing-fiber thermoplastic material core layer precursor having an areal weight of 300 to 3,000 g/m.sup.2, a fiber content of 20 to 60 wt.-% and an air void content of 20 to 80 vol.-%, at least one woven or nonwoven reinforcing fiber fabric having an areal weight of 100 to 1,000 g/m.sup.2 and a thermoplastic layer having a low viscosity compared with the thermoplastic material of the core layer precursor and having an areal weight of 50 to 1,000 g/m.sup.2, and heating and pressing the layer structure formed such that the low viscosity thermoplastic layer is melted and penetrates into the applied woven or nonwoven reinforcing fiber fabric and into the core layer and, after cooling, forms an integral bond with the core layer and cover layer.

A process and system are provided for introducing a blend of chopped and dispersed fibers on an automated production line amenable for inclusion in molding compositions as a blended fiber mat for structural applications. The blend of fibers are simultaneously supplied to an automated cutting machine illustratively including a rotary blade chopper disposed above a vortex supporting chamber. The blend of chopped fibers and binder form a chopped mat. The chopped mat has a veil mat placed on either side, and is consolidated with the veil mat using heated rollers maintained at the softening temperature of thermoplastic binder, with consolidated mats being amenable to being stored in rolls or as flat sheets. A charge pattern is made using the consolidated mat, and the charge pattern can be compression molded in a mold maintained at a temperature lower than the melting point of the thermoplastic fibers.

A molding apparatus reduces waviness or deformation of fibers. The molding apparatus includes a fiber feeder that feeds fibers, a resin feeder that feeds a resin, a curing accelerator that accelerates curing of the fed resin while the fed fibers are being tensioned, and a transporter that relatively changes a feeding position of the fibers, a feeding position of the resin, and an accelerating position of the curing.

Disclosed is a scheme whereby a continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin composite material applicable to production of a reinforcing material of various thermoplastic injection products and manufacture of a fiber reinforced thermoplastic plastic part using 3D printing can be produced by a simple method to have an excellent mechanical property. The present invention provides a continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite material in which a plurality of yarns or tape intermediate materials are combined together to form a rod shape, and a method for producing the same.

Disclosed is a scheme whereby a continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin composite material applicable to production of a reinforcing material of various thermoplastic injection products and manufacture of a fiber reinforced thermoplastic plastic part using 3D printing can be produced by a simple method to have an excellent mechanical property. The present invention provides a continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite material in which a plurality of yarns or tape intermediate materials are combined together to form a rod shape, and a method for producing the same.

A panel for forming a floor covering has a substrate including at least a layer of thermoplastic material, where the panel, above the layer, has at least also a printed décor and a translucent or transparent wear layer. The layer also includes at least individual fibers having a length greater than 1 millimeter, where the individual fibers are loose and freely distributed with the layer of thermoplastic material.