DTC – Dutch Thermoplastic Components

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Materials that are used in aerospace structures have to meet high standards regarding mechanical performance at elevated temperature, regarding FST (fire, smoke, toxicity) behaviour and in certain cases also chemical resistance (not for all applications). Currently mostly fabric reinforced pre-consolidated laminates are being used, but in multiple R&D projects press forming of products out of uni-directional (UD) tapes has already successfully been demonstrated as well.

Fabric reinforced pre-consolidated laminates

PPS based laminates

At the moment carbon fibre reinforced polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) is one of the most used thermoplastic composite materials for aircraft structures. PPS shows excellent chemical resistance (semi-crystalline) and is very compatible with press forming. PPS based laminates are not only available with carbon fabric reinforcements, but also with glass fabric, with a combination of carbon and glass fabric (glass as the outer layer against galvanic corrosion) and with a combination of carbon fabric and a metal mesh on the outside (lightning strike and EMI protection). DTC is experienced with processing of all of these PPS based materials.

PEEK based laminates

At elevated temperatures polyether ether ketone (PEEK) shows improved mechanical characteristics compared to PPS, due to a higher glass and melt temperature. This allows for application in certain high temperature areas, such as close to the engine, where PPS would not be suitable. Similar to PPS, PEEK also shows a very good chemical resistance due to its semi-crystalline molecular arrangement.

PEI based laminates

Polyetherimide (PEI) is typically suitable for application in aircraft interior structures, due to its excellent FST properties and a low heat release. Because PEI is an amorphous polymer it is not very resistant against aggressive fluids, such as Skydrol, which restricts its application to structures where contact with these fluids is not possible. Both carbon and glass fabric reinforced PEI are commercially available.

The following document provides indicative properties of PPS and PEI Cetex from TenCate Advanced Composites: PPS & PEI CETEX laminate

Uni-directional tapes

Uni-directional (UD) tapes are thin sheets of continuous fibres, all directed the same direction, embedded in a thermoplastic matrix (pre-consolidated). Often the fibre content in UD-tapes is higher than in pre-consolidated laminates improving certain mechanical properties. The price/kilogram of UD tapes is typically lower than for pre-consolidated laminates, making this material interesting for (automated) high volume application. The fact that tapes usually have a very small thickness (e.g. 0.14 mm) also provides the opportunity to manufacture tailored laminates.

Similar to the pre-consolidated laminates described above, the applicability of UD-tapes is also determined by its matrix. UD tapes are available with PPS, PEEK and PEI, as well as polyether ketone ketone (PEKK), which is a semi-crystalline polymer with good chemical resistance.