Hybrid thermoset-thermoplastic structures: An experimental investigation on the interface strength of continuous fiber-reinforced epoxy and short-fiber reinforced polyamide 6

Abstract A combination of thermoset and thermoplastic material within one part has rarely been realized. However, with the combination of thermoset and thermoplastic fiber reinforced composites it is possible to produce highly loadable, cost-effective and fully automatically produced structural components. The aim is to combine filament winding structures made of continuous unidirectional carbon fiber reinforced epoxy material (CF-EP) with short glass fiber reinforced polyamide (PA6GF30) injection molding material. The CF-EP components are used to significantly improve the structural mechanical properties of the hybrid structure. The injection molded structures take on additional functions, such as the creation of plane areas for the outer contour or the increase of shear strength and the resistance against buckling. To avoid subsequent joining, different pretreated endless CF-EP structures were overmolded with PA6GF30. A proper load transfer and a significantly resistant interface between the thermoset and thermoplastic material could be created, beneficially by using low-pressure plasma.