Development of a Manufacturing Strategy for Moderate Volume Production of a Composite Vehicle Structure

Thermoplastic Pultrusion: A Review

“…Thermoplastic composites can be used to manufacture airplane flooring [ 68 ], ice protection panels protecting the fuselage [ 351 ], various interior elements [ 351 ], rivets for fastening [ 15 , 65 ], aircraft wings [ 68 ], radomes [ 68 ], and flaps [ 68 ]. Aside from aviation, thermoplastic composites are widely used in the automotive industry [ 59 , 60 , 62 , 63 ]. The thermoforming ability of thermoplastics allows fabrication of various complex shape parts, such as dashboard carriers [ 61 ], body structures [ 61 ], bumpers [ 58 , 61 , 352 ], wheel rims [ 353 ], and seat structures [ 61 ] (commonly produced from long-fiber thermoplastics (LFT) [ 354 ]), etc.…”

“…Compared to thermosetting composites, thermoplastic composites have higher impact toughness [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 ], are faster to produce [ 37 , 38 ], have higher service temperatures [ 39 ], can be joined by welding [ 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 ], have less environmental impact [ 44 , 45 , 46 ], and can be recycled [ 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ]; their source materials have virtually unlimited shelf life [ 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 ]. Pultruded thermoplastic profiles are used in various structures and sectors, such as vehicles [ 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 ] and aircrafts construction [ 64 , 65 , 66 ], aerospace [ 67 , 68 , 69 ] and civil engineering [ 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 ], energy systems [ 74 ], restoration of deteriorated structures [ 75 ], marine applications [ 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 ], oil and gas industries [ 80 ], electromagnetic interference shielding elements [ 81 ...…”