Publicação
Thermoplastic matrices for autoparts by T-RTM processing
| Resumo: | Today, the reduction of pollutant emissions, especially those from the automotive sector, is crucial. An effective solution to decrease fuel consumption and, consequently, reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions is the reduction of vehicle weight. In this regard, the automotive industry has been seeking solutions involving composites, particularly those with a polymeric matrix, as part of the strategy to create innovative and environmentally more sustainable solutions. Thermoplastic matrices are often used in the development of composites involving the incorporation of particles and/or short fibres. The combination of thermoplastic matrices reinforced with long fibres has required new moulding technologies, particularly those involving liquid moulding. This thesis focused on the study and development of a thermoplastic matrix for processing through Thermoplastic Resin Transfer Moulding (T-RTM). Additionally, the effect of adding graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) to this matrix and their impact on the physicochemical properties of the developed nanocomposites was studied. To validate the formulations transformed by T-RTM, a prototype of an automotive component was developed. Given the importance of polyamide 6 (PA6) in T-RTM technology, the preparation and characterization of PA6 through anionic ring-opening polymerization (AROP) of the ε-caprolactam (CL) monomer, in the presence of a catalyst and an activator, were investigated. The importance of raw material selection, formulation, temperature, and polymerization time and how these factors affect the final properties of PA6 were highlighted. The effect of adding GNP of different sizes on the final properties of the composite was investigated. Nanoparticles tend to aggregate, so the selection of the dispersion method is one of the critical steps in the development of nanocomposites. In this work, the selected method involved the use of ultrasonic, and the results indicate that GNP can act as nucleating agents in the PA6 matrix. For low GNP concentrations, the obtained nanocomposites showed improvements in thermal and mechanical properties. The last part of this work presents a case study based on the development of a three-dimensional automotive component using the previously optimized T- RTM processing parameters. The parts obtained showed good quality, although it is acknowledged that it is necessary to improve the prototype equipment to allow the application of higher pressures for more compact products. This work contributed to increasing knowledge about T-RTM technology, intending to consolidate it as an alternative technology for processing composite materials for the industry, particularly in the automotive sector. |
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| Autores principais: | Lagarinhos, Joana Nogueira |
| Assunto: | Polyamide 6 Anionic polymerization In situ T-RTM Graphene-based materials Automotive industry |
| Ano: | 2024 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | tese de doutoramento |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade de Aveiro |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | RIA - Repositório Institucional da Universidade de Aveiro |
| Resumo: | Today, the reduction of pollutant emissions, especially those from the automotive sector, is crucial. An effective solution to decrease fuel consumption and, consequently, reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions is the reduction of vehicle weight. In this regard, the automotive industry has been seeking solutions involving composites, particularly those with a polymeric matrix, as part of the strategy to create innovative and environmentally more sustainable solutions. Thermoplastic matrices are often used in the development of composites involving the incorporation of particles and/or short fibres. The combination of thermoplastic matrices reinforced with long fibres has required new moulding technologies, particularly those involving liquid moulding. This thesis focused on the study and development of a thermoplastic matrix for processing through Thermoplastic Resin Transfer Moulding (T-RTM). Additionally, the effect of adding graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) to this matrix and their impact on the physicochemical properties of the developed nanocomposites was studied. To validate the formulations transformed by T-RTM, a prototype of an automotive component was developed. Given the importance of polyamide 6 (PA6) in T-RTM technology, the preparation and characterization of PA6 through anionic ring-opening polymerization (AROP) of the ε-caprolactam (CL) monomer, in the presence of a catalyst and an activator, were investigated. The importance of raw material selection, formulation, temperature, and polymerization time and how these factors affect the final properties of PA6 were highlighted. The effect of adding GNP of different sizes on the final properties of the composite was investigated. Nanoparticles tend to aggregate, so the selection of the dispersion method is one of the critical steps in the development of nanocomposites. In this work, the selected method involved the use of ultrasonic, and the results indicate that GNP can act as nucleating agents in the PA6 matrix. For low GNP concentrations, the obtained nanocomposites showed improvements in thermal and mechanical properties. The last part of this work presents a case study based on the development of a three-dimensional automotive component using the previously optimized T- RTM processing parameters. The parts obtained showed good quality, although it is acknowledged that it is necessary to improve the prototype equipment to allow the application of higher pressures for more compact products. This work contributed to increasing knowledge about T-RTM technology, intending to consolidate it as an alternative technology for processing composite materials for the industry, particularly in the automotive sector. |
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