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Center for Composites Manufacturing: Final Report March 2007
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2007-03-31
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[PDF-112.07 MB]
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Alternative Title:Center for Composites Manufacturing
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Abstract:The objective of this project is to continue to develop thermoplastic composite materials and product forms and to develop and demonstrate fabrication methods for molding these materials into components for use in buses and other mass transit applications. These technologies are projected to provide lower cost, lighter weight, and improved performance structures for mass transit applications.
This report details work done in design, analysis, mechanical testing & characterization, prototyping, processing, manufacturing, processing of a air conditioning (AC) cover door for the roof of an articulated mass transit bus using advanced thermoplastic composites. Innovative thermoplastic composites materials and thermoforming processing technology has been demonstrated to form an AC door that has an outer skin on thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) and an inner rib-stiffened lightweight lofted polypropylene liner. The thermoplastic AC doors are 40% lighter than the metal counterpart and can be readily molded in a mass-produce able cost-effective manner. This report also details continuation of previous work in long fiber thermoplastic (LFT) composites materials and performance assessment. The vibration damping, fatigue and ultraviolet (UV) environmental degradation of LFTs has been investigated and reported.
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