On the Applicability of Thermoforming Characterization and Simulation Approaches to Glass Mat Thermoplastic Composites

Chopped fiber composite materials offer the potential to be used for complex geometries, including local thickness changes, ribs and beads, offering significant potential for functional lightweighting. Depending on the initial mold coverage and flowability of the material, the processing behaves either more like a compression molding or a thermoforming process. The latter is applicable to high initial mold coverages and includes typical …