Abstract
Keywords
Foreword
Discontinuous long fiber-reinforced polymer composite structures with local continuous fiber reinforcements represent an important class of lightweight materials that offer significant energy-saving potentials due to their high specific stiffness/strength with optimized materials costs. However, integrated and experimentally validated design, analysis, modeling, processing, and characterization concepts for combinations of continuous and discontinuous fiber-reinforced polymer composite structures are challenging and require holistic, interdisciplinary approaches to understand the complex physical materials behavior and the interactions of the polymer matrix with the fiber reinforcements as well as between the composites constituents featuring different fiber architectures. From such studies, methods can be derived and transferred to exploit the potentials of composites based on long and continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (LFTPs) in lightweight constructions through improved process and component design. This special issue collects contributions and recent advancements in research related to continuous-discontinuous long fiber-reinforced thermoplastic polymer composites, which are collectively referred to as LFTPs here.
For such anisotropic and heterogeneous materials, it is essential to assess the materials' properties, behaviors, and performances, especially when considering their applications in real-case/real-world scenarios. Therefore, manuscripts dealing with characterization and experimental testing of LFTPs have been included in this special issue.
Several manuscripts present advanced modeling, simulation, and design/processing approaches since manufacturing processes of LFTPs result in material properties that are heterogeneous, anisotropic, and nonlinear. Additionally, the thermomechanical interaction between the matrix and the reinforcement represents a challenging aspect.
Finally, for the applications of such materials in three-dimensional structures within an industrial context, interdisciplinary scientific methods in the process as well as materials engineering and product development are needed. The efficient processing of LFTPs as well as the flawless combination of continuous fibers within LFTPs are addressed by several contributions.