LITAPROP

Light-weight composite structures with tailored mechanical, electrical and thermal properties

Fibre reinforced plastics (FRP) have established themselves as high-performance materials in many industries thanks to their excellent mechanical properties. However, the use in mobility applications, e.g. hybrid-electric drives, requires an enhancement of the property profile of the FRP. In addition to high mechanical properties, high electrical and thermal conductivity are required for key components in mobility application. Thus, the main objective of LITAPROP is to investigate appropriate methods for the development of novel fibre reinforced thermoplastics (FRT) with significantly increased electrical and thermal properties for high performance function-integrative composite structures. A promising solution for highly conductive composites, especially with regard to high manufacturing efficiency, is offered by novel intermediate products in the form of non-wovens and strips (NMFVS) modified with nano and micro fillers like carbon nanotubes (CNT) or cristobalite powder (CP). A further unique aspect of this project is that the aspired material development is not carried out in the usual "trial and error" method. Instead, an innovative systematic approach for a new interlinked material development process (iMDP) is being developed. This enables a significant increase in efficiency and effectiveness of the development process, especially of product-specific materials.