Engineering Science and Materials Commons^™

The Effect Of Backing Material On Carbon Fibre Severing For High-Volume Production Of Composites, Ryan W. Alexander

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The replacement of steel with lightweight carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) represents one of the alternatives seriously considered by carmakers in preparation for the emission regulations of the future. While CFRPs have been used for a few decades across several industries, the recent price fall of carbon fibres have also made CFRPs attractive for high-volume automotive applications. Some challenges to address before the full-scale deployment of composites in the automotive industry are related to the efficient severing of carbon fibres. To address this, the present study investigated the effects of backing on the performance of carbon fibre severing through the …