Molding process and properties of polyimide-fiber-fabric-reinforced polyether ether ketone composites

Abstract As the most outstanding type of organic fiber in terms of the comprehensive performance, polyimide fiber is more conducive to reduce the composites weight than inorganic fibers, such as carbon fiber or glass fiber. A polyimide-fabric-reinforced polyether ether ketone (PEEK) composite was prepared by a hot-press molding process. The melt flow rate of the PEEK resin was measured to reveal its rheological behavior and guide the selection of the molding process parameters of the composite. The tensile properties of the composites were determined. The results revealed that the rheological properties of the resin manifested through the melt viscosity, which was more sensitive to pressure changes than to temperature changes. The tensile properties of the composites were affected by two competitive mechanisms. First, increases of molding temperature and duration time could facilitate the infiltration of the resin into the fiber fabric and improve the internal quality and tensile properties of the composite. Second, an excessively high molding temperature and long duration time could decrease the strength of the polyimide fiber, thereby reducing the tensile properties of the composites.