Conductive overbraid of continuous fiber thermoplastic composite tows

Here, to meet the increasing demand for lightweight materials with multifunctional capabilities, a new high-rate manufacturing method and material system, referred to as M-TOW® (multifunctional-tow) is introduced. Overbraiding is used to incorporate highly conductive wire onto the continuous fiber reinforced tow (M-TOW®), offering a solution for integrating thermal and electrical conductivity into hybrid-molded composite structures. The conductivity performance of different wire configurations are compared before and after forming the M TOW®, measuring electrical conductivities up to 5.5 x 105 S / cm and thermal conductivities up to 21 W / mK. Results conclude that the integration of conductive wires into thermoplastic preforms is a viable means of expanding the functionality of lightweight, high strength composite structures.