Components made of thermoplastic composite materials

Abstract

A component made of a thermoplastic composite material comprises fibers and thermoplastic polymer wherein the has a hole defined therein for receiving a member to form a connection, and reinforcement provided in the region of the hole and arranged to define a predetermined rip-through path to be followed by the member in the event that a failure load is applied.

1 . A component made of a thermoplastic composite material comprising fibers and thermoplastic polymer, the component having a hole defined therein for receiving a member to form a connection, and having reinforcement provided in the region of the hole and arranged to define a predetermined rip-through path to be followed by the member in the event that a failure load is applied. 
     
     
         2 . A component as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the reinforcement is elongate and the rip-through path follows the length of the reinforcement adjacent thereto. 
     
     
         3 . A component as claimed in  claim 1 , comprising a pair of reinforcements defining the rip-through path therebetween. 
     
     
         4 . A component as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the pair of reinforcements are generally parallel to each other. 
     
     
         5 . A component as claimed  claim 1 , wherein the rip-through path extends radially of the hole. 
     
     
         6 . A component as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the rip-through path emanates from the periphery of the hole and extends away therefrom in a direction at an angle intermediate between a radial direction extending from the center of the hole to the inner end of the path, and a direction tangential to the periphery of the hole at the inner end of the path. 
     
     
         7 . A component as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the angle of the path to the said radial direction is between 10 and 80 degrees. 
     
     
         8 . A component as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the angle of the path to the said radial direction is between 40 and 50 degrees. 
     
     
         9 . A component as claimed  claim 1  wherein the thermoplastic composite material comprises fibers extending in a first direction and fibers extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and wherein the rip-through path extends in a direction intermediate between the first and second directions. 
     
     
         10 . A component as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the rip-through path extends in a direction substantially at 45 degrees to the first and second directions. 
     
     
         11 . A component as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the fibers extending in the first direction have a greater fiber concentration than the fibers which extend in the second direction, and wherein the rip-through path extends in a direction at an angle α to the first direction and at an angle β to the second direction, the angle α being smaller than the angle β. 
     
     
         12 . A component as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the reinforcement is in the form of a rib. 
     
     
         13 . A component as claimed  claim 1 , wherein the component is a vehicle component. 
     
     
         14 . A component as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the component further comprises a metallic element having a channel or groove, arranged to define a predetermined rip-through path to be followed by the member in the event that a failure load is applied. 
     
     
         15 . A component as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the component further comprises at least two tapes of unidirectional fibrous material parallel to each other placed within the thermoplastic composite material along a direction substantially at 45° to the first and second directions of the fiber comprised in the component,