Abstract

Carbon and glass fiber prepregs have been used in the production of composite sporting goods materials for many years due to lightweight and high performance characteristics. In some cases it is desirable to vary the density in specific areas of the composite structure without altering the thickness, handling characteristics or manufacturing requirements of the material. In this work, traditional interlayer prepreg toughening concepts, which used thermoplastic or elastomeric preformed particles, were extended to include fine metal particles for specific weight tailoring. Physical and mechanical analyses were performed on the prepreg and composite materials. The results were then compared to traditional sporting goods prepregs and other interlayer toughened systems. This new manufacturing technology was shown to increase the density of composites without greatly affecting the final properties, while using the same manufacturing techniques.(Author abstract)