GREATER PROPERTY UNIFORMITY FROM ARAMID-REINFORCED THERMOPLASTICS.

The aramid-reinforced composites have low warpage, good wear and abrasion resistance, low thermal expansion, and - most important of all - uniform mechanical and thermal properties in all directions. Conventional fiber-reinforced composites have lower shrinkage and higher strength and modulus in the flow direction. Not so with the aramid-reinforced materials. Properties, including mold shrinkage and thermal expansion, are nearly isotropic, regardless of flow pattern. Unlike glass or carbon fibers, which are essentially straight, rod-like materials, aramid fibers are severely kinked. This configuration is apparently less sensitive to flow conditions.