Fig. 1 Terminology of CoFRP, DiCoFRP and CoDiCoFRP

CoFRP

• The arrangement of continuous fibers are approxiamtely homogeneous
  
  

DiCoFRP

• The orientation distribution and the spatial arrangement of fibers show a significant degree of inhomogeneity and randomness
• Fiber congregations and optional filler particles may be present
• The strong spatial inhomogeneity is induced by the manufacturing process
   

Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastics and Thermosets

Fig. 2 Classification of fiber reinforced polymers based on average fiber length:

continuous fibers (left), long fibers (middle), short fibers (right)

Thermoplastics

• Classification of the materials is usually introduced based on the average fiber length (Fig.2)
• Separation between short fiber and long fiber reinforced composites (LFT) manufactured in compression molding is usually in the range of approximately 4 mm
   

Thermosets

• Description is oriented on the manufacturing process of the compound
  - Bulk Molding Compounds (BMC)
  - Sheet Molding Compound (SMC)
• No precise generally accepted separation concerning the used fiber lengths for SMC
  
  

Notation

• Unified notation for all of the aforementioned composite types with respect to the fiber arrangement and the polymer system
  - Thermoset (TS)
  - Thermoplastic (TP)
• Subdivided into
  - CoFRTS/DiCoFRTS/CoDiCoFRTS
  - CoFRTP/DiCoFRTP/CoDiCoFRTP
  

Fig. 3 Abbreviations for different classes of composites with specification of the polymer system
 

Combining the Advantages of Two Types of Reinforcements

Main advantages

• DiCoFRP
  + Bulk material flow capability
  + Significant increase in the design freedom for components
  - Low load-bearing capacity
   
• CoFRP
  + High load-bearing capacity
  - Restricted design freedom and formabililty
  

• CoDiCoFRP
  + Optimal combination of design options
  + High stiffness and strength