Hybrid bicomponent fibres – materials in which reinforcement fibres are individually sheathed in thermoplastic polymer – are proposed as a novel class of preform materials for thermoplastic composites. We assert that by reducing the scale of hybridization between the reinforcement fibres and the matrix polymer to the level of the fibre, a thermoplastic intermediate material with both high drapeability and short consolidation times can be developed. The manufacture of hybrid bicomponent fibres is demonstrated in a scalable, coating process in which glass fibres are combined with several thermoplastic polymer matrix systems in dimensions and proportions suitable for use in thermoplastic composite structures. This novel class of thermoplastic composite preforms is expected to expedite the high volume production of geometrically complex thermoplastic composite parts.

混合双组分纤维（其中增强纤维分别包裹在热塑性聚合物中的材料）被提议作为热塑性复合材料的新型预成型材料。我们断言，通过将增强纤维和基体聚合物之间的杂化程度降低到纤维水平，可以开发出具有高悬垂性和短固结时间的热塑性中间材料。混合双组分纤维的制造在可扩展的涂覆工艺中得到了证明，在该工艺中，玻璃纤维与几种热塑性聚合物基体系统按尺寸和比例组合在一起，适用于热塑性复合材料结构。