Reciprocating compressors are very important work machines and are used in many different sectors of industry. The valves, which ensure the compressors‘ function, require an enormous amount of efficiency and reliability. Especially the sealing elements, the so called valve plates have to perform under extreme conditions. During the last decades the conventional construction of the plates out of steel was more and more substituted by reinforced high performance thermoplastics. This thesis’ aim is comparing various thermoplastics concerning their applicability as materials for the usage as valve plates. For that purpose high performance fiber reinforced thermoplastics were investigated. As matrix polymeres PPS, PA 4.6 and PEEK were used. The reinforcing fibers were carbon and glass fibers. In various testing configurations, which reproduce the real application conditions, mechanical properties of the composite materials were investigated as well as their dependence on temperature. Furthermore it has been investigated, if the standardized testing configurations can replace the cyclic plate test, which is the common representative test for valve plates at this time. The results from the cyclic plate test showed the different influences of fiber percentage, average molecular mass and additives. One PEEK- and one PPS-grade showed long runtimes compared to the other compound materials. This significant difference did not appear in other testing configurations. There could not be found a testing configuration which can replace the cyclic plate test.