In situ consolidation of thermoplastic prepreg tape using automated tape placement technology: Potential and possibilities

Abstract

The key parameters of the in-situ consolidation of carbon fibre reinforced poly-ether-etherketone (AS4-CF/PEEK) by automated tape placement (ATP) process were investigated by manufacturing of continuous rings and by laying tape onto pre-consolidated laminates. In order to establish and understand correlations between the process parameters and mechanical properties, a number of parametric studies were performed by manufacturing and testing the interlaminar shear strength, single lap shear strength and fracture toughness samples. The main process parameters investigated were the compaction force, tape laying speed and tool temperature. To achieve a uniform heat distribution across the thermoplastic tape, a new nozzle was designed. Baseline samples were also manufactured using the autoclave process to provide a comparison for the ATP composites produced. Optical microscopy was used for investigating the microstructure of composites compared.

An inverse model for optimisation of laser heat flux distributions in an automated laser tape placement process for carbon-fibre/PEEK

“…NIR laser TP-ATP heads in published work to date have utilised optics which produce uniform, homogeneous irradiation over linear [2,3,26] or rectangular [1,4,[27][28][29] spot geometries; typically achieved with optics modules employing refractive micro-lens arrays [30]. Such optical systems are not only limited to uniform profiles, they can be customised with technologies such as freeform lens manufacturing [31,32].…”

“…The more recent development of near-infrared (NIR) diode lasers has provided an affordable, high power, reliable and controllable heat source which has enabled relatively high placement rates (100-400 mm/s) to be achieved while maintaining high levels of interlaminar bonding [1][2][3][4]. Various TP-ATP head designs have appeared in the literature and the majority of studies to date have focused on the effects of process parameters for existing placement head designs [1,3,[5][6][7][8][9][10], however little work has been published in relation to optimisation of the two fundamental aspects of the placement process (1) the distribution of heat input and (2) the consolidation pressure distribution.…”

Towards the combination of automated lay-up and stamp forming for consolidation of tailored composite components

“…The current research and development efforts for automated lay-up mainly focus on material and process optimization to allow in situ consolidation [1][2][3][4][5][6][7], where no expensive post-consolidation step is required after lay-up. Potentially, this is a very attractive manufacturing route; especially for larger, relatively simple, aerostructures, such as fuselage or wing skin sections.…”

An evaluation of three different techniques for melt impregnation of glass fiber bundles with polyamide 12

“…In 2015, a patent for an AM apparatus extruding thermoplastic prepregs was filed by Mark et al This technique strongly resembles automated fiber placement (AFP) and automated tape laying (ATL), where continuous fiber prepregs are deposited onto a mold , but Mark's apparatus typically creates objects on a much smaller scale. Van Der Klift et al and Melenka et al performed mechanical tests on respectively continuous carbon fiber and aramid fiber filled polyamide tensile specimens created by this apparatus and showed that the technique is able to produce high strength parts, when compared with regular thermoplastic AM parts.…”