Process Design for Composite Fiber Placement with a Solid Contact Heat Source

摘要

A new approach to tow heating is investigated for an efficient composite fiber placement process. Conventional heat sources for composite manufacturing presume subsequent autoclave processing. For flexible manufacturing of in-situ or non-autoclave material structure, one would choose among infrared, laser or hot gas for on-line composite manufacturing. In this paper, a new heating alternative through solid contact is suggested for high manufacturing speed and easy controllability. Conduction heat transfer from a solid contact to a composite towpreg is modeled. A FEM model including a non-compliant contacting heat roller and a composite towpreg model with uniform material properties are employed. Optimum rigid roller parameters are determined by simulating an internally heated rigid roller model with a PD controller. Substantial improvements in temperature control during fiber placement are achieved.