Abstract
Abstract
Automated Fibre Placement requires accurate control of the heater power to deposit the material at appropriate temperatures throughout the process. This paper presents a simple semi-empirical thermal model of the process which correlates the heater power and the layup speed with the substrate surface temperature. The deposition temperature was measured over a range of heater powers and layup speeds. The experimental data is used to define and validate a semi-empirical thermal model for two classes of materials used in conjunction with a diode laser: carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastics and bindered dry fibres. This enables open-loop, speed dependent heater power control, based on defining and programming the speed dependent heater power function in the machine controls.
Automated Fibre Placement requires accurate control of the heater power to deposit the material at appropriate temperatures throughout the process. This paper presents a simple semi-empirical thermal model of the process which correlates the heater power and the layup speed with the substrate surface temperature. The deposition temperature was measured over a range of heater powers and layup speeds. The experimental data is used to define and validate a semi-empirical thermal model for two classes of materials used in conjunction with a diode laser: carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastics and bindered dry fibres. This enables open-loop, speed dependent heater power control, based on defining and programming the speed dependent heater power function in the machine controls.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing |
| Early online date | 19 Jun 2017 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 19 Jun 2017 |
Keywords
- A. Polymer-matrix composites (PMCs)
- B. Thermal properties
- C. Process Modelling
- D. Automated fibre placement (AFP)