TY - JOUR
T1 - Novel TAPE termination method for automated fibre placement
T2 - cutting characteristics and delamination suppression
AU - Gordon, Tharan
AU - Xu, Xiaodong
AU - Wisnom, Michael R
AU - Kim, Byung Chul (Eric)
PY - 2020/10/1
Y1 - 2020/10/1
N2 - A novel tape termination method for tapering the ply end and removing the fibre discontinuity owing to a dropped ply in a tapered composite was demonstrated. The forces required for this process - referred to as scarfing - were experimentally investigated with respect to blade speed, scarfing ratio, tape thickness and width. Tensile tests were conducted on unidirectional laminate specimens with a scarfed ply at two different aspect ratios to examine the effect of scarfing ratio on the delamination behaviour of the specimens. The results showed that the ply scarfing ratio is a critical parameter controlling the cutting force and delamination behaviour in a tapered specimen, and upon reaching a certain threshold delamination can be completely suppressed. The method demonstrated has potential for implementation in commercial AFP machines, theoretically realising a more compact cutting mechanism, with the capability of preventing delamination in the ply drop regions.
AB - A novel tape termination method for tapering the ply end and removing the fibre discontinuity owing to a dropped ply in a tapered composite was demonstrated. The forces required for this process - referred to as scarfing - were experimentally investigated with respect to blade speed, scarfing ratio, tape thickness and width. Tensile tests were conducted on unidirectional laminate specimens with a scarfed ply at two different aspect ratios to examine the effect of scarfing ratio on the delamination behaviour of the specimens. The results showed that the ply scarfing ratio is a critical parameter controlling the cutting force and delamination behaviour in a tapered specimen, and upon reaching a certain threshold delamination can be completely suppressed. The method demonstrated has potential for implementation in commercial AFP machines, theoretically realising a more compact cutting mechanism, with the capability of preventing delamination in the ply drop regions.
KW - Prepreg
KW - Delamination
KW - Automated Fibre Placement (AFP)
KW - Cutting
U2 - 10.1016/j.compositesa.2020.106023
DO - 10.1016/j.compositesa.2020.106023
M3 - Article (Academic Journal)
SN - 1359-835X
VL - 137
JO - Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing
JF - Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing
M1 - 106023
ER -