Dynamic finite element simulation and transient temperature field analysis in thermoplastic composite tape lay-up process

Abstract

In the lay-up process of thermoplastic composite tape, the thermal conditions have great influence on the end quality and performance of composites. In the lay-up process of thermoplastic matrix composites, a semi-infinite solid model is used to analyse the heat transfer by simulating the heating of hot gas torch. Temperature of the control volume is calculated based on the model. A dynamic finite element model is developed to obtain the transient temperature field. The birth–death element strategy in ANSYS was used to simulate the movement of lay-up head during dynamic loading and laying-up prepreg onto the composite substrate. The simulation results of using the transient heat transfer model and the finite element model were compared well. The bonding temperature increases linearly with the heater temperature and is closely related to the moving speed of the roller. The bonding temperature changed slowly when the roller moved faster.