Abstract
Flashlamp systems introduce pulsed and broadband heating to automated tape placement (ATP) offering greater control and optimisation potential. A thorough understanding of the role of operation parameters on the process is necessary to unlock these capabilities. A 2D finite element model of the heat conduction, able to analyse the temperature field evolution in the time scales of short high-energy pulses, was developed and combined with ray tracing analysis in this work. The model was validated against experimental data from ATP trials of AS4/PEEK composites. Parametric studies showed that pulse duration and frequency influence significantly both the surface and bulk temperature profiles. Longer pulses lead to higher irradiation temperatures, whilst the profiles converge to the behaviour of a continuous source of equivalent power at high frequency. The versatility of flashlamp heating enhances the processing envelope through expanding the feasible combinations of maximum temperature and depth of penetration achievable in ATP processing.
Highlights
Automated tape placement (ATP) is an additive manufacturing method which opens the way for the production of large composite parts in a single-step process
A predictive modelling methodology of ATP under flashlamp heating was presented in this study, enabling the investigation of the operation parameters role on the transient temperature field
The model predictions revealed trends not possible to capture experimentally, due to the short timings involved, highlighting the need for process design based on heat transfer modelling
Summary
Automated tape placement (ATP) is an additive manufacturing method which opens the way for the production of large composite parts in a single-step process. The in-situ consoli dation capability of the process has not been fully utilised due to the challenges of meeting both quality and production criteria. The basic principle of ATP processing of thermoplastics is the deposition of layers of fibre-reinforced tapes by a moving placement head onto a tool. Crystallinity levels, void content and potential occurrence of thermal degradation depend strongly on the temperature history throughout the process [3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]. The short timings involved in the placement process and the fact that the bonding zone is out of sight for part of the process make the monitoring and control of ATP challenging
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