Thermoplastic composite penetration in the aerospace structures

Abstract

FIDAMC(Fundación para la Investigación, Desarrollo y Aplicación de Materiales Compuestos) ,  has been investigating different technologies, under the frame of several research projects funded by Clean Sky initiatives and Spanish governmental entities, in order to demonstrate that  thermoplastic can be directly manufactured via automation without autoclave consolidation and the full integration of the structure by co-consolidation method fusing together the skin and stringers in only one melting step. Our Center is currently involved in an interesting project with a complete manufacturing solution of a thermoplastic wing skin using Automatic Fiber Placement (AFP) with assisted laser system as heating source techniques. This new Out-of-Autoclave procedure will be validated with ground/flying tests in 2020. This paper provides an overview of several research projects aimed to develop the automated lamination and in-situ co-consolidation technology and includes a review of automated methods to lay up PEEK prepreg from the first AFP head, in cooperation  with the Spanish supplier MTORRES and installed six years ago in FIDAMC, the evolution of this machine and the up-to-the minute configuration of new Multi-tows head to produce the feasibility demonstrator panel with co-consolidated "T" shaped stringers and scale up the methods to the final stiffened wing panel to incorporate in Clean Sky 2 as Flight test Bed developed by Airbus.