Innovative Methods for Thermoplastic Composites on ATL/AFP

With the increasing use of composites in aerospace structures, the need to reduce cycle times and recurring costs while maintaining part quality is essential to any competitive manufacturing process. Thermoplastics composites (TPC) have potential performance, storage and shelf life advantages over traditional thermoset composites.  Material deposition and methods such as Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) and Automated Tape Layup (ATL) offer the potential for reduced recurring costs and cycle time improvements if deposition rates can be improved with in-situ consolidation resulting in autoclave like quality levels.  To achieve significant improvements in deposition rates (Kg/min) while maintaining part quality, Convergent Manufacturing Technologies-US (CMT-US) proposes to extend development of AFP-TPC simulation tools, workflows, and the necessary associated materials and process characterizations developed in Phase I.  The approach uses physics-based, in-situ consolidation and characterized crystallization/melt kinetics models along with detailed thermal profiling of transients for the assessment of weld quality and process induced deformation (PID).  Both a high fidelity, computationally expensive COMPRO/Abaqus and a lower fidelity, fast running Fast App with sensitivity, variation, and optimization analysis methodologies using machine learning techniques (such as Gaussian process regression) will be matured.  A significant characterization effort is proposed through a collaborative subcontract with the University of Washington & their Boeing affiliated Advanced Composites Center facility along with coordinating efforts with equipment suppliers and aerospace OEMs to identify desired simulation features & capabilities as well as proposed new AFP technologies & equipment to be evaluated in order to meet high rate, high quality industry needs.