MODELING TOW BUCKLING BEHAVIORS IN AUTOMATED FIBER PLACEMENT PROCESSES

Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) is a key technology in aerospace manufacturing, enabling efficient production of complex composite structures. A major challenge lies in tow steering, where tack behavior of uncured prepregs strongly influences defect formation, such as wrinkling. This thesis explores a physics-based tow steering model that incorporates tack behavior through cohesive zone formulations. An analytical solution is discussed, interface properties are characterized in Abaqus, and a tow bending model is constructed to capture how tack affects stress transfer and bending response. By integrating tow steering mechanics with tack behavior, this work enhances predictive modeling of AFP, offering insights into defect mechanisms and providing a framework for optimizing tow paths and process parameters in composite aircraft structures.