Manufacturing simulation of the in-situ tape laying process for thermoplastic carbon fiber reinforced tapes

In-situ automatic tape laying is a lean, cost-efficient process for manufacturing of large fiber-reinforced thermoplastic parts. During this process, non-uniform heating of the material may induce residual stresses and distortions. Therefore, further processing steps such as consolidation in a hot press or autoclave is required, which result in increased manufacturing time and cost. Residual stresses and distortions can be controlled by adjusting the process parameters and altering the tool geometry. Optimal process parameters and tool geometry can be acquired by trial and error, which further increases development time and cost. Alternatively, process simulation can be used for identifying these optimal parameters, with decreased cost and effort. Creating these simulations requires both, application of complex boundary-conditions and development of proper material models, which keep track of process state variables, such as crystallinity. In this paper, the development and application of tape laying simulations for carbon fiber/PEEK thermoplastic composites at the research facility German Aerospace Center (DLR) and software company Convergent Manufacturing Technologies is explained. Simulation results are compared with experimental measurements.