Process Planning for On-Line Consolidation in Tape Winding of Noncircular Thermoplastic Composites

On-line consolidation of thermoplastic composites proved feasible to fabricate high-quality precision parts using pre-impregnated tapes as the building material and lasers as the heat source (laser-assisted tape winding LATW]). The narrow LATW operation windows for thermoplastic matrix materials of engineering interest necessitate careful process planning. Noncircular crosssection parts pose additional challenges. In this work, a general planning methodology was developed and implemented into process planning software to produce structurally sound thermoplastic composite parts with LATW. The methodology includes geometry definition, mandrel trajectory, winding speed prediction, and calculation of required laser power. Thin and thick-walled test cases were studied. Parametric studies assessed the variation of required laser power distribution vs. process parameters (mandrel rotation speed, winding speed, and part geometry). The software also assessed manufacturability with the positive, definite winding speed constraint. It was determined that the winding speed may become negative when producing high-aspect ratio (>2.0) elliptical rings on the current prototype configuration, resulting in unwinding and/or tape buckling.