An experimental approach to reproduce in-plane fiber waviness in thermoplastic composites test coupons using a reverse forming method

R.D.R. Sitohang, W.J.B. Grouve, L.L. Warnet, S. Koussios, R. Akkerman*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)
71 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

In-plane fiber waviness is one of the defects that can occur from the stamp-forming process of thermoplastic composite (TPC) parts. The influence of this defect on the mechanical performance of multidirectional composites is not yet fully understood. The main challenge in determining the influence on mechanical properties lies in reproducing the waviness in test coupons that can subsequently be subjected to testing. This paper describes an experimental approach to reproduce representative in-plane waviness defects, specific for TPC, by reverse-forming of V-shape parts of various bend angles and inner radii. Characterization results show that this method enables the manufacturing of localized in-plane waviness in flat 24-ply quasi-isotropic C/PEEK composites with no voids. Furthermore, laminates having varying levels of maximum waviness angle ((Formula presented.)), between 14° to 64°, were successfully produced in this work. By comparing the (Formula presented.) value with the examples of industrial stamp-formed parts, it can be concluded that the developed coupon manufacturing method can reproduce waviness from TPC part production reasonably well. Finally, all of the produced laminates have defective region lengths smaller than 20 mm, localized within a predefined location which makes them well suited for standard compression test coupons.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)561-574
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of composite materials
Volume56
Issue number4
Early online date14 Jul 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2022

Keywords

  • Defects
  • Stamp forming
  • Thermoplastic composites
  • Waviness
  • UT-Hybrid-D

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