Optical process model for laser-assisted tape winding

The present work is part of the EU-funded ambliFibre project in which a model-based on-line monitoring solution is being developed for the laser assisted tape winding (LATW) process of tubular fibre reinforced thermoplastic composite parts. Within this framework, an optical process simulation tool is developed using a ray tracing approach. A non-specular reflection model is implemented to model the anisotropic reflective behaviour of fibre-reinforced materials, using a bidirectional reflectance distribution function. The optical model is then coupled with a thermal model to predict the temperature distribution in the incoming tape and substrate during the LATW process. The proposed optical-thermal process model creates a link between the optical process parameters and the temperature evolution at the nip-point. Several optical parameters are investigated and it is found that the curvature and fibre orientation of the substrate are the most critical parameters that a ffect the nip-point temperature. The developed model is found to be relatively fast, yielding accurate results in a few seconds.