New publication on the origins of fiber waviness during C/PEEK laminate consolidation
The formation of waviness during C/PEEK laminate consolidation was observed in-situ and is presented in this paper.
Check out our latest publication by Erik Krämer on the origins of fiber waviness during C/PEEK laminate consolidation. Together with the University of Twente, we are working hard on the development of predictive process models to allow defect-free manufacturing of thermoplastic composite parts and structures.
Defects such as fiber waviness can occur during the consolidation of thermoplastic composite laminates. In this paper a setup for the observation of waviness formation during flat laminate consolidation is presented. This setup allowed for identification of the waviness formation mechanisms. For C/PEEK unidirectional composites, it was observed that waviness forms during cooling between the maximum process temperature and the crystallization temperature. The results show that a higher processing temperature leads to waviness with a larger misalignment angle. The driving force for waviness formation in flat laminate consolidation was determined to be tool shrinkage transferred to the laminate via tool-ply friction.
