PhD title for Jagadeesh Narayana Swamy

Jagadeesh Narayana Swamy successfully defended his PhD work entitled "Vacuum-bag-only Consolidation of Fiber-placed Thermoplastic Composite Structures - A Study on the Void Reduction Mechanisms for Unidirectional C/PEKK Materials" last week. The PhD research was performed at the TPRC in close cooperation with the Production Technology research group of Prof. Dr. ir. Remko Akkerman and Dr. ir. Wouter Grouve at the University of Twente.

Thermoplastic composites are increasingly used in the aerospace industry. Their melt-processable nature enables higher production rates, welding as joining method, and recycling through remolding. Still, the lack of cost-effective processing technologies for larger and more complex structures leads to a limited application of these materials - mainly only in small components. Vacuum-bag-only (VBO) consolidation of automated fiber placed (AFP) thermoplastic composites can be a cost-effective processing method for large and complex structures.

The PhD research of Jagadeesh introduces the integration of engineered channels in the preform to enhance air evacuation by intentionally leaving gaps between thermoplastic composite tapes. A simulation tool was developed to predict optimal channel dimensions and estimate air evacuation times. The research also addressed the challenges associated with filling gaps and ply-drop areas in AFP preforms, revealing that a pressure of 1 bar during VBO effectively filled the voids through transverse squeeze flow. The engineered channels successfully reduced void content to below 1%, meeting aerospace application standards.

The TPRC believes that Jagadeesh's work provides an essential foundation for the development of a cost-effective manufacturing route for large and complex thermoplastic composite structures.

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