Computational analysis of warpage of composite laminates

Abstract

Airborne Composites Automation recently installed an automation product line that creates flat thermoplastic laminates intended for consumer electronics industry. However, due to the composite nature of the material and the process parameters, the final product is deformed, as a result of internal residual stresses. The purpose of this thesis is to use Finite Element Analysis methods in order to build up digital twins of the composite laminates undergoing the manufacturing process composed by several pressing cycles in order to predict their final warpage. Hence, this work aims at characterizing and predicting the real cause for warpage, offering an opportunity to minimizing it. Since the parameterization of the simulations is automated, this work is a first step towards the use of data-driven methods that enable analysis and design of future laminates under different process parameters.