Effects of automated tape laying heating strategies on degree of cure

Abstract

Heating the thermoset tape to a higher temperature than is used in the conventional automated tape laying process can affect the cure cycle, void content, interlaminar shear strength and residual stresses of the final product. In this study, the effects of different heating strategies on the degree of cure in thermoset tapes were modelled. This was done for two tape laying speeds and by heating different combinations of the incoming tape, the previously laid tape and the mould. The model predicts the thermochemical profile of two different materials and is validated by experimental data from thermocouples and a pyrometer.