Effect of material characteristics on the layup quality of the Continuous Multi-Tow Shearing (CMTS) process

Evangelos Zympleoudis, Kevin Potter, Paul M. Weaver, Byung Chul Kim

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

The aerospace industry has pioneered the use of automated material placement machines, which excel in placing fibres in straight lines on large-scale moulds. Nonetheless, their ability to produce curved paths, which are required for complex doubly curved shapes and more efficient load distribution, is extremely limited. In order to overcome this limitation, the Continuous Multi-Tow Shearing (CMTS) process was developed, where in-plane shear deformation is employed in order to steer the tow path. The CMTS utilises unidirectional (UD) carbon fabric with multiple tows in the form of a tape. In this paper two different materials were tested with a CMTS prototype head and a qualitative analysis was performed in order to give insight into the effect of material parameters on the quality that can be achieved with the process.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationECCM 2016 - Proceeding of the 17th European Conference on Composite Materials
PublisherEuropean Conference on Composite Materials, ECCM
ISBN (Electronic)9783000533877
Publication statusPublished - 2016
Externally publishedYes
Event17th European Conference on Composite Materials, ECCM 2016 - Munich, Germany
Duration: 26 Jun 201630 Jun 2016

Publication series

NameECCM 2016 - Proceeding of the 17th European Conference on Composite Materials

Conference

Conference17th European Conference on Composite Materials, ECCM 2016
Country/TerritoryGermany
CityMunich
Period26/06/1630/06/16

Keywords

  • Automation
  • Continuous Multi-Tow Shearing (CMTS)
  • Fibre placement
  • Tow steering

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