Development of discontinuous fibre preforming processes

Discontinuous fibre composites are under increasing investigation for structural and semi-structural components as they are easily automated, making it possible to remove costly hand labour based steps typically associated with advanced fibre reinforced composites. Directed fibre preforming (DFP) is...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Patel, Critesh
Format: Thesis (University of Nottingham only)
Language:English
Published: 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/13799/
_version_ 1848791810024931328
author Patel, Critesh
author_facet Patel, Critesh
author_sort Patel, Critesh
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Discontinuous fibre composites are under increasing investigation for structural and semi-structural components as they are easily automated, making it possible to remove costly hand labour based steps typically associated with advanced fibre reinforced composites. Directed fibre preforming (DFP) is one possible process which has several advantages when compared with competing techniques. Low material and process costs coupled with short cycle times means the process is suited to medium volume production (typically <10,000 ppa). Predicting mechanical performance remains a major obstacle to industrial adoption however, due to the stochastic nature of fibre distribution. This is of particular importance for structural applications where minimum property requirements and a greater certainty of performance must be achieved. This thesis employs a stochastic macroscale modelling approach to predict fibre locations during the reinforcement deposition stage. This is achieved through process characterisation studying the effects of key microstructural and process-specific parameters on fibre distribution and orientation. The proposed DFP simulation software can generate realistic fibre networks for complex three-dimensional component geometries providing feedback on preform quality. This information is used to optimise the preform structure via process input parameters such as robot trajectory and material properties with validation tests conducted to assess model accuracy. An interface between the simulation software and commercial finite element code facilitates mechanical property analysis for full-scale components using realistic load cases. The complete software package is intended to streamline the route to manufacture for DFP processes from a conceptual design stage.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T18:34:25Z
format Thesis (University of Nottingham only)
id nottingham-13799
institution University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
institution_category Local University
language English
last_indexed 2025-11-14T18:34:25Z
publishDate 2013
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling nottingham-137992025-02-28T11:27:05Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/13799/ Development of discontinuous fibre preforming processes Patel, Critesh Discontinuous fibre composites are under increasing investigation for structural and semi-structural components as they are easily automated, making it possible to remove costly hand labour based steps typically associated with advanced fibre reinforced composites. Directed fibre preforming (DFP) is one possible process which has several advantages when compared with competing techniques. Low material and process costs coupled with short cycle times means the process is suited to medium volume production (typically <10,000 ppa). Predicting mechanical performance remains a major obstacle to industrial adoption however, due to the stochastic nature of fibre distribution. This is of particular importance for structural applications where minimum property requirements and a greater certainty of performance must be achieved. This thesis employs a stochastic macroscale modelling approach to predict fibre locations during the reinforcement deposition stage. This is achieved through process characterisation studying the effects of key microstructural and process-specific parameters on fibre distribution and orientation. The proposed DFP simulation software can generate realistic fibre networks for complex three-dimensional component geometries providing feedback on preform quality. This information is used to optimise the preform structure via process input parameters such as robot trajectory and material properties with validation tests conducted to assess model accuracy. An interface between the simulation software and commercial finite element code facilitates mechanical property analysis for full-scale components using realistic load cases. The complete software package is intended to streamline the route to manufacture for DFP processes from a conceptual design stage. 2013-12-13 Thesis (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en arr https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/13799/1/Development_of_Discontinuous_Fibre_Preforming_Processes_-_C_Patel.pdf Patel, Critesh (2013) Development of discontinuous fibre preforming processes. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham. Composite Carbon Automation Modelling Discontinuous fibre Preforming
spellingShingle Composite
Carbon
Automation
Modelling
Discontinuous fibre
Preforming
Patel, Critesh
Development of discontinuous fibre preforming processes
title Development of discontinuous fibre preforming processes
title_full Development of discontinuous fibre preforming processes
title_fullStr Development of discontinuous fibre preforming processes
title_full_unstemmed Development of discontinuous fibre preforming processes
title_short Development of discontinuous fibre preforming processes
title_sort development of discontinuous fibre preforming processes
topic Composite
Carbon
Automation
Modelling
Discontinuous fibre
Preforming
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/13799/