Document Type
Article
Edition
Special Issue—Advanced Thermoplastic Polymers and Composites
Editor
Somen K. Bhudolia
Sunil Chandrakant Joshi
Publication Title
Polymers
Publisher
MDPI
Rights and Access Note
© 2022 The Authors
Publication Date
5-4-2022
First Page
1877
Issue Number
9
Volume Number
14
Abstract/ Summary
An improved simulation-based thermoforming design process based on the integration of material characterization and as-formed structural analysis is proposed. The tendency of thermoplastic composites to wrinkle during forming has made simulation critical to optimized manufacturing, but the material models required are complex and time consuming to create. A suite of experimental methods has been developed for measurement of several required properties of the molten thermoplastic composite. These methods have the potential to enhance thermoplastic composites manufacturing by simplifying and expediting the process. These material properties have been verified by application to thermomechanical forming predictions using commercial simulation software. The forming predictions showed improved agreement with experimental results compared to those using representative material properties. A tool for using thermoforming simulations to inform more accurate structural models has been tested on a simple case study, and produced results that clearly differ from those of models using idealized fiber orientations and thicknesses. This provides evidence that this type of as-formed analysis may be necessary in some cases, and may be further investigated as an open source alternative to commercial analysis software.
Repository Citation
Bean, Philip M.; Lopez-Anido, Roberto A.; and Vel, Senthil, "Integration of Material Characterization, Thermoforming Simulation, and As-Formed Structural Analysis for Thermoplastic Composites" (2022). Civil Engineering Faculty Scholarship. 6.
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cie_facpub/6
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Bean P, Lopez-Anido RA, Vel S. Integration of Material Characterization, Thermoforming Simulation, and As-Formed Structural Analysis for Thermoplastic Composites. Polymers. 2022; 14(9):1877. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14091877
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14091877
Version
publisher's version of the published document
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Rights Statement
