Experimental analysis of the compaction behavior of thermoset prepreg tapes during automated fiber placement

Compaction is a key characteristic of prepreg lay-up realized during deposition and through additional vacuum debulking steps. The necessity and frequency of debulking is often based on trial and error, unquantified experience or manufacturing specifications of manual lay-up. Automated lay-up offers potential to improve compaction during deposition allowing a minimization of additional debulking steps. In this study Automated Fiber Placement process parameters and debulking frequency were varied with regard to their influence on laminate compaction, that was measured using a 3D triangulation scanner. The results were evaluated with a linear regression model. Dominating effects were found for process temperature and debulking frequency. Interdependencies between many parameters display the complexity of the overall process and its analysis. It is shown that a replacement of a major part of the compaction effect of debulking is possible with an adjustment of Automated Fiber Placement process parameters for the given setup. Future studies have to extend this research to complex geometries and investigate the influence of the analysed uncured laminate compaction on final laminate quality after autoclave curing.