Experimental Investigation of Laser-Assisted Thermoplastic Tape Consolidation

Abstract

An experimental investigation of a novel approach for manufacturing of thermoplastic matrix composites, is described. The technique is based on using laser energy as the focused heat source to melt the matrix material for subsequent consolidation, and appears to be particularly suited for thermoplastic filament winding operations. An experimental set up is defined to produce multi ply rings, and the feasibility of this technique is demon strated by discussing several samples that were produced using Ryton AC40-60 prepreg tapes. The quality of consolidation is examined through cross-sectional micrographs.