Joule heating of carbon fibre tapes – A low-cost approach for automated dry fibre deposition

Lu, Shimin; Song, Peihao; Harper, Lee; Turner, Thomas

Abstract

Joule heating is potentially a low-cost option for activating the binder on the surface of carbon fibre tapes during automated dry fibre placement (ADFP). In this paper, the electrical contact resistance between a carbon fibre tape and cylindrical electrodes is characterised experimentally using a tabletop rig to replicate the process conditions encountered during ADFP. This rig is used to study a range of wrap angles, fibre tensions and temperatures to inform the design of a Joule heating setup for a lab-scale ADFP fibre deposition rig. A validated model has been developed to predict the tape temperature at the nip point for different current inputs and deposition velocities. Increasing both fibre tension and wrap angle are found to reduce contact resistance and increase heating efficiency. A nip point temperature of 200 °C can be achieved by Joule heating for a single carbon fibre tape at a deposition velocity of 100 mm/s, using a power of 110 W. This equates to a 17% reduction in energy compared to laser heating.

Citation

Lu, S., Song, P., Harper, L., & Turner, T. (2024). Joule heating of carbon fibre tapes – A low-cost approach for automated dry fibre deposition. Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 187, Article 108498. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesa.2024.108498

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 28, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Oct 7, 2024
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2024
• Deposit Date: Oct 5, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 28, 2024
• Journal: Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing
• Print ISSN: 1359-835X
• Electronic ISSN: 1878-5840
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 187
• Article Number: 108498
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesa.2024.108498
• Keywords: Dry tape, electrical contact resistance, Joule heating, automated fibre placement (AFP)
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/40291265
• Additional Information: This article is maintained by: Elsevier; Article Title: Joule heating of carbon fibre tapes – A low-cost approach for automated dry fibre deposition; Journal Title: Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing; CrossRef DOI link to publisher maintained version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesa.2024.108498; Content Type: article; Copyright: © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.