Consolidation Modeling during Thermoforming of Thermoplastic Composite Prepregs

This article describes the modeling of the compaction/consolidation behavior of thermoplastic composite prepregs during the thermoforming process. The proposed model is principally based on a generalized Maxwell approach. Within a hyperelastic framework, viscoelasticity is introduced for the compaction mode in addition to the in-plane shearing mode by taking into account the influence of the resin and its flow during consolidation. To reveal the evolution of the consolidation level, which reflects the number of voids in the composite, an intimate contact model was used during the process. The model was characterized by a compaction test at a high temperature. It was implemented into a recently developed prismatic solid-shell finite element. The analysis of the thermoforming of a double dome demonstrated the relevance of the consolidation computation in determining the process parameters leading to a composite part free of voids.