Automation and high speed forming of thin layer composite materials

Jake Reeves, Mississippi State University

Abstract

The future of aerospace has long been dedicated to making airplanes more lightweight and faster than ever before. Automation is essential to achieve these goals while maintaining a standard of consistency and quality. The overall goal of this research is to develop an automated piece of equipment that can effectively laminate a contoured composite layup at a rapid pace in order to compete with alternative options. In this study, the equipment and its components were designed and first evaluated through computational modeling and simulation. Then a prototype of the developed equipment was built for experimental testing and validating. The manufactured equipment was applied to form laminate sheets with different contours, ramp rates, and thicknesses. The forming speed and quality of the formed laminate sheets were assessed to validate the developed equipment.