A combined finite element - Life cycle assessment approach for assessing the sustainability of the thermoforming process of a thermoplastic composite component

Nowadays, thermoplastic-based composite materials are catching up in many industrial sectors due to their unique features, especially their recyclability, their lower requirements regarding their storage and the fact that may be heated-up and formed into a definitive product. To this end, the thermoforming process appears to be an appealing fabrication process. However, throughout this process, a number of defects may be introduced that can affect the morphology and structural performance of the product. Until recently, the definition of the optimal process characteristics was based on trial-and-error experimental tests that increased the resources required for its development. In addition, a significant part of the thermoplastic composite plate has to be removed/wasted after the thermoforming process. In this work, a well-established numerical methodology is applied to an industrial thermoplastic composite component. After considering an initial thermoplastic composite plate, the effect of the reduction of the overall dimensions, without compromising the product quality, on the environmental footprint is considered. To perform this task, a finite element (FE) simulation is utilized for assessing the possibility to reduce the plate dimensions without introducing defects while, in parallel, a life cycle assessment (LCA) is put into practice. Through the synergy between the 2 disciplines, useful insights are provided regarding the effectiveness of the fabrication process by defining the composite plate dimensions that contributes to the amelioration of the environmental footprint with the minimum expense on the component quality.