Modeling of heat transfer and crystallization in thermoplastic composite tape placement process

The crystallization behavior of thermoplastic composites during the tape placement process has been analyzed. A heat transfer analysis has been carried out using a finite element method. The heat transfer analysis is coupled with a crystallization kinetics model to predict the resulting morphology. In order to determine the heat intensity that could be applied to the laminate, a degradation kinetics model is added. The degradation kinetics model thus provides an upper bound for the heat input. The models relate the process parameters (e.g., roller velocity, roller pressure, heat input) to temperature and crystallinity distributions and degradation weight loss. These models are incorporated into a computer code to generate numerical results. By using this code, process conditions which are favorable to consolidation and also likely to produce optimum crystallinity levels are identified.