Transient analysis and measurement of anisotropic heat conduction in transversely isotropic composite materials

This study focuses on modeling the transient and steady state temperature distribution within a unidirectional fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite laminate beam after it has been inserted into a hot platen forming appartus. In the forming procedure of interest, a room temperature sheet laminate is placed within hot platens that melt the matrix and allow the beam to be formed successfully. The heating process is dependent upon the convection conditions along the beam. The arrangement, volume fraction and individual conductivities of the matrix and fiber components of the beam determine its anisotropic thermal conductivity which, in turn, governs the heat flow. A two-dimensional steady state analytic series solution is developed for the beam/platen geometry and presented to model the heat conduction along the beam's length. In addition, two-dimensional numerical steady state and transient heat tranfer models are obtained using a finite element code. Finally, to validate these models, surface temperature measurements taken from a unidirectional laminate beam placed within the hot platens of the forming apparatus are compared to the analytic and numerical solutions.