Numerical and experimental study of the consolidation of continuous carbon fiber thermoplastics made by robotic 3D printing

The 3D printing of continuous carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastics can widen their applications and allow the construction, on the fly, of complex composite parts. In this work, we model the consolidation of tapes through deformation and resin flow during robotic 3D printing of continuous carbon fiber low-melt poly aryl ether ketone (CF-LM PAEK) thermoplastics. Unidirectional tensile specimens per ASTM D3039-17 with a modified thickness (three tapes and two layers) are fabricated. The modeling effort of the squeeze flow involved in the process uses the anisotropic fluid model known as the Ericksen flow model. The proper generalized decomposition is used to simulate the tows deformation and the fluid flow while using an in-plane-out-of-plane decomposition. The modeling is validated with cross-section microscopy of the 3D printed specimen. Cross-ply and staggered tape deposition are explored as well.