Modeling Methods for Process Induced Distortions of CFRP-Parts produced in the Prepreg-Autoclave-Process

Process induced distortions are a challenge in the production of high-performance components made of carbon fiber reinforced plastics. In order to prevent the distortions, a prediction is of great utility. For components manufactured in the prepreg autoclave process, which is often used in the aerospace industry, prediction methods are investigated within this work.
First, the state of the art is discussed and, based on this, two promising approaches are identified, which are further investigated and implemented: A rapid simulation approach and a complex one, which requires more effort but allows further investigations of the distortions. For the latter approach, new material models and rules of mixture are developed that take into account modern material architectures with interleaf layers. Using these material models, the observed material behavior can be represented more accurately than with material models from the literature.
The results obtained by both approaches are compared with experimental results. A good agreement can be shown between the measurements and the simulation.