Sensitivity Analysis for the Manufacturing of Thermoplastic e-Preforms for Active Textile Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites

Active fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites offer a high application potential for lightweight structures capable for series production. By the integration of functional components like material-embedded piezoceramic actuators or sensors the structural behaviour becomes actively controllable and manipulable. Currently, a wide application of such adaptive structures is mainly restricted by the lack of robust manufacture technologies. Therefore, these investigations are performed to develop and realise a novel robust and efficient manufacture process capable for series production. This process bases on a material and actuator adapted hot pressing technique. In this context, special regard is given to the sub process e-preforming. There a thermoplastic film is assembled with thermoplastic compatible piezoceramic modules and the necessary conductive paths. By the development of a special e-preforming unit and the corresponding parameter investigations an adapted manufacture of so called e-preforms can be realised.