Design and manufacturing of an L-shaped thermoplastic composite beam by braid-trusion

Braid-trusion is a manufacturing process for composite materials in which a braiding machine is coupled with a pultrusion die to continuously produce beams with constant cross-section and off-axis fiber orientation. This study presents a geometrical model of the tri-axial braid which allows the design of braided preforms that achieve correct filling of the pultrusion die at the same time as it limits fiber friction on die walls. The typic design parameters are listed and used for the manufacturing of a braid-truded thermoplastic composite beam where fibers are aligned at ±69° as well as 0° with respect to the beam axis. Tensile mechanical characterization and cross-section observations are also presented.