Forming of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite tubes - Experimental and numerical approaches

Continuous-reinforced thermoplastic composites are of growing importance for series production of lightweight components in manifold industrial areas. Novel manufacturing technologies allow the production of hollow semi-finished products that are post formed to enhance functionality. To maximize efficiency in the development process of such components it is necessary to evaluate the forming processes numerically using Finite Elements (FE)-methods. The aim is to perform feasibility studies at an early stage, reduce development time by virtual process optimization and to generate a detailed understanding of the post formed fiber architecture for further structural-mechanical analysis.