Numerical Analysis of Deep Drawing Process for Thermoplastic Composite Laminates

Abstract

A numerical analysis including flow, heat transfer and residual stress is developed to simulate the deep drawing process of composite laminates with woven fabric microstructures. The governing equations and material properties of thermoplastic composites at the forming temperature are obtained by the homogenization method based on the assumption of instantaneously rigid solid fibers suspended in a viscous non-Newtonian polymer melt. The processing rheology of the composites is characterized by a power-law constitutive model for this anisotropic, non-isothermal and shear thinning fluid. To simulate the thermoforming and cooling stages of the entire forming process, the three-dimensional finite element method incorporating a fiber orientation model of woven-fabric microstructures is developed. This global-local numerical methodology is capable of predicting macroscopic and microscopic deformation mechanics during the thermoforming process. As an illustration, a comparison between the fiber orientation prediction and experimental data for a deep drawn cup is presented.