| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2024 ASC Technical Conference, US-Japan Joint Symposium, D30 Meeting
|
| Symposium
|
2024 ASC Technical Conference, US-Japan Joint Symposium, D30 Meeting
|
| Presentation Title |
Additively Manufactured Composites: Pioneering Customisable Tow-Preg Filaments to Deliver Tailored Material Properties |
| Author(s) |
Mathew Joosten |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Mathew Joosten |
| Abstract Scope |
Additively manufactured (AM) composites allow designers to precisely place fibre reinforcement along specific trajectories, which facilitates the manufacture of structures that are stiffer than equivalent structures fabricated using a quasi-isotropic lay-up. AM composites are typically fabricated using tow-preg filaments which consist of long continuous fibre encapsulated in a polymer matrix, generally a thermoplastic. Such filaments are limited by their low fibre-volume fraction and scarcity of suppliers, which restricts the potential application of AM composites, particularly in high-performance applications.
An apparatus has been developed at Deakin University that can process the raw materials, namely, a dry fibre tow and a polymer matrix, to produce a continuous fibre tow-preg filament. The processing speed is a critical factor in achieving high fibre volume-fraction tow-preg filaments. Fibre volume fractions ranging from 30-60% have been produced in our laboratory. The novelty of this research lies in the precise control over processing parameters to customise the material properties of continuous fibre-reinforced tow-preg filaments. While the present work has focussed on producing carbon-fibre reinforced tow-preg filaments, the apparatus is sufficiently flexible to allow a range of fibre types and matrix materials to be processed. This research represents a significant step towards the development of the next generation of composite materials and will pave the way for the broader adoption of AM composites. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Definite: Post-meeting proceedings |