Dataset with press forming results of unidirectional thermoplastic composite laminates including in-plane deformation data for validation of forming simulations

Abstract

Truncated hemisphere parts were press formed with two commercially available unidirectional thermoplastic composite materials, namely Toray TC1225 and Solvay APC. The width and layup of the laminates were varied to influence the wrinkling severity, to trigger various deformation mechanisms and to influence the amount of in-plane deformation. A total of eight layup/width combinations were selected and formed in triplicate for both materials, resulting in the analysis of 48 parts in total. The wrinkling defects are clearly observed due to an intentional gap between the forming tools at the end of forming. Further, a dot pattern with a resolution of 3 mm was applied to the laminates prior to forming using a photoresist mask, sandblasting and heat resistant spray paint. The locations of the dots before and after forming were measured using photogrammetry and are provided in the dataset as a triangular mesh including a precision metric. Matlab functions, bundled with this dataset, allow for the reproduction of the deformation calculations and averages. Lastly, a Matlab App (GUI) is provided for easy visualization of the data. This dataset can serve as a reference for validation of composite forming simulations.

Keywords

• Carbon fiber
• Manufacturing
• Experiment
• Photogrammetry
• Wrinkling