Investigation of the influences of AFP process parameters on the crystallinity and mechanical properties of LM-PAEK composites

AFP (Automated Fiber Placement) is a composite material manufacturing process that allows parts to be manufactured in an automated way. It consists of depositing tows or tapes of composite material with an AFP head (mounted on a robotic arm or on a gantry or column type structure) that applies pressure and temperature, and that moves at a specific speed. Until now, AFP technology has been widely used in the aeronautical industry to manufacture large parts, such as wings or fuselages, mainly using thermosetting matrix composite materials. In recent years, the aeronautical industry has begun to investigate the use of thermoplastic matrix composite materials, since their properties allow for shorter manufacturing processes, taking advantage of their reprocessing properties. Currently, one of the main research goals on the processing of thermoplastic materials with AFP is the In-Situ Consolidation (ISC), which allows to manufacture the piece and consolidate the material at the same moment of its deposition, resulting in the part being finalized at the end of its lay-up, avoiding the need to perform an autoclave cycle. In this work, ISC manufacturing with AFP of LM-PAEK tapes is studied, trying to optimize the quality of the composite specimens by understanding the relationship between the manufacturing parameters, crystallinity, and the obtained mechanical properties