Mould-free Processing and Additive Manufacturing of Fibre-reinforced Thermoplastic Composites for High Performance Applications

用于高性能应用的纤维增强热塑性复合材料的无模具加工和增材制造

• 批准号: RGPIN-2018-03801
• 负责人: Wong, Joanna
• 金额: $ 1.97万
• 依托单位: University of Calgary
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=681910
• 关键词: Mould; free; Processing; Additive; Manufacturing

Digital fabrication techniques, such as additive manufacturing (AM) processes, are expected to revolutionize the manufacturing industry by integrating computer aided design and automated manufacturing processes into a seamless procedure, thereby allowing data to be “converted” into physical objects. While there has been much excitement surrounding AM processes like fused filament fabrication, selective laser sintering, and continuous liquid interface production, there remain many processing challenges before AM techniques are capable of producing components of end-use qualities. These challenges concern limited material selection, high void contents, poor inter-layer adhesion, and restricted orientations of anisotropic materials these problems are especially apparent when AM processes are used for fibre-reinforced polymer composites (FRPC).*** This NSERC Discovery Grant proposal outlines a research program to develop mould-free and AM manufacturing processes for FRPC that will lead to high quality components for end-use. Specifically, two complementary aims are proposed which will enable the mould-free processing of continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites materials. The first approach builds upon continuous lattice fabrication, a recently developed fused filament fabrication-based technology for commingled yarns and expands its manufacturing capacity to bonded multi-filament structures. The second is a novel concept centered on the consolidation and forming of sheets and textiles between opposing compaction rollers. Methodologies for developing these two processing strategies are presented.*** This work is novel in that it fuses novel digital fabrication processes with an extensive understanding of FRPC materials such that the remarkable properties of these high performance materials are exploited fully when used in real three-dimensional structures.*** The results of this proposed research program are expected to significantly reduce the cost of fabricating geometrically complex FRPC parts and thus have a positive impact on low-volume sectors which are driven by high performance. Examples of such targeted markets include aerospace, aviation, high-end automotive, energy, medical implants, and prosthetics. The FRPC processes developed in this framework, combined with ongoing developments in digital manufacturing, will eventually enable individual customization of products, reduce the need for expensive manufacturing infrastructure, facilitate the decentralization of production, and, consequently, reduce waste and energy consumption.

数字制造技术，如增材制造（AM）工艺，有望通过将计算机辅助设计和自动化制造过程集成到无缝程序中，从而使数据“转换”为物理对象，从而彻底改变制造业。虽然围绕增材制造工艺（如熔丝制造、选择性激光烧结和连续液体界面生产）有很多令人兴奋的事情，但在增材制造技术能够生产出最终使用质量的部件之前，仍然存在许多加工挑战。这些挑战涉及有限的材料选择、高空隙含量、层间粘附性差以及各向异性材料的定向限制，当AM工艺用于纤维增强聚合物复合材料（FRPC）时，这些问题尤其明显。***该NSERC发现拨款提案概述了一项研究计划，旨在开发FRPC的无模具和AM制造工艺，从而为最终用途提供高质量的组件。具体而言，提出了两个互补的目标，以实现连续纤维增强热塑性复合材料的无模加工。第一种方法建立在连续晶格制造的基础上，这是一种最近开发的基于混合纱线的熔融长丝制造技术，并将其制造能力扩展到粘合多长丝结构。第二个是一个新颖的概念，集中在相反的压实辊之间的板和纺织品的巩固和形成。提出了开发这两种处理策略的方法。***这项工作是新颖的，因为它融合了新颖的数字制造工艺和对FRPC材料的广泛理解，使得这些高性能材料的卓越性能在真正的三维结构中得到充分利用。***这项研究计划的结果预计将显著降低制造几何复杂的FRPC零件的成本，从而对高性能驱动的小批量行业产生积极影响。此类目标市场的例子包括航空航天、航空、高端汽车、能源、医疗植入物和假肢。在此框架下开发的FRPC流程，结合数字化制造的持续发展，最终将实现产品的个性化定制，减少对昂贵的制造基础设施的需求，促进生产的分散化，从而减少浪费和能源消耗。