An Overview of Recent Research Works on the Forming of Thermoplastic Composite Sheets

Abstract

Recently, the forming of thermoplastic composite (TPC) sheets has been receiving the attention of researchers. Woven fabric TPCs have been successfully utilized in automotive, aerospace and defense industries, due to their high formability and strength. Hence, to optimize the forming process, it is essential to understand the mechanical behavior of the woven fabric and accordingly, various appropriate numerical methods are developed. A reliable simulation tool for forming is needed to obtain the optimum processing parameters, in which parts can be formed without defects, such as wrinkles. This paper explores the experimental, numerical and theoretical works conducted by many researchers to investigate the formability of TPC sheets.