Effects of Tape Tension on Residual Stress in Thermoplastic Composite Filament Winding

Abstract

Thermoplastic composite filament winding is a viable technique for manufacturing composite-reinforced pressure pipes and vessels. Residual stresses developed during the filament winding process have already received much attention in the past. Unreasonable residual stresses may result in distortion, matrix cracking, and interply delaminations. A model containing four submodels is developed in a previous research work. Some methods, such as adjusting tape tensions and temperatures are found to control the residual stress profile. The residual stress profile can be adjusted to a satisfactory level, which can avoid defects and even reduce weight and save material. Adjusting the tape tension is one of the parameters that controls the residual stress in thermoplastic composite filament winding. From a practical point of view, it is easy to realize even on an industrial scale. Experiments on two materials (glass fiber–polypropylene (G–PP) and carbon fiber–poly(ether-ether-ketone) (C–PEEK)) are made by using a variety of different tape tensions. The results proved the conclusions of theoretical work and agree well with the model predictions.