Thermal Analysis of Continuous Filament-Wound Composites

Abstract

A transient thermal model for the continuous filament winding process using an infrared energy source has been transformed into a quasi-steady problem by working in a Eulerian reference frame. The model has been subdivided into two regimes. A one-dimensional, Cartesian coordinate, heat transfer analysis of the tape regime is coupled with a three-dimensional, cylindrical coordinate, heat transfer analysis of the composite substrate in the mandrel regime. Together, the temperature distribution of the filament winding process is predicted as a function of the power of the infrared energy source, location of the infrared spot, infrared spot size, mandrel rotational speed, and material properties. The temperature distribution determined in the numerical analysis is then compared with temperatures measured with an infrared camera attached to a small-scale filament winding apparatus. While the infrared camera cannot determine temperatures within the composite, a measure of the accuracy of the thermal model can be obtained by comparing surface temperatures predicted by the model to experimental temperatures. The results suggest that varying the position of the lamp, changing the winding speed, or modifying the power output of the lamp can have a major impact on the temperature distribution throughout the composite during winding and consolidation.