Placement suitability analysis of automated fiber placement on curved surfaces considering the influence of prepreg tow, roller and AFP machine

Abstract Automated fiber placement (AFP) is an important process used for fabrication of composite structures. Path planning is one of the important steps in the process of AFP. The rationality of the path is directly related to the quality of the composites component. However, the generation of the placement path is constrained by a variety of factors, including geometry characteristics of curved surface, prepreg tow deformation performance, compaction roller deformation characteristics and capabilities of AFP machine. Unreasonable planning parameters selection will lead to local placement path failure or even entire path planning failure. Thus, this paper deals with making some necessary analysis about the placement suitability before path planning and then selecting the appropriate parameters, including the tow width series, compaction roller specifications and AFP machine type. The selection of suitable planning parameters can reduce the unreasonable risk of path planning and then improve the efficiency of path planning.