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Volume 9
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10.3390/machines9080143
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Article

Evaluation of a Thermal Consolidation Process for the Production of Enhanced Technical Fabrics

by
Angelos Evangelou
1,2,
Katerina Loizou
1,
Michalis Georgallas
1,
Ernestos Sarris
1,3,
Orestes Marangos
4,
Loukas Koutsokeras
5,
Stylianos Yiatros
4,
Georgios Constantinides
5,
Charalabos Doumanidis
1 and
Vassilis Drakonakis
1,3,*
1
AmaDema—Advanced Materials Design & Manufacturing Ltd., Nicosia 1027, Cyprus
2
Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Cyprus, Nicosia 2109, Cyprus
3
Department of Engineering, School of Sciences and Engineering, University of Nicosia, Nicosia 2417, Cyprus
4
Department of Civil Engineering and Geomatics, Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), Limassol 3036, Cyprus
5
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering, Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), Limassol 3036, Cyprus
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Machines 2021, 9(8), 143; https://doi.org/10.3390/machines9080143
Submission received: 27 May 2021 / Revised: 22 July 2021 / Accepted: 24 July 2021 / Published: 28 July 2021
(This article belongs to the Section Material Processing Technology)
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Abstract

Fiber reinforced composites are increasingly used in high value applications. A novel technology (NanoWeld®) enhancing the structural integrity of the interlayer has demonstrated promising results; however, manufacturing issues related to scalability need to be overcome. The developed technology relies on consolidating thermoplastic nanofiber nonwoven veils onto technical dry fabrics through roll-to-roll ultrasonic welding. The enhanced technical dry fabrics can be further processed as any other technical fabrics for the composites industry. An alternative solution for consolidation is proposed here, based on a thermo-compressive approach to address the scalability issue. A finite element model has been employed to simulate the operating conditions and provide information for optimization of the process. Its results demonstrate that consolidation is achieved rapidly, indicating that the production rate could be accelerated. The quality of enhanced technical dry fabrics produced using the proposed consolidation assembly has been evaluated using scanning electron microscopy as well as mechanical testing of fiber reinforced composites. The mechanical response of such manufactured composites has been compared against benchmark NanoWeld® composites, demonstrating superior performance.
Keywords: CFRP; interlayer enhancement; nanofabrics; fracture toughness; FEM; thermal simulation; consolidation CFRP; interlayer enhancement; nanofabrics; fracture toughness; FEM; thermal simulation; consolidation

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Evangelou, A.; Loizou, K.; Georgallas, M.; Sarris, E.; Marangos, O.; Koutsokeras, L.; Yiatros, S.; Constantinides, G.; Doumanidis, C.; Drakonakis, V. Evaluation of a Thermal Consolidation Process for the Production of Enhanced Technical Fabrics. Machines 2021, 9, 143. https://doi.org/10.3390/machines9080143

AMA Style

Evangelou A, Loizou K, Georgallas M, Sarris E, Marangos O, Koutsokeras L, Yiatros S, Constantinides G, Doumanidis C, Drakonakis V. Evaluation of a Thermal Consolidation Process for the Production of Enhanced Technical Fabrics. Machines. 2021; 9(8):143. https://doi.org/10.3390/machines9080143

Chicago/Turabian Style

Evangelou, Angelos, Katerina Loizou, Michalis Georgallas, Ernestos Sarris, Orestes Marangos, Loukas Koutsokeras, Stylianos Yiatros, Georgios Constantinides, Charalabos Doumanidis, and Vassilis Drakonakis. 2021. "Evaluation of a Thermal Consolidation Process for the Production of Enhanced Technical Fabrics" Machines 9, no. 8: 143. https://doi.org/10.3390/machines9080143

APA Style

Evangelou, A., Loizou, K., Georgallas, M., Sarris, E., Marangos, O., Koutsokeras, L., Yiatros, S., Constantinides, G., Doumanidis, C., & Drakonakis, V. (2021). Evaluation of a Thermal Consolidation Process for the Production of Enhanced Technical Fabrics. Machines, 9(8), 143. https://doi.org/10.3390/machines9080143

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