Automated Fiber Placement Based Manufacturing of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Sandwich Helicopter Sideshells

Robot based Automated Fiber Placement is one of the most promising manufacturing technologies for the highly automated production of complex parts that involve carbon fiber reinforced plastics. A possible new application in the aerospace field are shell parts that contain sandwich areas. Their complex geometry poses specific challenges. Different approaches for path planning were evaluated based on criteria such as angular deviation, fiber steering and surface cover ratio. We developed a trajectory generation method, which allows flexible, local adjustments. Machine parameters were optimized experimentally in order to minimize characteristic layup imperfections on ramps. The derived machine configuration was used for the manufacturing of one feasibility part, alongside the developed process chain was validated. The results provide the manufacturing engineering solution and the experimental proof of concept for AFP-based production of sideshells for the RACER highspeed helicopter demonstrator. The proposed reference curve generation methodology might also be beneficial for other complex part geometries.