Effect of gap defects on in-situ AFP-manufactured structures

Abstract

The laser-assisted Automated Fibre Placement (AFP) process has great potential to reduce cycle times for large-scale primary aircraft structures by means of in-situ consolidation. Single- and double-curved structures, such as an aircraft fuselage, require advanced layup strategies and careful evaluation of resulting gap or overlap defects. The work presented in this paper examines the impact of gap defects on tensile and compression strength of AFPmanufactured laminates using in-situ consolidation. Two laminates with gap defects and one reference laminate without defects were manufactured. Computed Tomography scans and microsections were generated to determine resulting defects and porosity in the gap areas. Tensile and compression test samples were prepared and tested. Tensile test results remained at the same level for all configurations. Compression strength decreased for the specimens with gap defects.