Abstract
The present study proposes a new fabrication method of carbon fiber reinforced thermos-plastic (CFRTP) laminates with curvilinear fiber shapes. Preforms with curved fibers are fabricated by using a tailored fiber placement (TFP) machine which is an application of embroidering technique and enables us to change the fiber orientation angles continuously during placement process. In the manufacturing process, carbon fibers are first fasted with stiches on a thin thermoplastic sheet by the TFP machine in the arbitral shape. Then, the sheet is impregnated into preforms by a hot press molding. Observation of cross sectional areas and fracture surfaces of test specimens by a microscope and SEM reveals that the thermoplastic resin materials are impregnated well into the carbon fibers. Measured and calculated vibration characteristics agree well for the plates with quadratic fibers as well as unidirectional reinforcing fibers.
