On the properties evolution of engineered surfaces of thin reinforced thermoplastic tapes during consolidation

Advanced thermoplastic composite materials look to add functional properties to the mechanical ones, the latter usually ensured by the continuous fibers involved in the composite preforms. For that purpose the use of reinforced thermoplastic resins are being considered. These resins usually integrate manometric particles, with a variety of shapes (rods, spheres, discs, ...) with enhanced functional properties, ensuring for example the increase of thermal or electrical conductivities. However, even when considering adequate particles distribution and orientation in the preforms, forming processes induced properties cannot be ignored and they are particuarly critical at the ply interfaces level, where the degree of intimate contact must be maximized while ensuring equivalent functional properties to the ones existing in the bulk. One possibility for maximizing the intimate contact and at the same time controlling the induced functional anisotropy consists of designing engineered surfaces consolidated by the combined action of temperature and pressure. The combined effect results in a microscopic flow that induces at its turn the evolution of the position and orientation of the particles, and consequently the evolution of the associated properties, e.g. thermal and electrical conductivities. In the present work we address a simplified modeling framework of the functional properties evolution during the consolidation of unidirectional tapes. It combines the squeeze flow modeling, the flow induced microstructural anisotropy and its impact on the thermal and electrical conductivities.