Tack for thermoset-impregnated carbon fibers - TackTIC

Responsible: Fix, J.

For the manufacture of large-area, high-strength fiber-reinforced structural components using automated placement processes such as Automated Fiber Placement (AFP), the tack of prepregs is the critical material property for stable process control and the resulting laminate quality. In industrial production, the adjustment of prepreg tack currently relies primarily on empirical knowledge and a heuristic trial-and-error approach. This is typically done without accounting for environmental influences and the properties of the processed material, meaning that the underlying mechanisms and complex interdependencies related to prepreg tack remain poorly understood. The goal of the DFG-funded research grant “TackTIC” is therefore to establish a fundamental understanding—which has not yet existed—of the influences and mechanisms governing the tack of prepreg carbon fiber semi-finished products and to develop a model for it. The material model to be developed will, for the first time, enable an estimation of the resulting adhesive behavior based on chemical composition and the material-inherent properties determined by it, as well as on process parameters and manufacturing-related environmental influences.