A comprehensive review of characterization and simulation methods for thermo-stamping of 2D woven fabric reinforced thermoplastics

Thermo-stamping is critical for the structural application of two-dimensional (2D) woven fabric reinforced thermoplastics (WFRTPs). Reliable simulation models for thermo-stamping of 2D WFRTPs can effectively reduce the time and tooling cost caused by trial-and-error development, and thus are crucial for mature manufacturing. This article presents a survey of the literature on the characterization and simulation for thermo-stamping of WFRTPs. First, the investigations of the main deformation mechanisms of thermo-stamping and the corresponding experimental characterization methods are summarized. Then, we highlight the development of simulation models for the stamping and cooling steps, as well as the progress in the development of the continuous virtual process chain (CAE chain) for the simulations of the entire forming process and the structural performance prediction of molded parts. As the study on the stamping process becomes mature, a closed simulation optimization chain for WFRTP's thermo-stamping process has gradually been developed to reduce the overall development costs of high-performance WFRTPs.