A novel equivalent laminated model for thermoplastic fabric prepreg and its application in fast hot stamping simulation

Fast hot stamping of carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite(CFRTP) constitutes a vital process for achieving cost-effective and efficient forming. However, the complex thermomechanical deformation experienced by CFRTP during the hot stamping process presents considerable challenges in controlling the forming quality, which in turn limits the development and application of CFRTP. In this study, we comprehensively investigate the temperature-dependent deformation behavior of a typical fabric-reinforced thermoplastic prepreg. We propose an innovative laminated modeling method tailored for the prepreg that effectively takes into account the mutual influence of fabric and matrix deformation through the interface layer. Utilizing reverse optimization techniques, we successfully identify the parameters of the proposed model. Finally, we apply our model to the hot stamping simulation of a typical hemispherical part, validating its reliability. The results clearly indicate that our model achieves superior prediction accuracy compared to traditional models across a wide temperature range, maintaining a shear angle prediction error of less than 5 %.