Trajectory generation for open-contoured structures in robotic fibre placement

Abstract

Composites have become common engineering materials in industries where the strength to weight performance of structures is a key design consideration. The major limiting factors are the high-manufacturing costs and low-production rates. Robotic fibre placement (RFP) is one alternative process to overcome the limiting factors and it is generally suitable for open-continuous components. A novel path planning algorithm for open-contoured structures, entitled the surface curve algorithm for robotic fibre placement (SCAR) is proposed. The algorithm aims to produce a uniform lay-up of composite lamina, without gap and overlap between subsequent tows. A numerical investigation into the characteris..