Improved interfacial shear strength of thermoplastic composites through temperature-controllable filament winding

In-situ consolidation of thermoplastic composites is one advanced high-efficiency and high-quality technique. However, non-uniform interfacial temperature easily leads to the incomplete melting of resin and hence deteriorates the interlaminar performance of the composites. In this study, based on the tape winding geometry, an interfacial temperature control strategy was developed to enhance the interlaminar shear strength of thermoplastic composites. By integrating laser energy and winding parameters to control interfacial heating, the method enhanced interlaminar shear strength by 120 % compared to conventional processing. The enhancement was attributed to a homogeneous temperature profile along the interface, which facilitated complete resin melting and improved interfacial bonding. Based on an optical–thermal model, the temperature field in tape winding was predominantly governed by direct laser irradiation and first-order reflections. Reducing the roller diameter reconfigured the thermal field and effectively lowered the temperature gradient in the heating zone. Adjusting the laser incidence angle towards the substrate and moderately increasing the mandrel speed achieved resin melting on both sides of the interface, ensuring continuous bonding. The temperature-controllable method put forward remarkably improves interlaminar shear strength in laser-assisted tape winding, shedding light on in-situ consolidation processes of thermoplastic composites for improved interlaminar bonding quality.