@article{JIN2026, 
author = {Shaomeng JIN and Xinyu HUI and Ming MING and Hongyi WANG and Hong XIAO and Di ZHANG and Xiaochuan LIU and Yugang DUAN and Jin ZHOU},
title = {Pre-consolidation process towards in-plane characterization of uncured thermosetting unidirectional prepregs},
year = {2026},
journal = {Chinese Journal of Aeronautics},
volume = {39},
number = {3},
keywords = {Automated fiber placement, In-plane characterization, In-plane shear test, Pre-consolidation, Thermosetting resin, Uni-axial tensile test},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.1016/j.cja.2025.103894},
doi = {10.1016/j.cja.2025.103894},
abstract = {Uncured Unidirectional (UD) thermoset prepregs are extensively used in advanced automated composite manufacturing processes, such as the Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) technique. Pre-consolidation is a common method for preparing uncured specimens, which is crucial for testing in-plane properties needed in numerical simulations of AFP. We aim to identify a reliable process window for vacuum pre-consolidation by examining its impact on the in-plane performance of prepregs, using uniaxial tensile and in-plane shear tests. Two key process parameters, temperature and duration, were investigated. The results show that heating during pre-consolidation significantly improves testing consistency, while excessive treatment can lead to overestimated data. Ultimately, the recommended pre-consolidation process windows are established based on the test data.}
}