Manufacture of thermoplastic matrix composite stiffened panel using flexible co-woven prepreg

PEEK matrix composites exhibit great toughness and damage resistance. But the severe processing conditions and poor drapability result in in-efficiency in curved surface forming. This difficulty can be solved by flexible co-woven prepreg technology, facilitating the manufacture of complex curved surface structure with high quality and efficiency. The advantage of this flexible prepreg was demonstrated through the manufacture of stiffened panels with L stiffers and U stiffers, respectively.