MATERIAL SELECTION FABRICATION ISSUES FOR THERMOPLASTIC FIBER PLACEMENT

The Manufacture of Advanced Composite Submarine Structures (MACSS) pro gram is part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) Maritime Systems Technology Office, Advanced Submarine Technology (AST) program . The program is developing the material product forms, processes, and equipment for automated fabrication of low-cost composite submarine s tructures. These developments will be demonstrated through fabrication and delivery of subscale and full-scale components of the Composite D ry Deck Shelter (CDDS). This paper will discuss the McDonnell Douglas Aerospace (MDA) thermoplastic fiber placement process, material select ion, and machine that make fabrication of large-scale submarine struct ures possible.