Numerical optimization of the manufacturing process of hybrid lightweight structures consisting of fiber‐reinforced plastics is of great importance. This article introduces an industry‐oriented modeling approach for the thermoforming process of thermoplastic prepregs. A laminate model combined with established elastic‐plastic constitutive laws is used for the numerical treatment of the temperature dependent material behavior of the composite. The mechanical properties of the Polyamide 66 (PA66) matrix are acquired from a data sheet provided by the manufacturer. Experiments including tensile, shear, and bending tests are performed to characterize the effective deformation behavior of the prepreg in the full temperature range. Appropriate model parameters are determined to represent the temperature dependent deformation behavior of the composite according to the experimental observations. The parameterized material model for the prepreg is eventually applied in the simulation of thermoforming processes to show the influence of process and material parameters on the forming behavior of thermoplastic prepregs.

Multi-material design aims at the targeted combination of materials with different characteristics in order to meet technical requirements. Especially the combination of metals and fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP) has led to innovative lightweight structures with high loading capacity and ductility in recent years. The process chain required to produce such structures is characterized by a variety of process parameters which have a significant influence on the quality of the manufactured workpiece. In order to treat the thermoforming process numerically, we present constitutive models for the metal and composite part to simulate the deformation behavior of these components. In addition, experimental setups are described to identify the required material parameters. Simulations of the manufacturing process will indicate correlations between material as well as process parameters and possible defects of the final structure that may occur during manufacturing.