Production of hybrid tubular metal-fibre preforms: development of a digital twin for the draping process

Hybrid shafts or rods with a metallic end fitting and a load transmitting area made of fibre reinforced plastics possess a great potential in terms of lightweight design, e.g. in automotive industry or aviation. One essential and quality-defining process step in the manufacturing of such parts is the draping of dry braided fibre fabrics onto the shape of the metallic end fitting. To explore the immature draping process and to derive the draping tool geometry a digital twin based on finite element simulation has been developed and validated by first experiments.