NUMBERING AS ORIGINAL,

There is considerable interest in the use of textiles, which are known as dry fabrics, for the construction of structural preforms of varying complexity. Cost reduction is a key factor in the future expansion of textiles and this can, to a great extent, be achieved by automation of the preform assembly process. Non-Crimp-Fabrics (NCF) offer significant potential for the process automation, due to an increased deposition rate and high structural performance. This work is focused on the development of a novel methodology which can be used to generate a fully integrated automation cell to produce three-dimensional (3D) components. Aautomation technique has been developed, which enables large reinforcement structures of I, C, J, and T shape to be readily produced for subsequent forming into required shapes when loaded into the mould. The preform is produced as a single piece, to reduce associated assembly and handling times. The proposed technique has been realised in design and implemented as a novel tool for forming the three-dimensional components in a single stroke for the aerospace applications. The resulting tool has been integrated into a fully automated manufacturing cell, providing an opportunity for a successful proof of principle application of such a device. The automated manufacturing cell has an integrated by robotic tacking device (RTD) which helps to produce preforms with a high degree of accuracy, where the fabrics are arranged in the required format to match the service loading of the component. Mechanical tests and numerical analyses have been conducted on a typical I-beam section to investigate the effects of both tacking position and the loading conditions on the consolidated product. Numerical analyses investigations have produced largely encourage results