Modelling of pre-heating of flat panels prior to press forming

This paper describes a mathematical model which determines the heat transfer to and the transient temperature distribution within flat panels during heating. The model was developed specifically to simulate the pre-heating of thermoplastic composite panels prior to press forming, but it will also simulate the heating of isotropic materials such as brass or steel. The heating techniques modelled are infrared, platen and convection heating. Model predictions of heat-up times and temperatures are compared to experimental data for each heating technique. These comparisons show that the model predicts accurately the heat-up curves of flat sheets heated using various heating techniques.