EXPERIMENTALLY VALIDATED SIMULATIONS OF BLIND HOLE DRILLING IN 3D WOVEN CARBON/EPOXY COMPOSITE WITH PROCESSING-INDUCED RESIDUAL STRESSES

Manufacturing-induced residual stresses in carbon/epoxy 3D woven composites arise during cooling after curing due to a large difference in the coefficients of thermal expansion between the carbon fibers and the epoxy matrix. The magnitudes of these stresses appear to be higher in composites with high throughthickness reinforcement and in some cases are sufficient to lead to matrix cracking. This paper presents a numerical approach to simulation of development of manufacturing-induced residual stresses in an orthogonal 3D woven composite unit cell using finite element analysis. The proposed mesoscale modeling combines viscoelastic stress relaxation of the epoxy matrix and realistic reinforcement geometry (based on microtomography and fabric mechanics simulations) and includes imaginginformed interfacial (tow/matrix) cracks. Sensitivity of the numerical predictions to reinforcement geometry and presence of defects is discussed. To validate the predictions, blind hole drilling is simulated, and the predicted resulting surface displacements are compared to the experimentally measured values. The validated model provides an insight into the volumetric distribution of residual stresses in 3D woven composites. The presented approach can be used for studies of residual stress effects on mechanical performance of composites and strategies directed at their mitigation.

The influences of lubricant groove shape on the tribological properties of journal bearing under the grease lubrication conditions

Purpose This paper aims to elucidate the effects of lubricant groove shape, vertical load, swing angle and grease injection cycle on the friction and wear performances of journal bearings under the grease lubrication condition. Design/methodology/approach Three different types of lubricant grooves, namely, numeral eight-shaped, axial straight line-shaped and circular blind hole-shaped, were designed and machined in the bearing bush of journal bearings. The tribological behaviors of these journal bearings were investigated on the self-developed reciprocating swing friction and wear tester. Experimental data including the friction coefficient, the friction temperature, the wear loss and wear time were analyzed in detail. The wear morphologies of friction pairs were observed by scanning electron microscope and confocal laser scanning microscope. Findings The load carrying capacity and service life of the journal bearing with circular blind hole-shaped lubricant grooves are not affected. However, the load carrying capacities of journal bearings with numeral eight-shaped and axial straight line-shaped lubricant grooves are declined. The coverage areas of lubricating grease in the bearing bush are associated with the swing angle. The smaller the swing angle is, the more limited the coverage areas of lubricating grease get. Among these journal bearings, the maintenance-free time of journal bearing with circular blind hole-shaped lubricant grooves is the longest because of its large grease storage capacity. Originality/value The journal bearing with circular blind hole-shaped lubricant grooves exhibits the excellent antifriction and wear-resistant properties, making it suitable for the application in the low-speed and heavy-load engineering conditions.